SMS sender ID
Send Agoo's SMS under your organisation's own name, such as VoltaBank, instead of Agoo's.
Agoo is in early access. This page describes the feature as it ships to early-access organisations; screens are illustrative.
The sender ID is the name that appears in place of a phone number when an SMS arrives. By default, Agoo's messages arrive from Agoo's shared sender ID. With a custom sender ID, invitations, passes and arrival alerts arrive from your own name, such as VoltaBank or RidgeAcad, which people recognise and trust.
Cost by plan
| Plan | Custom SMS sender ID |
|---|---|
| Free | Not available |
| Starter | GH₵99, once |
| Growth, Pro, Enterprise | Included |
Rules for a sender ID
- Up to 11 characters.
- Letters and numbers only. No spaces, punctuation or symbols.
VoltaBankworks;Volta BankandVolta-Bankdon't. - Clearly yours. Use your organisation's name or a recognisable short form of it. A sender ID that looks like another organisation, a bank you aren't, or a government agency is likely to be refused.
Why it needs approval
In Ghana, mobile networks only deliver SMS from sender IDs that have been registered and approved, to protect people from scam messages. Agoo sends SMS through Hubtel, so we submit your sender ID to Hubtel for approval on your behalf. You don't need your own Hubtel account.
Request your sender ID
Open Console → Settings → Notifications
Under SMS sender ID, choose Request a sender ID. You need to be an Owner or Admin.
Enter the sender ID and why it's yours
Type the sender ID and confirm your organisation's registered name. If the sender ID isn't obviously your name, add a short note explaining the link, for example "RidgeAcad is short for Ridge Academy".
Pay, if you're on Starter
On Starter, a custom sender ID is a one-off GH₵99. On Growth and above, there's nothing to pay.
Wait for approval
The request shows as Submitted, then Approved or Refused. How long approval takes is up to Hubtel and the networks, so don't plan a launch around a fixed date. The status updates in the console as soon as there's a decision.
Start sending
Once approved, new SMS go out under your sender ID automatically. Until then, everything keeps working under Agoo's sender ID, so you can start using Agoo straight away.
If your request is refused
The most common reason is a sender ID that doesn't clearly match your organisation's name. Pick a closer match and request again, or contact support and we'll help you choose one that is likely to be approved.
Good to know
- The sender ID is for SMS only. WhatsApp messages show your organisation's name differently, and emails come from your email settings. See Branding.
- People can't reply to an alphanumeric sender ID. That's why actions in Agoo's SMS, such as approving a visitor, use short links.
- Changing it later means a new request and a new approval.
Notifications
Choose how Agoo reaches hosts, staff and visitors, by push, SMS, WhatsApp, email and in-app, with fallbacks, quiet hours and scheduled reports.
Organisations and groups
Belong to more than one organisation on one sign-in, and bring organisations together in a group with combined numbers, a shared watchlist, common rules and one bill.