Using SMS as an On-The-Go Service to Keep Customers Informed

These days, customers are always on the go, and prefer to use a variety of channels to reach out to a business. What they value the most during their customer journey is convenience and speed, which can be achieved with an effective on-the-go service.

One highly-convenient channel customers increasingly prefer is SMS messaging, as it allows them to communicate quickly, offer an alternative communication option when they cannot answer their phones, and can be used to remind them, for example, of upcoming events or arrangements. 

How can your business use SMS efficiently as an on-the-go service?

Sharing Information in a Convenient and Reliable Way

In our over-accelerated life customers are often on the move, unable to take a phone call as they rush from one place to another, or simply unwilling to answer a call at what is an inappropriate time for them. In such situations, for both customers and businesses, SMS messages are much more convenient than phone calls.

With 95% of messages successfully reaching users, SMS is not only a reliable way of sharing information, but also offers an easier alternative for customers to interact with your business. Communicating with customers via SMS allows them to engage with you on their own terms, without having to interrupt their busy daily schedules.

When it comes to messaging content, SMS templates are a great way to reach out to your customers with the appropriate information you want to share, at the appropriate time during their customer journey. You can, for example, create SMS templates to provide order or resolution confirmations, status alerts, delivery notifications, feedback requests and so on.

Promote your Products with SMS  

Sending out SMS messages to your customers will help them discover and purchase your products and services faster, while also allowing you to help them resolve their issues with less hassle.

In particular, using SMS as an on-the-go service is ideal for contact centers specializing in telesales and telemarketing activities. When customers pick up the phone only to find out it’s a cold call, their attitude to the conversation normally becomes negative, as they immediately start thinking about excuses to end the call even before they know anything about what you have to offer.

Sending out SMS notifications about new products or discount periods, on the other hand, is an effective way of reaching customers without having to resort to this negatively-viewed cold call approach. It is also cost-effective, as those customers who are interested in your products can contact you directly, meaning you won’t have to waste time on unsuccessful calls.  

Last but not least, one major issue telesales companies often face is the struggle to actually reach customers over the phone. As people usually work during the day they often don’t have time to talk to telesales operators, while others may recognize the number and decide not to pick up their phone. With an SMS message, however, your business will be able to reach most of your customers, instead of you wasting your time repeatedly trying to reach them.

Boost Debt Collection Success Rates

When it comes to debt collection, agents, again, are well aware of the struggles involved in trying to reach customers, who will often ignore calls from a number they recognize. For agents working in debt collection the uncomfortable consequence of this issue is the resulting extra workload needed to try and reach these customers at a later date. If only there was a simple way to effectively communicate the required information to customers, which would actually reach them successfully to remind them of due payments. Luckily, there is: SMS messages!

Studies have shown that SMS can be a highly-efficient communication tool for debt collection companies trying to reach customers who either ignore their calls or are too busy to pick up. According to Forbes magazine, SMS messages reach 95% of service users with phones, which is a hugely impressive figure.

As a result, instant messages can help ensure a consistent level of continuous profit for debt collection companies. SMS messages help shorten debt collection time and secure a continuous flow of debt repayment by allowing agents to contact a comparatively large number of customers over a short period of time.

Handled correctly, SMS is an effective on-the-go service which can make businesses highly lucrative in our ever-accelerated world. So make sure your business is also taking full advantage of it!