If you run marketing or CRM in Viber-heavy regions, you’ve seen both sides of the story: Viber is where many customers actually pay attention, and it lets you send messages that look like a real brand experience. At the same time, SMS is still the channel that reaches almost every phone number, including moments when a customer has no data, no app, or no signal stability.
So the question is not “Viber or SMS?”. It is “How do you design one customer-friendly messaging system that uses Viber when it fits, and uses SMS when it has to?”
In this blog, you’ll see how to pair Viber Business Messages with SMS so your brand gets rich engagement where Viber is strong, and dependable reach when Viber is not available. We will go over:
- How Viber Business Messages differ from SMS in length, layout, trust signals, and reporting
- Where SMS is still the better choice, even if most of your audience uses Viber
- How to set fallback rules that avoid duplicates and reduce opt-outs
- Tips for retail, marketplaces, travel, and banking style alerts
- The compliance, deliverability, and measurement details that keep omnichannel messaging predictable
What Viber Business Messaging Gives You
Viber Business Messages are built for branded communication, not just short text bursts. On Rakuten Viber’s business messaging pages, Viber highlights three practical advantages that matter to marketers and CRM teams.
Longer Messages With Room For Clarity
Rakuten Viber Business Messages can be up to 1,000 characters, compared to 160 characters for a standard SMS. Of course, you don’t use that extra space to write essays. Use it to avoid awkward abbreviations, add context, and make the next step obvious.
Rich Content That Feels Like A Brand Experience
Viber supports richer message design, including images and interactive buttons, which helps when you want someone to browse, confirm, or take action without guessing what the link is for.
For retail and marketplaces, this is where Viber can carry the “discovery” part of a campaign, not only the “last click” part.
Trust Signals That Reduce Suspicion
What SMS Still Does Better
If Viber is where you can do more, SMS is where you can still deliver when conditions are not ideal.
Reach When Data Or Apps Are Not Available
A phone number can receive SMS without an app install and without mobile data at the moment of delivery. That matters in roaming situations, low-connectivity areas, and older devices.
Mobile service and mobile internet are not the same thing for a large share of the world.
GSMA numbers show that more than 5.6 billion people subscribe to a mobile service, including 4.7 billion who also use mobile internet. That gap is exactly where SMS earns its place in a Viber-first strategy.
Short Alerts That Must Land Quickly
Some messages should be short and urgent:
- OTP codes and login alerts
- pickup codes and one-time access details
- delivery updates that only need one line
- fraud warnings that should not include lots of detail
For these, SMS often fits the job even if the user also uses Viber.
Simple Fallback When Your Primary Channel Fails
SMS fallback is a way to reach customers who do not have the app installed, have poor connectivity, or are otherwise unavailable on Viber.
That is the core “together” strategy: Viber is your best experience when it works, and SMS is your safety net when it does not.
The Practical Case For Using Both Channels
Marketers often describe this as “reach and engagement.” Product teams look at it as “reliability and outcomes.” Both are correct.
People Open Text Messages Quickly
99% of received text messages are opened and 90% are read within three minutes. Even if your exact rates vary by market and audience, the pattern is consistent: SMS is fast when it gets delivered.
Rich Messaging Can Reduce Confusion And Drop Off
When a message includes context, buttons, and readable formatting, customers make fewer mistakes. That can reduce:
- support contacts asking “Is this legit?”
- abandoned flows because steps were unclear
- missed deadlines because the message did not explain the next action
Viber’s format is well suited for clarity when you need more than one line of instruction.
How To Design A Viber First Journey With SMS Fallback
The most common failure pattern is accidental double messaging. A customer gets the Viber message, then they get the SMS too, then they opt out because it feels spammy.
A better pattern is “one intent, one journey, one fallback rule.”
Choose The Job Of The Message First
Before you pick a channel, pick the job:
- Informational update like delivery or booking
- Promotional offer like a sale or restock
- Security step like OTP or suspicious activity
- Service update like ticket status
Once the job is clear, the channel choice is easier.
Set Fallback Triggers You Can Defend
Keep the logic simple and consistent.:
- Send Viber first when the user is reachable on Viber
- Send SMS only if Viber is unavailable for that user at send time
- Avoid “fallback because they did not open,” because that creates duplicates and noisy reporting
Write Two Versions Of The Message
Do not paste the same copy into both channels. Write a Viber version and an SMS version:
Viber Version Example For A Retail Restock
“Your size is back in stock. Tap to view the item, then check out while it is still available.
Button: View Item
Button: Track My Orders”
SMS Fallback Version
“Back in stock. View and checkout here: link”
Keep your SMS fallback focused on the one action that matters.
Use Quiet Hours And Frequency Caps
You do not need complex rules to start. You just need rules that protect the customer experience:
- Do not send promotions late at night
- Cap promotional sends per week per user
- Pause promotions for users with an open support issue
- Suppress all channels if the user opts out
Message Length Factor
Message length is not only a writing issue. It is also a cost and deliverability issue.
A single SMS can carry up to 160 characters when using the GSM 7-bit alphabet, but concatenated SMS segments commonly drop to 153 characters because part of the message is used for the header that stitches segments together.
What this means:
- A message that looks “short enough” in a doc can become two or three parts in real sending
- Special characters and non-Latin scripts can change encoding and reduce capacity
Fallback copy should be written to fit comfortably in one segment whenever possible
Tips For Brands In Viber Heavy Regions
Below are channel patterns that work across retail, marketplaces, travel, and banking style messaging.
Retail And Marketplaces
Messaging here is rarely just about “promotions.” It is about timing, stock, and convenience, because customers buy when the right item is available and the next step feels easy. Your messages work best when they match real shopping moments like restocks, price drops, delivery updates, and pickup readiness. When you treat those moments as the trigger, Viber and SMS feel helpful instead of pushy.
Use Viber For Browsing And Product Context
Viber is well suited to:
- product drops
- restock alerts
- loyalty point updates with explanation
- cart reminders that benefit from product visuals
- category highlights like “new arrivals”
Because Viber supports richer content and longer messages, you can include the “what is this” and the “what do I do next” in one message.
Use Viber For Browsing And Product Context
SMS works well when urgency is the whole point:
- “Sale ends in 3 hours”
- “Your pickup window closes at 6pm”
- “Your order is ready for collection”
If you keep the copy short, you reduce the risk of multipart segments.
Example Flow For A Flash Sale
- Viber message at launch with image, short description, and a button to the sale page
- SMS only to customers who are not reachable on Viber, with a short link
- Viber reminder near the end for engaged users, based on previous clicks or views
The goal is not more messages. It is better targeting.
Travel And Mobility
In travel and mobility, plans change fast, and customers usually check messages while they are already moving. That makes clarity more important than clever copy, because confusion turns into missed pickups, missed check-ins, and instant support tickets. A Viber-first setup lets you explain changes properly, while SMS stays ready for the moments when the customer only needs a short, urgent alert.
Use Viber For Detailed Trip Changes
Travel messages often need context:
- what changed
- what the customer should do
- what happens next if they do nothing
That is where Viber’s extra space helps.
Use SMS For Critical Short Alerts
SMS is ideal for:
- gate changes
- pickup location changes
- driver arrival alerts
- check-in deadlines
This is also where fallback matters most, because travel disruptions happen in the same moments that connectivity is messy.
Banking And Financial Services Style Alerts
With this industry, messages are part of the security surface, not just customer communication. Customers expect speed, but they also expect restraint, because the more detail you include, the more you give scammers to copy. Your safest approach is to keep alerts predictable and easy to verify, then push any sensitive steps into secure in-app or web flows.
Keep Sensitive Messages Minimal
For OTP and security alerts:
- include the code
- include the context like “login” or “payment”
- include expiry timing
- avoid links unless the user requested a link
Lean On Verification And Trust Signals Where Possible
Viber’s verified profile concept is useful in sectors where spoofing and impersonation are common.
Even then, do not assume a badge solves everything. The content still needs to feel legitimate, consistent, and predictable.
Customer Support And Service Updates
In customer support, the channel choice is really about what happens after the first message. Some updates end the issue, while others trigger questions, clarifications, and back-and-forth that should live in one thread. channels.
Use Viber When The Conversation Might Continue
If you expect replies, questions, or back and forth, a chat thread is a better customer experience than SMS.
Use SMS For Simple Status Messages
If the message is just “your ticket was updated” or “your refund was processed,” SMS can handle it in one line, especially as a fallback when Viber is not reachable.
Compliance And Customer Trust
Omnichannel messaging fails when customers feel they did not ask for it, or when opting out is hard.
Make Opt Out Clear And Honor It
CTIA’s Messaging Principles and Best Practices describe standard opt-out wording such as STOP, and they also note that common-language opt-outs like “unsubscribe” or “cancel” should be honored by message senders.
Even if you are not US-based, the operational lesson is useful: customers expect simple opt-out behavior, and you should treat opt-out as a suppression rule across all your channels, not only one.
Keep Consent Evidence Organized
For brands operating across countries, store:
- how the user opted in
- when they opted in
- what they were told they would receive
- proof of opt-out and the timestamp
When audits and complaints happen, you want to work with the facts as they come.
Avoid Over Messaging
Trust breaks quickly when frequency is too high. Use basic guardrails:
- separate transactional from promotional messaging
- cap promotional frequency per user
- stop promotional sends for users who have opted out or complained
Viber’s own policy and business messaging framing emphasizes safe, trusted business user interactions, and users can control what they receive.
Deliverability And Operations Details That Matter
When teams say “deliverability,” they often mean “did it arrive?” In reality, it includes:
- did it arrive quickly
- did it arrive once, not twice
- did the content render correctly
- did the link look trustworthy
- did the user take the intended action
Here are practical steps that help across Viber and SMS:
Keep Link Strategy Consistent
If you use links in your messages, keep your domains consistent so customers recognise what they are clicking, and avoid changing link patterns every week in a way that feels unfamiliar. Use short links carefully, and make the message text clearly describe where the link goes, so it never feels like a surprise. This kind of consistency reduces suspicion and builds trust, especially in banking and travel.
Use Message IDs And Webhooks For Traceability
Any serious messaging program needs the ability to answer:
- what was sent
- when it was sent
- what channel it used
- what status events came back
- what the customer did after
This is easier when your platform supports a single reporting view across channels, but even if your tooling is split, keep your own internal message IDs consistent.
Plan For Regional Channel Risk
Channel availability can change by country due to regulation. For example, Russia’s regulator blocked Viber in December 2024.
Yes, you do not need to build your strategy around such rare events. However, it is smart to have a fallback plan in markets where policy changes can affect channel access.
Measuring Success Without Getting All Mixed Up in Your Data
If you use Viber and SMS together, measurement can get messy unless you design it upfront.
Measure By Message Job Not Only By Channel
For each message type, track a small set of metrics:
Delivery Metrics
- delivery rate by channel
- time to delivery by channel
Engagement Metrics
- reads and clicks for Viber where available
- clicks for SMS
- opt-out rate by message category
Business Outcome Metrics
- purchase completion
- booking completion
- OTP verification completion
- support ticket reduction after status messaging
Use Holdout Groups To See Lift
If you only look at clicks, you miss what would have happened anyway.
A simple approach:
- hold out 5% to 10% of eligible users from a campaign
- compare conversion rate and revenue per user
- compare opt-outs and complaint rates
That tells you if the messaging is helping, not only if it is being clicked.
How To Evaluate A Bulk SMS Gateway Provider
When looking for the best bulk sms gateway provider, you want a provider that can deliver consistently and help troubleshoot when it fails.
Here is a neutral checklist you can use.
Coverage And Local Routing Options
- Do you have good coverage in your target countries?
- Can you route intelligently per country and per carrier?
- Do you have sender options that match local rules?
Delivery Receipts You Can Trust
- Are delivery statuses detailed enough to be useful?
- Do you get timestamps and message IDs for traceability?
- Can you reconcile send logs with delivery events?
Throughput And Rate Control
- Can you scale for peak periods like flash sales?
- Can you apply rate limits per user or per message type?
- Can you prevent resend abuse in OTP flows?
Compliance Support Built Into Sending
- Can you manage opt-outs and suppress them reliably?
- Can you separate transactional and promotional streams?
- Can you store consent evidence and message logs?
Support That Works During Incidents
- Can you reach support when delivery drops?
- Do they provide incident updates and root-cause detail?
- Do you have a clear escalation path?
This matters because OTP and alert traffic is not forgiving. If delivery is delayed, the user experience breaks fast.
Implementation Checklist For A Viber And SMS Setup
If you want a simple way to roll this out without chaos, use this sequence:
Step 1: Inventory Your Messages
Start by listing every message you currently send, including both marketing and service updates. For each one, write down its purpose, who it goes to, which channel it uses today, how often it is sent, what “success” looks like, and the main pain point you are trying to fix.
This gives you a single map of your messaging footprint, and it usually reveals duplicates, messages that no longer match consent language, and flows that create unnecessary support tickets.
Step 2: Define Routing And Fallback Rules
Next, turn that inventory into rules your whole team can agree on.
Decide which message types should go to Viber first, which ones should always go through SMS, and what “fallback” actually means in your setup. Add practical guardrails at the same time, like quiet hours and frequency caps, so customers do not get hit with promos at odd times or receive repeated nudges in a short window.
When these rules are written clearly, you reduce confusion across teams and make your reporting much easier to trust.
Step 3: Build Templates And Tracking
Once routing is defined, write two versions of each message that matters: one designed for Viber’s richer format and one designed for SMS constraints.
As you do this, keep SMS copy comfortably within one segment whenever possible, since SMS length can split into multiple segments when messages exceed the single-message limit due to how concatenation headers work.
Then set up consistent message IDs and status logging so every send can be traced from request to delivery outcome, and so you can troubleshoot quickly when something goes wrong.
Step 4: Launch With Measurement
Finally, launch using one high-impact flow first, such as delivery updates, restock alerts, or another message type where timing clearly affects outcomes.
Track results with a small holdout group so you can see whether messaging is creating real lift rather than only generating clicks, then use what you learn to adjust targeting and frequency before expanding to more flows.
When you scale from a measured base like this, your Viber and SMS setup stays predictable, and your list stays healthier over time.
Build A Viber First Journey With SMS Fallback
Viber Business messaging is a strong channel in regions where it is already part of daily life. It gives you longer messages, richer content, and brand trust signals such as a verified profile.
SMS remains the dependable fallback when mobile internet, apps, or channel access are not guaranteed, and it still plays an important role in short, urgent alerts.
When you design both channels as one system with clear rules, you get the best of both worlds: a better experience when Viber is available, and consistent reach when it is not.
