Just like email, text messages are not guaranteed to be delivered with a 100% success rate. That's why it's important to monitor text message deliverability to avoid sending texts that aren't reaching recipients, and subsequently wasting budget.
Review failed delivery metrics
You want to keep the failed delivery rate as low as possible. If a text message is not delivered successfully, Klaviyo will log an error metric and cite the reason for the failed delivery. You may see one of the following reasons listed:
- Device Disconnected: the device is no longer in service.
- Device Unreachable: the device is not in a service area, not accepting messages, or the device is off. It’s similar to a soft bounce for email.
- Carrier Violation: the phone carrier filtered the message out.
- Message Blocked: a wireless carrier, Klaviyo's system, or the recipient has blocked the message.
- Device Incapable of Receiving SMS: the number is a landline or cannot receive SMS. Klaviyo will automatically unsubscribe the phone number if this is the failure reason.
- Unknown: the wireless carrier did not report why a message was not delivered.
Some of these reasons are temporary, but some may indicate that changes need to be made in the account. If you see a lot of Device Disconnected or Device Incapable of Receiving SMS, check to ensure that double opt-in is turned on for your client’s text message list. This will ensure that non-working numbers are not added to the list. If you see a lot of Carrier Violation or Message Blocked, review the links and website content within the message. It’s possible that there is prohibited content related to SHAFT, CBD, etc.
Build a text message error segment to exclude from campaigns
We recommend building a segment that aggregates all profiles with failed delivery reasons, and excluding this segment from all text message campaigns. Build this segment with the following criteria:
- Person IS consented to receive SMS AND
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least once in the last 30 days where failure type equals Device unreachable OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least once in the last 30 days where failure type equals Device disconnected OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least 2 times over all time where failure type equals Device unreachable OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least 2 times over all time where failure type equals Device disconnected OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least once over all time where failure type equals Message blocked OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least once over all time where failure type equals Device incapable of receiving SMS OR
- Person has Failed to Deliver SMS at least 5 times over all time where failure type equals Unknown error
Learn more about creating an SMS error segment.