What happened to Zipwhip?
On May 17, 2021, Zipwhip was acquired by Twilio, an American cloud communications platform as a service company based in San Francisco, Calif.
The company released an update that it will completely shut down service for existing customers by December 2023. The software is unavailable for purchase to new customers.
What does this mean for Zipwhip customers?
Any Zipwhip customer who renews their annual or non-monthly service on or after December 1, 2021, will be transferred to a month-to-month subscription until Zipwhip’s service shuts down on December 1, 2023.
While Zipwhip customers can continue to use their product until the end of 2022, many Zipwhip customers are starting to look for an alternative texting service to Zipwhip. We understand that this process can be cumbersome, so we are here to help make the search for a new business texting platform easier by answering some of your pertinent questions.
How to build and evaluate an implementation plan
The best way to start searching for a new texting solution is to build a three-month plan before launch. Taking the time to build an implementation plan will help the entire process run smoothly and break down the project into manageable pieces.
Three months before launch: Research different solutions and set up calls and demos
The first step of your plan is to come up with a list of your must-have solutions to ensure that your team can seamlessly transition into a new software. As you’re doing demos and calls, you should also take this time to consider how long it will take you to implement a new texting solution to understand how soon you need to transition.
As a tip, switching solutions is also a great opportunity to reconsider what your business texting needs are. That way, you can evaluate what your product needs are down the road and find a solution that will help you achieve them.
Two months before launch: Test out different options to find your best fit
Most companies in the business texting industry offer free trials or demo accounts to let you try out their product before purchase. Take this time to utilize the free trials and demos to your advantage and define what success looks like for your company. Are you looking to duplicate your prior workflows? Are you looking to have added functionality? Keep these things in mind during your testing.
Also, many tools will have similar features and different ways to achieve similar outcomes so don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t work exactly as it did before with Zipwhip.
One month before launch: Buy new software and begin implementation and training
It can take some time to set up a new product, update workflows, and train your employees on how to use it. To make the process seamless and help you stay on track, create a checklist for implementation and the internal deadlines that need to be completed. A checklist will hold you accountable to stay on track and launch the new software on time.
As you’re implementing your new software, document how you expect your team to use the product to fit your workflow. You can share FAQ articles with your team to give them a reference of how to use the product. To take training to the next level, you can screen record how your team can use the product or add screenshots of what you’re referencing. You can also provide one-on-one or group training sessions during this time.
Two weeks before launch: Test run your new process and finalize team training
Two weeks before launch, your team should be pretty comfortable with the new product and any updated workflows. At this time, you should come up with a list of common and edge-case scenarios for your team and have multiple people test them out.
If there are any questions from your team or things are not working the way you expected, then this is a good opportunity to fix it and update your internal documentation.
One week before launch: Transfer existing numbers or make new numbers public
If you’re transferring over your Zipwhip number to another provider, make sure you’re doing it during a time when there are little to no interruptions. The best time to transfer a number is earlier in the morning or late in the evening when your business hours are closed.
For any new numbers, make sure that they’re made public so your customers are aware of them. For example, if you have existing customers that you regularly text with, you may want to send them an announcement letting them know that you have a new number.
For more ways to make your new texting number public, check out our article “11 top ways to let your customers know they can text your business.”
Reasons to consider Textline as an alternative to Zipwhip
Textline is a business texting platform that offers many similar and additional features to Zipwhip. Textline focuses on supporting small to large companies with marketing/sales, support, logistics, and HIPAA compliant two-way texting.
How Textline compares to Zipwhip
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To learn more about Textline and our plans, you can text us at +1 415-849-4349 or email support@textline.com.
How to switch from Zipwhip to Textline
If you’re looking to switch from Zipwhip to Textline, we are here to help you with every step of the process.
Talk to a Textline team member
We recommend first talking to a Textline team member to learn more about our platform and how you can seamlessly migrate your team to Textline. To be sure that Textline is the right fit for your business, we encourage everyone to give our 14-day free trial a spin.
Develop a transition roadmap
Once you start our free trial, a Textline team member can help you write out a transition roadmap, similar to the three-month plan we mentioned earlier. Our team will help you every step of the way to make sure you can get set up as easily as possible and take full advantage of all of the solutions Textline has to offer.
Transfer your current Zipwhip number or acquire a new one
Textline offers all users a new number with sign-up. However, we understand that you may already have a business number that your customers are accustomed to using. No worries! We can help you transfer your old Zipwhip number to your new Textline account.
The process to transfer your number to Textline will differ depending on how you acquired the number and if it’s a landline or VoIP number.
For a landline number, click here to learn more about transferring your current landline number to Textline.
For a VoIP number, click here to learn more about transferring your current VoIP number to Textline.
Remember, text messaging from a 10-digit long code number (including landlines and VoIPs) now must go through a vetting process before you can start texting. Please plan accordingly as this process can take two to three weeks.
Happy texting!
Once your number is transferred to Textline and is up and running, you’re ready to resume your normal texting operations.
Always remember that our support team, customer success team, and Help Center articles are all here to help you get the most out of Textline.
