Bad numbers cost real money

Every number on your list costs you credit when you send. Numbers that are wrong, duplicated or inactive waste that money and make your results look worse than they are. Ten minutes of cleaning before you send is the cheapest improvement you can make.

The five-minute checklist

1. Remove duplicates

Someone may appear twice because they filled in a form twice or because two lists were joined. In Excel or Google Sheets, use "Remove duplicates" on the phone number column. Otherwise, the same person gets the same message twice and you pay twice.

2. Fix the format

Choose one format and stick to it. Common problems: spaces inside numbers, a missing leading zero or country code, plus signs in some rows and not others, letters or notes inside the number cell. For example, 0966 123 456, +260966123456 and 260966123456 should all become one consistent format.

3. Check the length

Every country has a standard length for mobile numbers. Filter your sheet by length and look at the odd ones out, which are usually typing mistakes.

4. Remove landlines and junk

Landline numbers, test entries like 0000000000 and rows with no number at all won't receive your SMS.

5. Remove people who asked not to be contacted

If someone has told you to stop, remove them and keep a note. It is the right thing to do, and it keeps your list friendly.

Save as CSV

Once it's clean, save the sheet as a CSV file and upload it in your dashboard. Check the preview before you send, and make sure the right column is read as the phone number.

Keep it clean over time

A clean list is a competitive advantage

The businesses that get the best results from SMS aren't the ones sending the most messages. They are the ones sending the right message to the right people. Start with the list.

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