Planning for an Effective SMS Solution

Studies indicate that consumers want information on the go, which is why SMS solutions (text message solutions) are taking off…

Think of the iPad launched recently – it’s popularity isn’t entirely due to the fact that it provides an attractive merge between mobility and computing. It isn’t even about the social aspect of having an iPad (though that probably plays a part).

The big reason people opted for the iPad is that they can now work on the go. Fact of the matter is that we’ve become an instant gratification society. As a result of the ubiquity of technologies that make access to information so readily accessible, we’ve become particular about how we get information, and how it’s presented to us; we want it now, in the most concise way possible. And this is exactly why SMS solutions are taking off.

So how do you create your own SMS solution to provide your customers with a service they can access from anywhere, at any time?

Planning is Essential!

What’s the purpose of your text message communication?

Some companies will use text messaging to keep clients up to date on account information and provide extra security when it comes to financial information, such as letting the customer know when his or her account has been accessed or when the balance changes. Other companies will want to get an SMS solution up and running to boost their marketing campaigns.

Whatever the purpose of your SMS solution, get it down on paper and plan it with as much detail as possible. It’s important to take your own expectation of your text messaging solution into account and to determine how it will integrate with what you plan to offer your current and prospective customers.

How often will you message your customers?

In the United States you pay for sending messages, and your customers will probably pay to receive them, depending on their mobile plan.  Plan your message frequency to ensure that your customers remain happy that they’ve opted in on your SMS solution. Oh, and speaking of opt-in, be sure that you play by ‘Best Practice’ rules – they’re there for the benefit of your customers, and therefore for the benefit of your own interests.

Message Cost + Reliability = Important

So you’ve elaborated on every aspect of your text messaging solution and are now looking for a provider to get your messages from your computer to your customers’ handsets. Should you look for the cheapest messaging provider or the most reliable? Perhaps a combination of both?

In many cases the cheaper provider is the one that will provide you with unreliable messaging. From the customer’s point of view, this can be articulated as “Will I get the information I’m looking for this time?”.  In terms of message cost, it’s a no-brainer that the cheaper option will be the better option form the point of view of the customer.

It is important for businesses to balance message cost and reliability to ensure customer satisfaction through an SMS solution capable of providing a realistic ROI.

Go to the SMS solution page to see which technologies you can use to get in touch with your customers.

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