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Texting: Short vs Long Code/Number
Question:
"Can We Get a Short, Easy-to-Remember Number for Guest Texting, or Should We Just Use Our Local Church Line? 📞"
Answer:
That's a fantastic question and it gets to the very heart of Church Fuel's philosophy: Connection over Broadcast 🤝.
For guest connections, texting a keyword (like 'NEW') to a local, 10-digit phone number is superior to a 5-digit short code for several crucial reasons:
🌟 1. Fosters Personal & Human Connection
- A local number feels more personal and human, like they are texting a real person or ministry.
- People are encouraged to communicate and respond when they feel there is a "human at the other end".
- It supports true two-way conversations, which is vital for building relationships with a new visitor.
- It reduces the chance of coming across as automated, spammy, or sales-like. People often associate short codes with marketing or automated messaging.
The number can be saved in their contacts, so messages show up from your church's name, not a random number.
💰 2. Cost-Effective and Flexible for Churches
- Cost: Local 10-digit numbers (often called "long codes") are significantly more affordable ($5–$50 per number per year) compared to dedicated short codes, which can cost up to $12,000 per year to lease.
Keywords: You have virtually unlimited and unique keywords per long code number, so multiple churches can use common keywords like "WELCOME" or "PRAYER" without conflict. Short codes typically have a keyword challenge because they are shared.
⚖️ 3. Simplified Communication
- You can often use the same local number for both texting and calling.
- Local numbers are less likely to be blocked by phone accounts compared to short codes, which can sometimes be turned off by default on some phones.
While short codes are fantastic for high-volume, mass messaging (sending thousands of texts instantly) and are often easier to remember for a large-screen announcement, they are less ideal for the intimate, follow-up-focused work of guest connection.
The goal of our Automatic Invite System™ is to get visitors in, and the Connections System is to get them connected fast. The local number is the relationship fuel for that system! 🔥