VIP: Business Marketing Messaging - Understanding Message Status Definitions & Code

Learn key message status definitions to enhance your business marketing messaging and improve communication effectiveness.

Written By Gideon O'Daniel (Administrator)

Updated at January 5th, 2026

Purpose of This Guide

  • Explain what each message status means in Business Marketing Messaging
  • Define delivery status codes and how to use them for troubleshooting
  • Show where to view message delivery status in Campaign reports

Who is this for?

  • All Users
  • Admins/Supervisors reviewing campaign performance

Important Notes

  • If a message is marked as Failed or Rejected, you may still be charged if the message has already passed the messaging gateway.
  • The Delivery Receipts feature must be activated to ensure delivery statuses update properly.

Overview

Business Marketing Messaging uses message statuses to describe where a message is in the delivery process (scheduled, sending, delivered, etc.). Delivery status codes add more detail about what’s happening at the gateway/provider level.


Where to View Message Delivery Status

  1. Navigate to Messaging > SMS messaging > Campaign reports.
  2. Select the campaign you want to review.
  3. Review the Delivery status dashboard to see message counts by status.
Campaign report showing Delivery status dashboard

Tip: Start with the dashboard status (e.g., Failed or Rejected), then use the delivery status code to pinpoint the reason.


Message Status Definitions

Status What it means What to do next
Scheduled Messages are scheduled to be sent but have not been sent yet. Confirm the send date/time. If needed, edit the scheduled campaign before it starts.
Sending Messages are currently being sent. They’ve been sent to the messaging gateway, but a carrier response hasn’t been received yet. Allow time for processing. Refresh the report after a few minutes to see updates.
Sent Messages have been successfully sent onward to recipients (submitted successfully). If recipients report non-receipt, compare Delivered vs Failed/Rejected, then check codes.
Failed Messages passed to the gateway, but the recipient’s carrier did not acknowledge successful delivery to the end recipient. Check the delivery status code to identify the failure reason (e.g., expired, unreachable, undeliverable).
Rejected Messages were passed to the messaging gateway but rejected by either the gateway (most common) or the recipient’s carrier. Check the delivery status code for the rejection reason (e.g., invalid destination, blocked, no route).
Stopped The campaign was halted by a user on your account. Confirm who stopped it and whether it should be resumed or recreated.
Submitted Messages have been passed to the gateway but are awaiting a final status. Wait for final updates. If it persists unusually long, review codes and confirm Delivery Receipts is enabled.
Delivered Messages have been successfully delivered to the intended recipients. No action needed; use for confirmation and reporting.

Delivery Status Codes

Delivery status codes provide more detail than the high-level statuses. Use them to understand whether a message is processing, pending, delivered, rejected, or undeliverable—and what action to take next.

Processing (100-series)

Code Meaning
101 Message being processed by the gateway.
102 Message is being rerouted to a different provider after failing via the first provider.
151 Message held for screening.

Submitted / Delivery Pending (200-series)

Code Meaning
200 Message submitted to downstream provider for delivery.
210 Message accepted by downstream provider.
211 Message is enroute for delivery by provider.
212 Message submitted. Delivery pending.
213 Message scheduled for delivery by downstream provider.

Delivered (220-series)

Code Meaning
220 Message delivered.
221 Message delivered to the handset.

Discarded / Blocked / Routing Issues (300-series)

Code Meaning
301 Usage threshold reached. Message discarded.
302 Destination address blocked. Message discarded.
303 Source address blocked. Message discarded.
304 Message dropped. Contact support.
305 Message discarded due to duplicate detection.
320 Message validity period has expired (prior to submission).
330 Gateway failure.
331 Message discarded.
332 No available route to destination.
333 Source address unsupported for this destination.

Failed / Rejected / Expired (400-series)

Code Meaning
400 Message failed; undeliverable.
401 Message validity period has expired (before delivery).
402 Message rejected by downstream provider.
403 Message skipped by downstream provider.
405 Message cancelled or deleted by provider.
410 Invalid source address.
411 Invalid destination address.
412 Destination address blocked.
413 SMS service unavailable on destination.
414 Destination unreachable.

Troubleshooting: What to Do Based on Status + Code

  • Status = Sending / Submitted
    Usually means the message is still processing. If it persists longer than expected, confirm Delivery Receipts is enabled and review codes (101/200/210/211/212/213).
  • Status = Rejected
    Look for codes like 410, 411, 412, 332, or 333. These often indicate number/addressing problems, blocking, or routing limitations.
  • Status = Failed
    Look for codes like 400, 401, or 414. These indicate undeliverable, expired, or unreachable scenarios.
  • Code = 304 (Message dropped) or 330 (Gateway failure)
    These generally require support investigation.

Tip: If only certain numbers are failing or being rejected, compare number formats, destination countries, and whether the destination has restrictions or blocking.


FAQs

What’s the difference between “Sent” and “Delivered”?

Sent means the message was successfully sent onward (submitted). Delivered means the recipient delivery was confirmed.

Why does “Submitted” sometimes stay there for a while?

Submitted indicates the message is awaiting a final status from downstream systems. If it persists unusually long, review the code and confirm Delivery Receipts is enabled.

Can I still be charged for Failed or Rejected messages?

Yes, possibly. If the message has already been accepted and processed by the messaging gateway (or submitted to a downstream provider), it may still be billable even if the final outcome later shows as Failed or Rejected. If you’re concerned about a specific message or number, contact Crexendo Support so we can investigate.


Need More Help?

If you need additional assistance, please contact Crexendo Support at 855-211-2255 or email us at support@crexendo.com — our team is happy to help!