SMS Channel

SMS provides a universal data collection mechanism ideally suited to short, reasonably simple surveys.

Field workers enter each response to a survey into a single message. Each response may be separated by a delimiter such a space or comma. This allows a response to an entire survey to be submitted using a single message.

Key Features

  • No application download is required. Almost every handset supports SMS.
  • No configuration for internet access required.
  • Most field workers intuitively understand how to use SMS.

Device Support

Any GSM-enabled device should support this channel.
Read more about supported devices.

Other channel alternatives

The SMS channel can work in conjunction with other channels:

Featured case study

The Medical Research Council of South Africa is mandated by legislation to promote and conduct research for the improvement of health and quality of life of the public.

Mobile Researcher was selected by the MRC to fulfill its data collection needs for a large-scale baseline study conducted in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Read the full case study.