When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, little did he know that he had spawned a revolutionary mode of communication. Now many years later, it is being touted as the greatest invention of the 20th century.

Today’s telephone is a marvel of technology with features that were unheard of just a decade ago. The earlier phones were just used to ring up, talk and disconnect. Long distance conversations were impossible and quite difficult. The blinding pace of technology has made possible an ever-increasing number of innovations. Some of them are text messaging as short message service, taking still and video shooting and sending them as MMS messages, listening to music on FM, and sending one message to multiple recipients. Other uses include using the phone as an alarm, scheduling appointments, receiving alerts, making payments, booking tickets, checking bank account transactions, etc. A company has innovated with a new mobile swipe machine that treats SMS message as a transaction slip!

A mobile phone is much more than a phone. You can talk to a person even if that person is not there by leaving a voice mail message. You can send greetings, messages and alerts to your loved ones. Thanks to your mobile phone, you are in touch with them all the time, wherever you may be. Even if your phone is busy, you will know who had called. Thanks to the magic of mobile telephony, phone companies, power companies, marketing companies, your office, your customers, your suppliers, your friends, your business associates are able to contact you, even in an emergency.

Even kids love to play games on thd mobile phone. Teens find it best to indulge in speed dating. Music lovers can tune in to their favorite music on their mobile phones. Watch the movies, read bestsellers, muse over the best deals for wheels, appliances, or stocks and shares. Follow the share movements and make a killing!

But there is an obvious downside to all these wonderful things. There is an alarming growth in bullying, stalking, abusing and threatening by people using SMS messaging through mobile phones. Though the numbers are still small, they are becoming significant enough for the authorities to make arrests and try to stop the perpetrators, by checking up the service provider’s records to trace the offenders.

Let us have a look at another type of scenario. Most people have to make regular payments to different business, professional and financial entities in the form of fees, charges, surcharges, rents, leases, etc. Usually it is a big challenge for the companies and associations to send the mails containing the invoices, reminders, or receipts to several thousands, even millions of customers or members. This is where Bulk SMS comes in.

Just imagine the work involved in processing the personal details of the individual members or customers that needs to be on the intimation. Gone are the days when one had to laboriously type out each statement or reminder and stuff it, add a stamp and mail it so it reaches the destination in time? Then came the electronic typewriter and memory so that you did not have to retype again. Now the PC does it all. Specially designed software integrates the mailing function with database stored on Excel Worksheets.

All you need to do is program the sending of bulk SMS at certain times like on the first of the month, or at specified times like midnight for sending New Year Greetings. This takes a huge load off your shoulders as you only to ensure that you remain online when the event triggers the sending of bulk messages.

Imagine the simplicity of the process. You pre-determine the message parimeters that are to comprise the message and the date and time the message is to be sent. For example, the manager of a private club needs to send to the member monthly intimations regarding payment of the member’s monthly fees and dues by a particular date. Typically this will include the monthly subscription fee amount, the expenses incurred on various games/swimming pool charges, etc, food and drinks consumed in the club’s dining area, plus any other incidentals that are chargeable to the member.

The SMS to the member will contain the broad details like amount due to be paid, past dues remaining unpaid and expenses chargeable. Since these parameters amounts vary from member to member, the software program will enable complicated calculations to be done in seconds and the payments due amounts arrived at. Usually, these bulk bills number in tens of thousands and require elaborate updating each day. Fortunately, some SMS providers assist you with helpful hints to speed up the process of Bulk SMS mailing.

One of the first few cell phone ads from Israel: