Switching bulk SMS providers sounds risky, especially when receipts and OTPs depend on it. With a little planning you can move without a single missed message.
1. Take stock
- Which systems send SMS (website, app, ERP, school or SACCO system, WooCommerce)?
- Which sender IDs and short codes you use, and on which networks.
- Your monthly volume and remaining credit with the old provider.
2. Register your sender ID with the new provider
Start early — network approval takes several working days per network. Keep sending from the old provider until it’s approved. See sender ID registration.
3. Move contacts and templates
Export contact groups and message templates as CSV and import them. Clean the list on the way: remove duplicates and numbers that failed repeatedly. See preparing contact lists.
4. Update integrations
Swap the API endpoint and key in each system. With Connect Media that’s one HTTPS endpoint and a Bearer token — see the API docs and tutorials for PHP, Python and Node.js. Put the key in configuration, not code, so switching back is a config change.
5. Test
- Send to staff numbers on Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom.
- Check delivery reports, sender ID display and long messages.
- Test error handling: invalid numbers and low balance.
6. Cut over gradually
Move one message type first (for example, marketing), then alerts, then OTPs. Keep the old account active with some credit for a couple of weeks as a fallback.
7. Tell your team
Update internal guides, dashboards logins and support scripts.
Moving to Connect Media? There’s no minimum top-up and credit never expires, so you can run both providers side by side while you switch. Our team can help with migration.
Get started
Create a Connect Media account — SMS from KES 1.0, no minimum top-up, credit that never expires, and one account for Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom. Call +254 707 339 945 or email info@connectmedia.co.ke.
