With the increased proliferation of spam attempts in, among others, the financial and retail sectors, there is always a need to ensure user verification in your SMS marketing solutions. One of the best ways is through One Time Passwords, popularly known as OTP.
OTP and user verification processes are ubiquitous in our daily lives. They are utilized in various activities, including logging in to your financial apps on your phone, setting up new transactions, or logging in at work.
What is an OTP?
An OTP is another layer of protection offered in many systems requiring logins. Through OTP, users get a limited-time passcode they can use to log in to a platform or verify their true identity. The single-use passcode or word is sent as a text message or a push notification prompting users to enter or click on it to continue.
OTPs are usually delivered through a secure communication channel. The most common ways include SMS, email, and push notifications to a user’s phone.
Utilizing SMS to send OTPs to customers has the benefit of exclusivity and being native to their own smartphone devices. SMS is way more accessible as a communication channel and doesn’t need additional steps, such as logging in to your email to check a code.
The convenience of OTP through SMS guarantees the security of different systems and the methods of accessing them, negating the need for complex programs or the need to memorize lengthy passwords or codes.
What Are The Advantages of Using SMS OTP Solution?
Since OTPs are usually offered as a second layer of security in two-factor authentication (2FA), they carry many benefits: security and reliability.
Used for two-factor authentication, these OTPs ensure that hackers cannot break into your account even if one of a customer’s details is compromised. As such, cases of theft and scams are minimized.
Other benefits of using SMS OTP solutions include:
- They provide an extra layer of security – the OTPs become invalid after a specific period and can only be used once. They are, therefore, quite effective against spyware.
- They are easy to implement, are flexible, and convenient. They do not rely on internet connectivity or the need for an external app. Only a single device can be used to complete the process.
- Minimizes the risk of data breach and identity theft – SMS OTP is effective against spyware since they become invalid after use and can only be accessed using a single device.
- Reduces operational and security cost
Get Started with SMS OTP Solutions Today
If you want to have a built-in OTP solution in your messaging campaigns, you can dramatically utilize Celcom Africa’s bulk SMS automation to improve your database’s account security. A customer’s journey doesn’t have to be a complicated one.
Celcom Africa has one of the best SMS APIs, which can help you automate sending the single-use passcode through text messaging for easy and prompt action. Customers or your clients can then complete the process with a single device or platform.
Discover more about how our bulk SMS verification solution works with a team of experts ready to help you. Get in touch, and they’ll be more than happy to walk you through everything in detail.