This is a good problem to have, as it indicates that people want to connect with your business. However, when all the calls start coming in and you or your team cannot handle them, it can become overwhelming.

Missed calls can mean lost customers, missed opportunities, and lower satisfaction. That’s where an IVR, or Interactive Voice Response, can really make your life easier!

You may have heard this before: “To speak with our sales team, press 1. For customer support, press 2.…”

That is an IVR system that picks up your calls automatically, and directs callers along menu options, and connects them to the right person or department.

At Times Mobile, we help businesses like yours set up reliable, secure, and easy-to-use IVR systems that keep customers satisfied and the business on track.

67% of customers say they have a better experience with companies that use an Interactive Voice Response system (IVR), according to Deloitte.

But when it comes to choosing the best IVR service, how do you know which provider to choose with so many out there?

Let’s figure that out!

1. Start with Your Business Goals

What are you hoping to achieve with an IVR system?

• Want to reduce customer wait times?
• Need to automate repetitive tasks like appointment bookings or order tracking?
• Or looking to serve customers in multiple languages?

When you’re clear on your goals, it becomes easier to find an IVR provider that can meet your specific needs.

At Times Mobile, we customize our solutions based on your business size, industry, and customer expectations.

2. Understand Your Call Volume

How many calls does your business handle each day? A local business taking 20-30 calls a day will be different than a call center taking thousands of calls every hour. Higher volume will require a more powerful system and has to be more scalable.

Times Mobile’s cloud IVR solutions grow with your business with no lag, no downtime, no worries.

3. Cloud or On-Premise?

There are two main options:

• On-premise systems give you more control but require hardware, maintenance, and an in-house IT team.
• Cloud-based IVR systems are easier to manage, more affordable, and don’t need any physical setup.

Most small and mid-sized businesses today prefer cloud solutions and Times Mobile makes switching to the cloud simple and secure.

4. Make Sure It Integrates with Your Tools

Your IVR system should work well with your existing tools like your CRM, support desk, or ticketing system. This ensures your team has all the info they need when answering calls no time wasted, no repeated questions.

Our systems at Times Mobile offer smooth integrations with popular business tools, so everything works together like a well-oiled machine.

5. Personalize the Customer Experience

Nobody wants to speak to a mechanical monotone voice over and over. With modern day IVR systems you can:

• Greet customers by name
• Present options based on previous interactions
• Follow up via SMS or email

Times Mobile makes this level of personalization simple, so that your brand sounds warm, professional and human.

6. Ask for Reports and Insights

Want to know how your IVR system is performing? A good provider should offer reports that show:

• When most calls are received
• Where people drop off
• How long calls last
• How many are resolved on the first try

At Times Mobile, we provide simple dashboards with all this info, helping you spot trends and improve your service.

7. Prioritize Data Security

When customers share personal details over the phone, it is important to keep that information safe.

Times Mobile follows strict data protection practices, including encryption and secure call handling. We also comply with all of the major data privacy laws in India and globally.

8. Check the Support Quality

Even the best systems call for support from time to time, that’s why good customer support is non-negotiable. Times Mobile offers around-the-clock support, timely solutions, and a dedicated account manager so you’re never left in the dark.

9.  Reduce Waiting Time

In a study from Harris Interactive, 60 percent of customers are ready to hang up after just one minute on hold. That’s a lot of missed opportunities for any business.

But this is where an IVR system comes in. It allows customers to get quick access to information such as checking an order, getting account information, or booking a service without waiting to talk to a person.

Final Thoughts

An IVR system isn’t just a tool; it is part of how your business communicates. Choosing the right provider makes all the difference in how smoothly things run.

Regardless of whether you are a startup or an established business, Times Mobile is here to help you in building a better, smarter, and more efficient call experience for your customers.

What’s a CPaaS Solution? 

A Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offers cloud communication solutions that enable businesses to integrate voice, messaging, and video into their existing applications.  

India’s CPaaS market is projected to cross USD 2 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of over 25%. The adoption is being driven by enterprises that want to unify WhatsApp, SMS, Voice, Email, and RCS into a single orchestration layer, rather than managing siloed messaging tools. BFSI, healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics are leading adopters, and the demand is shifting from pure connectivity to intelligent automation, consent management, and real-time analytics.

The right CPaaS partner can help you boost engagement, drive conversions, and enhance customer experience. 

But if you Google “Best CPaaS providers,” you’ll get so many options. Now you must be thinking how to choose the right CPaaS solution 

In this guide, we’ll break down the key factors to consider for CPaaS selection when choosing a communication platform. 

Define Your Business Goals

When it comes to choosing the right CPaaS partner, there is no such thing as the perfect fit. Therefore, you need to look for a partner that’s the right fit.  

Having a clear understanding of your communication objectives can help you choose a communication platform that ticks all the boxes for you.  

Here are the questions you need to define your goals. Are you looking to: 

Improve customer engagement through instant messaging? 

Automate lead generation and customer interactions? 

Scale personalized marketing campaigns? 

Offer real-time customer support? 

Let’s say, if your goal is to drive conversions via digital advertising, then a Conversation to Conversion Ads (CTCA) is the ideal choice. Why? Because CTCA runs on meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and seamlessly directs users to WhatsApp chats, enabling businesses to initiate meaningful communication with their prospects instantly. 

CPaaS pricing typically follows a pay-per-use model, with SMS charged per message and WhatsApp billed per 24-hour conversation session. Enterprises with high traffic also negotiate bundled packages that combine SMS, WhatsApp, and Voice. A worked ROI example: a BFSI company sending 1 million OTPs monthly through WhatsApp-first delivery with SMS fallback. While WhatsApp costs more per session, the higher delivery reliability reduces failed transactions, leading to higher completion rates and lower overall customer support costs.

Look for Omnichannel Capabilities 

When choosing a communication platform, it’s always a good idea to know their Omnichannel Capabilities. Even if you don’t need it now, it’ll save you a lot of trouble if tomorrow you decide to scale up.

Key channels to consider include:

• WhatsApp Business API – Enables real-time customer support, automated responses, and interactive messaging.
• SMS Solutions – Ideal for transactional alerts, reminders, and promotions.
• Voice Solutions – For secure phone number verification and customer interactions.
• Rich Communication Services (RCS) – A modern alternative to SMS, allowing brands to send rich media and interactive messages.

A good CPaaS partner helps you provide a consistent brand experience to your customers by allowing seamless integration across all these channels.

Seamless Integration with Existing Platforms

You sure want to improve your customer experience, but not at the cost of changing your CRMs. Right?

Therefore, look for a CPaaS solution that can easily integrate with CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and customer databases. Look for providers that offer:

• Easy API integration with tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and MoEngage.
• Click-to-Chat Ads integration with Meta platforms for instant customer engagement.
• Multi-channel campaign management for streamlined communications.

Smart CPaaS solutions integrated effortlessly with your existing tech stack allow personalized interactions and better customer insights.

Advanced Analytics & Reporting

You not only need advanced features for smooth customer interactions, you also need insights into your customers & prospects. Why?

The insights can help you make data-driven decisions to refine your customer engagement strategies. Choose a CPaaS provider that offers:

• Real-time analytics on customer interactions.
• Conversion tracking for WhatsApp and Click-to-Chat ads.
• Detailed reports to measure ROI and campaign effectiveness.

Real-time performance monitoring can help you optimize your marketing campaigns and enhance customer experience.

Compliance & Security Standards

In today’s digital age, businesses must ensure data privacy and security to stay compliant with industry regulations. When choosing a CPaaS partner, check if they have the following:

• SOC 2 compliance for security audits.
• End-to-end encryption for safe messaging.

A trusted CPaaS partner not only ensures your customers’ sensitive information but also ensures a seamless experience.

When choosing CPaaS, compliance is not optional. In India, enterprises must adhere to TRAI’s DLT framework for SMS, and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act for data privacy. Global regulations like GDPR and HIPAA also affect enterprises in BFSI and healthcare if they handle cross-border customer data. The right CPaaS partner must guarantee data residency in India, consent-based WhatsApp onboarding, and secure failover routing to ensure both compliance and customer trust.

Why Times Mobile’s CPaaS Solutions?

Times Mobile’s CPaaS solutions empower businesses to engage, convert, and retain customers effortlessly.

Get a perfect blend of automation, scalability, and security for your business with our Conversation to Conversion Ads (CTCA), WhatsApp Business API, and multi-channel messaging solutions.

• Seamless lead conversion through Click-to-WhatsApp Ads.
• 24/7 automated support with AI-powered chatbots.
• End-to-end communication solutions for businesses of all sizes.
• Enterprise-grade security to protect customer data.

The next wave of CPaaS will move beyond APIs into AI-driven orchestration, where platforms decide in real time the best channel, timing, and message format based on customer consent and engagement history. This means enterprises will no longer “send a blast” but instead deliver context-aware conversations that cut across WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, and Voice. In India, where enterprises manage billions of customer interactions monthly, this shift will define which CPaaS vendors remain relevant in 2025 and beyond .

Final Thoughts

Choosing a communication platform is a decision that can transform how businesses interact with customers. Each CPaaS provider has its features and benefits. But to choose the best CPaaS providers, you have to clearly define your goals.

With a good CPaaS partner by your side, you can scale customer engagement, drive higher conversions, or automate communications

Ready to take your business communication to the next level? Get in touch with Times Mobile today!

Today’s digital-first businesses cannot afford authentication methods that frustrate customers or expose them to fraud. Traditional SMS OTPs, while familiar, have become a weak link in the security chain because of delays, delivery failures, SIM-swap frauds, and phishing exploits. For enterprises handling millions of logins and transactions every month, every failed OTP means a broken customer experience and potential revenue loss. OTP-less authentication has emerged as the necessary evolution in this landscape. It enables faster, more reliable, and secure verification while keeping user journeys friction-free. In India, where mobile-first adoption is driving e-commerce, banking, and fintech growth, enterprises are now making OTP-less solutions their default mode of authentication to combine compliance with customer trust.

Identity-related frauds in UPI alone led to ₹200 Crore of losses to account holders FY21. This is estimated to be ₹500 Crore in 2023 (estimated to be proportional to the growth of transactions). Further, the recovery rate of these losses stands at an abysmal 2-8% of the lost money. In FY23, the Indian banking system recorded 13,530 fraud cases. In May 2023, the Reserve Bank of India reported the highest incidence of fraud in digital payments.

SIM swap or SIM-jacking has been identified as one of the most prevalent frauds in India that exploits the inherent weakness of OTP via SMS. Recently, a news report on TOI quoted RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das urging regulated entities to adopt better alternatives to OTP via SMS for second-factor authentication. Recently, ICICI Bank was quoted in a news report on the Times of India identifying types of identity fraud faced by their consumers.

India’s market for authentication is at an inflection point. With over a billion mobile users and the rise of digital public infrastructure like UPI and Aadhaar-linked services, the volume of daily authentications is staggering. BFSI institutions are leading adoption, driven by RBI’s mandate for strong customer authentication and their own need to reduce fraud losses. E-commerce platforms are close behind, using OTP-less flows for login and cash-on-delivery confirmations. Healthcare and government services are also exploring these solutions to secure sensitive records and citizen-facing platforms. The momentum is clear  OTP-less authentication is not a futuristic concept but an urgent enterprise priority across sectors in India.

To address the above, Times Mobile recently announced a partnership with Sekura.id to bring an SMS OTP-less authentication method to India called SAFr Auth. This technology verifies mobile possession via SIM in real-time without the use of a username, password or OTP to deliver a superlative customer experience.

How SAFr Auth Works

OTP-less authentication replaces the dependency on SMS or email codes with modern mechanisms like device binding, push notifications, WhatsApp verified templates, and cryptographic tokens. Instead of waiting for a one-time password that could be delayed or intercepted, the user’s identity is validated directly against secure identifiers such as their registered device, their consented WhatsApp account, or biometric approval. This reduces points of failure and eliminates OTP forwarding or phishing loopholes. Unlike SMS OTP, where delivery depends on operator networks and DLT filtering, OTP-less delivers consistent performance with measurable audit trails, giving enterprises both security and efficiency at scale.

When using the traditional SMS based OTP, the user has to go through a 7 step process shown below to authenticate themselves –

In addition to being prone to customer abandonment, this also leaves the user open to SIM swap and phishing attacks. In contrast, SAFr Auth has a simple 3 step process shown below –

In addition, SAFr Auth also eliminates fraud via the following process –

SAFr Auth verifies that the mobile number provided on the app (MSISDN A) matches the one detected by the mobile operator (MSISDN B). It also analyses additional risk signals to thwart phishing attacks.

This server-based architecture based on OAuth 2.X protocol that integrates the enterprise (bank) server and mobile network operators enables SAFr Auth to eliminate 90% of the fraud associated with two-factor authentication methods like OTP SMS.

An effective OTP-less solution is more than a feature. It is an orchestration of APIs, consent flows, and analytics. When a user initiates an authentication request, the orchestration layer checks their identity against stored device credentials or initiates a WhatsApp verified message template for consent. Webhooks capture responses in real time, logging data points such as message delivery, read status, timestamp, and user confirmation. This information flows directly into the enterprise CRM or risk management system, where it is combined with fraud scoring models. The architecture ensures compliance with RBI guidelines while maintaining audit-ready trails that enterprises can present during regulatory checks. Such a structured approach transforms authentication into a seamless part of the customer journey rather than a disruptive checkpoint.

SAFr Auth has been successfully deployed in a number of banks. A leading tier-1 high street bank in UK reported significant reduction in fraud and a smoother customer onboarding process leading to a 35% improvement in account approvals and a 25% reduction in customer abandonment. Yet another tier-1 bank in UK reported significant reduction in SMS OTP passcode related social engineering and account takeovers.

Competitive Landscape & Comparisons

Many companies are now trying to replace the old SMS OTP system because it is slow, inconvenient, and easy for fraudsters to attack. While Times Mobile’s SAFr Auth is one solution.

Enterprises switching from SMS OTP to OTP-less authentication report a double impact: cost efficiency and risk reduction. At scale, SMS OTP costs can easily run into crores of rupees annually, with each authentication costing between ₹0.12 to ₹0.18. For an enterprise processing 1 million authentications a month, even a 20% drop in SMS traffic through OTP-less channels represents significant savings. More importantly, OTP-less prevents high-value fraud like SIM swaps and phishing, which can cause irreparable brand damage and regulatory penalties. The ROI is not just about cutting expenses; it is about preserving trust and ensuring that customers complete their journeys without friction, leading to higher lifetime value.

Traditional SMS OTP

• How it works: A 6-digit code is sent to the user’s phone by SMS.
• Pros: Simple to understand, works everywhere.
• Cons: Risky (codes can be stolen via phishing or SIM swap), slow, users get frustrated typing codes.

SAFr Auth (Times Mobile + Sekura.id)

• How it works: Verifies the mobile number directly with the mobile operator. No OTP required.
• Pros: Very secure, stops SIM swap and phishing fraud, only 3 steps instead of 7, seamless for users.
• Cons: Needs integration with telecom operators, may require fallback in areas with weak network coverage.

The next phase of OTP-less authentication in India will be shaped by AI, regulatory innovation, and platform convergence. Artificial intelligence is already being integrated into fraud detection, using behavioral analytics to identify abnormal login patterns and trigger stronger verification flows. With WhatsApp Payments and ONDC gaining traction, authentication and payments are converging into unified journeys. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) will further shape how enterprises store and process consent logs, making audit readiness and transparency non-negotiable. As enterprises plan for the future, OTP-less will not just remain a fraud-prevention tool but evolve into a cornerstone of digital trust.

Conclusion

OTP-less authentication is no longer an experiment; it is the foundation for secure, scalable, and customer-friendly digital experiences in India. SMS OTP, while familiar, has reached its limits in reliability and risk management. Enterprises that continue relying on outdated methods risk higher fraud losses, broken customer trust, and mounting compliance pressure. The way forward is clear: OTP-less authentication delivers speed, security, and confidence at enterprise scale. Businesses that embrace it today will be the ones that define digital trust in India’s mobile-first economy tomorrow.

Omnichannel works best when customers experience one smooth conversation, not scattered messages. We start with WhatsApp for rich, two-way journeys, rely on SMS for universal reach and delivery, and test RCS on Android groups with automatic SMS fallback. Every message follows India’s rules—DLT registration for SMS, DPDP consent, and WhatsApp opt-in. Journeys run on an orchestration layer that picks the channel by rule, not guesswork, and connects to a live agent when automation ends. The outcome is consistent—faster resolution, better conversion, and clear impact on revenue.

Once upon a time, customers expected to physically visit a business to get service. However, today the expectation of the customer is to be engaged via channels such as telephone, SMS, chat, email and more recently WhatsApp. Research from PwC, Twilio and Hubspot shows that there is significant differences between age groups –

• Millennials prefer newer communication modes
• GenX and Baby Boomers prefer older modes

Omnichannel vs Multichannel: Why It Matters

Multichannel sends messages in separate lanes, where each thread runs alone. Omnichannel, on the other hand, unifies identity, consent, and context so the customer experiences one continuous journey across WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, voice, email, and push.

An orchestration layer plays a key role here. It decides who to contact, what to send, when to engage, and where to deliver. It also records delivery, read, reply, and resolution back into CRM. This avoids repetition for customers and gives teams one clear funnel to manage.

Technology Shifts Driving Engagement

• RCS Adoption: Google, in partnership with mobile operators, has launched RCS (Rich Communication Services) in multiple markets as a powerful alternative to SMS and WhatsApp. While adoption is still growing, RCS offers app-like features, 2-way conversations, and can deliver up to 10X higher engagement for enterprises.
• Market Trends: In India, enterprise messaging has crossed the billion-dollar mark. WhatsApp usage remains massive, RCS traffic is expanding, and SMS still anchors delivery. With Apple’s iOS 18 introducing RCS support (Android already leads), rich native messaging will grow even further, while compliance requirements also tighten.

The Value of Omnichannel Experiences

Surveys show that customers who engage with brands across multiple channels tend to spend more and stay loyal longer compared to single-channel customers. This underlines the importance of delivering a consistent and integrated omnichannel experience that adapts to diverse customer behaviors.

Building Blocks of Omnichannel Customer Experience

Enterprises can strengthen their strategies with:

1. Authentication for Trust
   • Use WhatsApp Authentication templates during service windows for verified profiles, read receipts, and quick actions.
   • Keep SMS OTP as the universal fallback—reliable for every mobile number, even in low-data areas.
   • Add SIM-based, OTP-less checks on trusted devices to reduce friction.
   • Policy approach: try WhatsApp first, fall back to SMS in seconds, escalate to masked voice calls for high-risk cases.
2. Technology Stack
   • Data & Identity: CDP/CRM stores identity and consent.
   • Orchestration: Applies policy, selects the right channel, and routes conversations.
   • Channels: WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, voice, email, and push.
   • Bots & Agents: Bots handle routine tasks; handover routes to agents with full history when needed.
   • Analytics: Real-time feedback on delivery, read, reply, resolution, and conversion ensures marketing and care operate on the same truth.
3. Core Principles
   • Separation of Data & Channels: Keep customer data in CDP/CRM.
   • Personalization & Targeting: Use data to tailor offers and communication.
   • Seamless Integration: Continue conversations across channels without losing context.
   • Interactive Engagement: Use rich features in RCS, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
   • Data Analytics & Insights: Optimize strategies based on customer behavior.
   • Proactive Support: Solve issues quickly; adding more channels alone is not enough.

Compliance as a Foundation

Compliance is not an afterthought—it’s built into the system:

• SMS: Must pass through TRAI’s DLT system (Entity, Headers, Templates) with ₹0.025 scrubbing charges per SMS. Promotional traffic must follow set time windows.
• WhatsApp: Needs explicit opt-in and template approval; service replies are limited to 24 hours.
• DPDP Act: Requires purpose-based consent and clear opt-out options.
• Enforcement: The orchestration layer blocks non-compliant messages before they leave the system.

By embedding compliance in workflows, enterprises not only avoid penalties but also build long-term trust with customers.

The Winning Approach

The future belongs to enterprises that:

• Standardize on orchestration—one policy layer, many channels.
• Focus on measurable results like revenue and customer satisfaction, not vanity metrics.
• Leverage platforms like Times Mobile’s cPaaS, which supports multiple channels (SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, Voice, Email) and delivers analytics to identify multi-channel behavior, for example, a customer who prefers SMS during the day and WhatsApp in the evening.

Enterprises that master this orchestration will not only achieve higher ROI but also create lasting customer relationships, turning every interaction into an opportunity for trust and growth.

WhatsApp, after its launch in 2009, has grown rapidly across the world. It’s grown at an average pace of 30.5% annually in India over the last 5 years. Despite this rapid rise of WhatsApp, SMS continues to be the largest channel for customer communications in India. SMS can reach every mobile number, while WhatsApp enables richer engagement and two-way conversations. For marketing and service, businesses should use WhatsApp first, with SMS as a backup when data is low or numbers are on DND. WhatsApp’s read receipts and buttons improve click-throughs, while SMS remains the fastest option for OTPs and urgent alerts. The right approach is not choosing one over the other, but using both in coordination.

This article seeks to re-iterate the reasons to strike a balance between SMS and WhatsApp for enterprise customer communications.

SMS vs WhatsApp: Core Features and Business Impact

Ubiquity

WhatsApp, first introduced in 2009, is now available in 60 languages across 180+ countries. It has over 2 billion users who spend roughly 195 minutes per week on the platform. To use this application, a user requires a basic smartphone.

SMS was first introduced in the early 1990s. It was designed to run on basic feature phones. As a result, with 5.1 billion users, it reaches almost 67% of the global population. While facing competition from the feature-rich WhatsApp and other similar messaging apps, SMS remains a requisite channel for business communication, especially to ensure inclusivity.

Times Mobile offers both WhatsApp for Business (WABA) and SMS platforms and accompanying APIs to enterprises to integrate these channels into their key business applications and processes.

Features

SMS is limited to 160 characters per message, whereas WhatsApp can deliver up to 4096 characters per message. SMS can only deliver text messages (although most SMS reading apps today recognize simple features such as a clickable URL). In contrast, a WhatsApp message can contain images, videos, carousels and interactive buttons in addition to text.

A2P SMS in India is limited to one-way communication. WhatsApp facilitates interactive, two-way communication. Times Mobile’s WhatsApp for Business platform enables two-way communication with chatbots as well as live agents in a seamless manner.

It’s also worth noting the evolution of SMS into RCS (Rich Communication Services), which bridges this gap. RCS adds app-like features to the Messages app on Android, such as rich cards, carousels, verified sender, and read receipts. In India, most private operators already support RCS, and Apple has started a small Jio-only pilot for iPhone, though wider iOS support is still limited. Our advice: test RCS with Android-heavy audiences where branding and rich replies matter, use SMS as a fallback, and keep WhatsApp for high-intent conversations and service.

As a forward-thinking partner, Times Mobile is equipped to guide businesses through this evolving landscape, ensuring your communication strategy is always ahead of the curve.

Branding

WhatsApp for Business lets companies present a fully branded storefront inside the chat list. An official profile shows the business name (instead of a phone number), a logo, catalog, description, and operating hours, and, once verified by Meta, the coveted green check mark that signals authenticity. Message templates can include imagery, video, emojis, and clickable buttons, so every interaction carries the brand’s visual identity and tone of voice.

Conventional SMS, by contrast, permits only an alphanumeric sender ID of up to 11 characters and plain-text content. There is no logo, brand colour, or verification badge, so messages often appear to arrive from an unfamiliar number. This limitation makes trust-building harder, lowers recall, and forces marketers to rely solely on copy to convey brand personality.

Times Mobile simplifies brand-safe messaging across both channels. It provisions verified business profiles on WhatsApp, designs media-rich templates that meet Meta’s guidelines, and integrates product catalogues so each outbound or conversational message reinforces the brand. For SMS, it helps configure consistent sender IDs and branded short-links, ensuring even text-only campaigns carry a clear, recognisable identity.

Personalization

WhatsApp Business makes it easy to send messages that feel personal. You can drop in each customer’s name, refer to their last order, or even mention their city, then add photos, videos, or quick-reply buttons so the chat feels like a one-to-one conversation. Automated flows can change what a person sees based on what they click or the stage they’re at. Whether it’s a welcome note, a “your package is on the way” update, or a gentle nudge to leave feedback.

SMS doesn’t offer the same flexibility. You can usually merge in a first name, maybe an order number, but that’s about it. Every text is plain and static, so customers can’t tap a button, browse a catalog, or see dynamic content. Because the experience is identical for everyone, it’s harder to make recipients feel the message was written just for them.

SMS is billed on a per-message basis and, in many markets, incurs higher tariffs for images, international delivery, or messages that exceed 160 characters (which are split and charged as multiples). Regulatory surcharges such as India’s DLT fees or U.S. carrier pass-through costs further add to the total. Because each outbound or inbound text triggers a separate charge, large-scale two-way campaigns can become expensive quickly.

Performance and Tracking

Enterprises want their customer communications to be read. Both SMS and WhatsApp perform well on message opens with 90% and 98% of messages being opened, respectively.

Enterprises also want their customer communications to be engaged with. Given the text-only nature of SMS, its click-through rate is anywhere between 1-6%. WhatsApp on the other hand, scores well here, with a click-through rate of around 40%. This is unsurprising since WhatsApp offers the ability to use media, whereas SMS is limited to static text.

Both offer the ability to track the delivery of the message. However, WhatsApp offers the ability to track read receipts as well, which SMS does not. WhatsApp also can track clicks. SMS doesn’t have a native click-tracking ability. Times Mobile, however, offers a comprehensive URL tracking capability for its A2P SMS solution. In addition, for enterprises using our click trackers, we also give a map of the enterprise’s audience against TIL’s audience segments.

For campaigns that demand clicks and replies, WhatsApp consistently outperforms SMS thanks to media, buttons, and list menus. We instrument UTMs and webhook events on WhatsApp and branded short-links on SMS, then unify reporting so your team evaluates delivery → read → click → conversion cleanly across channels.

Security Measures

WhatsApp emphasizes strong security with end-to-end encryption. Messages are scrambled on the sender’s device and can only be decrypted by the recipient’s device. In addition, WhatsApp offers features like two-step verification and screen lock to enhance security.

SMS lacks in-built encryption. Messages travel in plain text, making them vulnerable to interception by anyone with access to the network infrastructure. However, Times Mobile works with telecom operators that implement significant security measures to secure SMS.

SMS in India requires DLT registration of your Entity, Headers, and Templates as per TRAI rules, and any non-compliant messages get blocked. You must also respect DND and use transactional routes for critical alerts. WhatsApp needs explicit opt-in from users, captured through your web, app, IVR, or CTWA, and we maintain opt-out hygiene and template quality to protect sender trust. Under India’s DPDP Act, both SMS and WhatsApp need clear consent and purpose limitation.

Furthermore, at Times Mobile, we elevate this security baseline. As a SOC2-certified platform, we ensure that every interaction, whether on WhatsApp or SMS, is handled within a framework of rigorous security and data protection protocols, giving you and your customers complete peace of mind.

Commercials

SMS pricing in India is in the range of ₹0.12-0.15 per message, and WhatsApp for Business pricing today is in the range of ₹0.35-0.75 per 24-hour session, depending on the application (utility/service or marketing respectively).

WhatsApp Business (WABA) in India now follows per-message pricing: ₹0.78 for marketing, ₹0.11 for utility, ₹0.12 for domestic authentication, and ₹2.30 for international authentication (from an India WABA). Customer-initiated replies are free within 24 hours, and ads, QR codes, or website entry points give 72 hours of free conversations. High-volume utility and authentication messages also get tiered discounts.

SMS (domestic A2P) is still priced per message. At scale, enterprise rates are usually ₹0.14–₹0.20 for promotional and ₹0.12–₹0.16 for transactional, plus DLT charges of ₹0.025 per SMS and 18% GST. The final route rates depend on your message volume and compliance.

Conclusions

We recommend the following use cases based on the differences highlighted above –

• WhatsApp is well suited for customer support as it is a good two-way channel. Also, multiple demographics across languages in India are comfortable chatting on it. Times Mobile’s WhatsApp for Business Services can work with you to implement a full solution that integrates chatbots and live agents into an optimal support experience. 
• WhatsApp is also well suited for marketing applications given its rich messaging capabilities and high click-through rates. At the commercials and click-through rates illustrated above, the effective cost per click for SMS is around ₹5 whereas for WhatsApp it can be as low as ₹1.9.
• SMS is great for one-way notifications in which there is relatively less interactivity, e.g. delivering OTPs or transactional updates. Times Mobile’s SMS solution can ensure high delivery rates, open rates, and low latency.

Finding Your Perfect Mix

Ultimately, the most powerful strategy isn’t about choosing SMS or WhatsApp—it’s about leveraging the unique strengths of both. The right balance depends entirely on your audience, goals, and specific use cases.

Don’t navigate these choices alone. Contact us today for a personalized consultation. We’ll help you design a secure, cost-effective, and highly engaging communication strategy that drives results.