Every SMS marketing campaign depends on a singular, fundamental factor—successful message delivery. Businesses rely on SMS to engage their audience effectively, whether it’s a promotional offer, a transactional update, or an appointment reminder.
But what happens when a message doesn’t reach its intended recipient?
SMS delivery reports provide critical insights into message status, helping businesses track success rates and optimize their communication strategy.
With global A2P (application-to-person) SMS revenues projected to reach $78 million by 2027, understanding delivery trends is more crucial than ever.
In this article, we’ll break down how SMS delivery reports work, the key insights they offer, common reasons for delivery failures, and best practices to improve SMS deliverability.
How do SMS delivery reports work?
An SMS delivery report (DLR) is a status notification that confirms whether a sent message has been successfully delivered to the recipient's device.
These reports provide real-time updates on the status of messages sent and help businesses track whether their messages are successfully delivered, pending, or failed. They offer key insights to optimize SMS marketing and customer communication.
Imagine an e-commerce store sending an order confirmation SMS to a customer. If the message is marked as "Delivered," the store knows the customer has received it. However, if the status shows "Failed" or "Pending," they can investigate—was it a wrong number, carrier issue, or the recipient’s phone turned off?
With this insight, the business can resend messages, update contact lists, or optimize delivery times to ensure critical updates reach customers efficiently.
For businesses relying on SMS for engagement, SMS delivery reports serve as a performance checkpoint, ensuring messages reach their intended recipients.
By analyzing these reports, companies can refine their messaging strategies, improve deliverability, and enhance customer interactions.
Key insights from SMS delivery reports
Each SMS sent goes through a verification process that determines its final status. By understanding the different delivery statuses, businesses can fine-tune their SMS strategies for better engagement and higher conversion rates.
Here’s what the different SMS delivery reports indicate:
1. Delivered ✅
- The message has successfully reached the recipient’s mobile device
- Indicates a functional phone number and a network that accepted the message
2. Failed ❌
- The message could not be delivered due to issues like:
- Invalid or deactivated phone number
- Network errors or carrier restrictions
- The recipient’s phone being switched off for an extended period
- Businesses should monitor failed messages to clean contact lists and improve targeting
3. Pending ⏳
- The message is still in transit and waiting for a final status update
- Common reasons include:
- Temporary network congestion
- The recipient’s device is turned off or out of coverage
- Carrier delays in processing the message
- Pending messages may eventually be delivered or fail depending on network conditions
4. Rejected 🚫
- The message was actively blocked by the carrier or recipient’s device
- Possible reasons:
- The recipient is on a Do Not Disturb (DND) list
- The carrier has spam filters that flag the message
- The recipient manually blocked SMS from the sender
- To minimize rejections, businesses should comply with SMS regulations and ensure recipients have opted in
5. Unknown ❓
- The final delivery status could not be determined
- Possible reasons:
- No response from the recipient’s carrier
- The message was sent but the carrier failed to report its status
- Since unknown statuses can create uncertainty, businesses should monitor trends and optimize their SMS routing strategy
Why SMS delivery reports matter:
- Helps businesses identify delivery issues and improve audience targeting
- Ensures higher SMS engagement rates by removing inactive numbers
- Enables businesses to adjust message content to avoid spam filters
By analyzing SMS delivery reports, businesses can gain a data-driven advantage in their SMS campaigns. This ensures higher deliverability and reduced SMS delivery failures.
Common reasons for SMS delivery failures
Even with a reliable SMS gateway, some messages fail to reach recipients due to various reasons. Here are the most common issues:
How to use SMS delivery reports for better engagement
Businesses can optimize messaging strategies by analyzing delivery report data. Here’s how you can use SMS delivery reports strategically to refine your engagement tactics:
Fixing failed message issues
If your delivery reports show a high percentage of failed messages, it’s a clear sign that something needs fixing. Monitoring these reports helps businesses identify patterns and address issues like invalid numbers or carrier restrictions.
96% of consumers have felt annoyed by SMS marketing messages, which can lead them to block senders or mark messages as spam, further reducing deliverability. Regularly reviewing delivery reports ensures your messages don’t get lost in spam filters.
Sending messages at the right time
Timing directly affects SMS engagement and deliverability. Analyzing delivery reports helps identify when recipients are most likely to respond. Messages sent too early or too late may be ignored, while poorly timed promotions can lead to higher opt-out rates.
For example, Papa Murphy’s, a take-and-bake pizza brand, used SMS campaigns strategically by offering discounts during slow business hours, leading to a 17% increase in in-store traffic.
By using delivery reports to track response patterns, businesses can fine-tune their messaging schedules to maximize impact.
Optimizing SMS content to avoid spam filters
To improve SMS deliverability, focus on clarity, value, and relevance. Messages should be concise, legally compliant, and free from spam triggers.
Instead of generic promotions, personalize content based on user behavior, purchase history, or location to increase engagement.
For example, instead of a vague discount offer, send:
"Hey [Name], your favorite sneakers are back in stock! Grab them now with 10% off: [link]"
Segment audiences for higher deliverability
Not all customers engage with messages in the same way. Using delivery reports to segment audiences based on engagement and preferences ensures that messages are relevant.
This increases the likelihood of successful delivery and customer interaction.
Example 1: VIP customers (Frequent buyers)
"Hey [Name], as a valued customer, here’s early access to our exclusive sale! Enjoy 25% off before anyone else. Shop now 👉 [Link]"
Example 2: Inactive customers (Haven’t purchased in a while)
"Hi [Name], it’s been a while! We’ve got 15% off just for you to make your comeback special. Use code WELCOME15 at checkout. 🛒 Shop now 👉 [Link]"
Reduce costs by eliminating invalid numbers
Failed delivery reports indicate inactive or incorrect numbers. Removing these from your list ensures you’re not wasting resources on undeliverable messages, improving both cost efficiency and targeting accuracy.
Best practices for improving SMS delivery rate
Improving SMS delivery rates is crucial for effective communication and customer engagement. Implementing these best practices helps ensure messages reach the right audience without delays or failures.
A healthy clean contact list = Higher deliverability
Keeping a clean and updated SMS contact list is essential for improving delivery rates and reducing message failures. 47% of U.S. millennials appreciate receiving SMS messages from brands they've opted into, emphasizing the importance of targeting engaged subscribers.
Regularly removing invalid numbers, duplicate contacts, and inactive subscribers ensures messages reach the right audience. This minimizes delivery failures and compliance risks.
A well-maintained SMS list enhances engagement, reduces costs, and improves overall SMS campaign performance.
Send SMS when customers are ready to act
Beyond analyzing past reports, businesses should proactively test and refine their messaging times. A/B testing different send times and tracking responses can help identify optimal engagement windows.
For U.S. audiences, compliance with TCPA regulations is important. Messages should not be sent before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient’s time zone. While mid-afternoon tends to perform well, avoiding Mondays and peak rush hours can prevent messages from being overlooked.
By continuously optimizing send times, businesses can enhance engagement, minimize opt-outs, and ensure compliance as well.
Failed or delivered? Use reports to refine your SMS strategy
Utilizing delivery reports allows businesses to track the success of their SMS campaigns. Companies can spot trends, identify issues, and adjust strategies by analyzing these reports.
For example, if many messages are undelivered, it may indicate issues with carrier compatibility or the need for content optimization.
Follow the regulations to improve SMS delivery
Following TCPA and GDPR regulations is crucial for SMS deliverability and customer trust. Businesses must obtain explicit consent before sending marketing messages, ensuring compliance and avoiding penalties.
Using double opt-in confirms subscriber interest, reducing spam complaints and improving engagement rates. A well-managed opt-in/out process keeps your SMS list clean, enhances deliverability, and builds long-term customer relationships.
Choose a reliable SMS gateway
Partnering with a trusted SMS gateway ensures high deliverability and reliable message transmission. A reputable provider offers strong infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and carrier relationships to prevent message failures and filtering issues.
Plivo CX, an advanced omnichannel SMS marketing platform, helps businesses optimize message delivery, track performance, and engage customers with precision.
With AI-driven insights and intelligent segmentation, brands can improve SMS deliverability, reduce costs, and maximize campaign success effortlessly.
Elevate your SMS strategy with Plivo CX delivery tracking report
Many businesses struggle with SMS delivery issues due to failed messages, spam filters, or poor timing. These challenges can lead to missed opportunities, reduced engagement, and wasted marketing budget.
Without real-time insights, identifying why messages fail and how to fix them becomes difficult.
Plivo CX simplifies SMS campaign management, providing businesses with real-time delivery insights, AI-powered automation, and intelligent customer segmentation to optimize messaging strategies and improve deliverability.
Whether you’re sending promotional offers, transactional updates, or appointment reminders, Plivo CX helps you automate and personalize your SMS outreach, ensuring every message counts.
Here’s why Plivo CX is the smart choice for reliable and data-driven SMS campaigns:
- Performance insights: Plivo CX tracks key campaign metrics to measure ROI and optimize delivery, as well as your SMS strategy. Get real-time insights to see what works and adjust for better engagement and conversions.
- Seamless E-commerce integrations: Integrate with e-commerce stores like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento to personalize SMS campaigns and send SMS directly from your e-commerce system.
- Timely engagement: Schedule messages strategically across time zones to maximize deliverability and engagement. Schedule messages at optimal times across time zones.
- Leverage browsing behavior: Use session data to send personalized offers and product recommendations based on customer interests. Tailored messages increase engagement and drive higher conversion rates.
- Craft engaging messages: With Copywriter AI, generate and send messages instantly, ensuring they reach recipients at the right time. Use AI-driven suggestions and pre-built templates to create personalized SMS messages that improve deliverability and customer engagement.
- Customer segmentation: Use the Audience feature and segment your customers using purchase history, spending habits, and engagement data for better targeting. Smart segmentation ensures the right message reaches the right customer at the right time.
- Welcome new customers: Make a great first impression with personalized welcomes and exclusive discounts for new subscribers. Start building customer loyalty from day one with engaging, value-driven messages.
- Send campaign announcements: Keep your audience in the loop with product launches, flash sales, restocks, and new arrivals. Timely updates ensure customers never miss out on limited-time offers.
With Plivo’s premium carrier network covering 220+ countries, businesses can cut SMS costs by up to 70% while tripling ROI. On average, Plivo CX users generate $71 for every $1 spent, making it a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses.
Don’t let failed messages impact your business. Take control of your SMS strategy, improve deliverability, and maximize engagement with Plivo CX.
Book a free demo today and experience smarter, more effective SMS marketing!
