General information

Clicking on the operations links below will open documentation about the operation with a short description and the operation command and message parameters. The operation command needs to be put in the phone simulator (left) and submitted by clicking the send button. In the simulation it is not necessary to specify a destination phone. In a live system the operation message would need to be send to the organization phone number (which could be a short number).

Message parameters
A command message always starts with a parameter that defines the type of operation. For example a message starting by the word 'pay' would indicate that it is a payment. The parameters that follow the operation parameter need to be replaced by the user. For example 'password' need to be replaced by the password, 'receiver' by the phone number of the destination user, and 'amount' by a digital number. The system administrator can define the parameter names and aliases for the operation commands. For example for the parameter 'pay' it is also possible to type 'payment'.

Example:
Message format:   pay password receiver amount
Message typed:   pay p433w0rd 98765432 35,50

Note: In this example, as well as the other simulation operations the receiver is identified by the phone number. This is configurable. It is also possible to define the receiver by user name or any other custom profile field.

OTP (One Time Password) security
For extra security it is possible to require an additional OTP (One Time Password). This password is temporary generated combination of numbers or letters and is send to the person that submitted the operation. The person needs to reply the message with the OTP in order to be able to proceed with the operation. In the simulations the OTP is not enabled.

Account details

SMS command:  acinfo password page
(page parameter is optional)

With this operation you can retrieve account information. The return message will show the current (available) balance and information about the last three transactions. If you want to see more transactions you can define the (optional) 'page' parameter. For example, putting 2 as page parameter will return the balance and payments 4,5,6 (going back in history)

If the user has more than one currency it is possible to add the an optional 'currency' parameter between the 'password' and 'page' parameters. If a user with more than currency does not specify the currency the default currency will be used.

Payment

SMS command:  pay password receiver amount
(the 'receiver' parameter needs to be replaced by the mobile phone number of the destination user)

A user can make a payment to another member by sending just one SMS to the organization number/short code. If the payment has been processed successfully the payer and receiver will receive a confirmation notification by SMS.

Note: In this simulation operation the receiver is defined by the phone number. This is configurable. It is also possible to define the receiver by user name or any other custom profile field.

Payment request

Request command (by receiver):  rq payer amount
Confirmation command (by payer):  cf OTP password
(The 'payer' parameter needs to be replaced by the mobile number of the payer. The 'OTP' parameter needs to be replaced by the temporary password)

A user can send a payment request to another user (payer). The payer will receive a message with a temporary password (OTP) that he/she needs to confirm, after which the payment will be processed (and both payer and receiver will receive a confirmation by SMS). This way of 'two-way' payment offers higher security for the receiver because he/she defines the amount to pay (the payer cannot alter the amount). The operations as a whole is also more secure because both payer and receiver are directly involved in the payment process.

Integration with other channels
An interesting feature of Cyclos is that it is possible to combine payment channels. It is for example possible to initiate payment requests from the Cyclos Web access page (Account - request payment by SMS). This way a 'requester' (e.g. business) can send multiple payment requests in a quick and convenient way to clients, who can confirm by SMS. The business can follow up the requests and payment status in Cyclos.

Info text

SMS command:  info key
(the key parameter can be replaced by one of the keywords 'cyclos', 'promotion' and 'news')

When users send an SMS with the 'info' parameter and a keyword they will receive an SMS with the corresponding respond text for that keyword. Administrator can register and manage 'info texts' in Cyclos. Info texts can consist of a single word, or a combination of words and have a corresponding 'response text'.

Help texts
There also exists a 'build-in' info text command. This command is the word 'help' and will return a message with all possible SMS operations. For each operation a specific help text exists. For example: 'help payment' (or 'help pay') will return a message with information about the payment operation.

Registration

SMS command:  reg loginName password Name
(In case loginName is generated automatically by Cyclos the loginName parameter is not needed)

A user with a mobile phone can register him/her self by sending an SMS to the organization number and the parameters described above. The user will receive a message informing that her/his account was created and instructions about the possible operations.

Note! This option will only work if you are logged in with a non existent (cyclos) mobile phone number.

The administration will define to what group users that are registering via SMS belong. This can be 'pending' group, in which case the users need approval by an administrator, or an active group what means that the user can perform operations directly. It is possible to allow users to login with their phone number and password directly at the Cyclos Web login.

Notifications

The notification functionality is not an SMS command that can be send from a mobile phone as the operations described above but it does involve SMS messaging. A user can receive notifications and alerts based on actions and behaviour. For example changes on account status, information on received: loans, payments, references, invoices and matches for offers/wants of the advertisement interests feature (see Cyclos features - Advertisement interests)

Notifications can be send as Cyclos message, e-mail, or SMS depending on the user configuration (Cyclos menu - preferences). Users that have no Web access (e.g. mobile phone only users) will get the default notification configuration set by the administrator. Administrators and broker can change the configurations for users.

Mailings

As well as Notifications the Mailing function is not a command that can be send from a mobile phone but it does involve SMS messaging. SMS mailings are a powerful communication tool. Admins and brokers can send directly from Cyclos SMS messages to individual users and SMS mailings to groups of users.

Charging messages
An administrator that sends a new SMS mailing can specify if the mailing is 'free' (SMS fees paid by organisation) or if the user will be charged (at his/here Cyclos account). If the mailing is charged the amount will be processed (debited) automatically after successful delivery of the SMS. The user can define in here/his personal preferences in Cyclos if he/she want to receive free or charged messages. There are quite some charging options. For example it is possible to define a monthly free amount of (outbound) SMS for users, and users have the possibility to buy SMS 'packages' up front.

User preferences
Users that never access Cyclos via Web (e.g. mobile phone only users) will get the default notification configuration set by the administrator. Administrators and broker can change the configurations for users.