It’s that busy time of year again. With the holiday season upon us, it’s the perfect opportunity for your organisation to take advantage of using SMS in your business communications.
When it comes to direct communication, there isn’t a channel more connected to your customers than SMS. SMS provides your business with the ability to increase customer engagement by communicating with them on their most familiar channel. It cuts through the noise and captures people’s attention in ways that traditional communication channels like email can’t.
Wondering how your business can benefit from SMS? We go over the benefits, how to utilise SMS in your organisation and the features of the GoFax SMS service.
Source: https://learn.g2.com/sms-marketing-statistics 2020
Learn more at GoFax: https://www.gofax.com.au/sms-services/
Why use SMS in your business?
According to a Deloitte report Mobile Nation 2019, 89% of Australians own a smartphone, with the average Australian spending three hours every day using it.
The report also found that mobile devices are also the first thing Australians pick up when leaving the house, with 94% of people taking their mobile phone, more than the amount of people who take their wallet (92%) and house keys (88%).
Sending text messages is one of the fastest and easiest methods to communicate with your customers. Here’s the top 3 reasons why you should integrate SMS into your business communication workflows.
1. Increase customer engagement
A 2010 Mobile Squared report Conversational Advertising found that 90% of all SMS are read within 3 minutes of their delivery – and over 99% of all SMS are read by the recipient.
A 2019 Campaign Monitor article ROI Showdown: SMS Marketing vs. Email Marketing states that SMS open rates are as high as 98%, with people taking an average of just 90 seconds to respond to a text.
These statistics show that SMS is an extremely effective tool for increasing engagement and building relationships with your customers.
A great example of this is when a GoFax healthcare client needed to improve customer appointment attendance. Integrating their system with the GoFax SMS API, they saw an increase in customer engagement as patients had a better understanding of upcoming appointments. As a result, our client saw a decreased loss of revenue of up to 32% within the first 90 days. Read more on this here.
2. Reach your customers on a global scale
With GoFax SMS, you can send SMS to your customers worldwide, with global SMS coverage and virtual numbers in over 50 countries. Not only can you send individual SMS, GoFax has an integrated SMS broadcast tool.
SMS broadcast allows you to send bulk SMS to multiple customers at a time. You can use the GoFax online portal, app or desktop client to broadcast a message and have it delivered straight to the recipient’s mobile phone.
You also have the option to schedule your bulk SMS sends ahead of time. So, if you’re not going to be in the office during the holidays, you can set up and schedule your SMS to be sent during a time more convenient for the customer.
3. Elevate customer satisfaction
A 2020 g2 article states that 70% of consumers think SMS is a great way for businesses to get their attention, with 60% of consumers wanting to be able to respond back to an SMS that they receive.
To support this, a 2020 Marketingmag article states that there has been a rise of SMS technology, ‘with businesses using the channel to reach customers where it’s most convenient to them – in the palm of their hand. Customers want information hyper-personalised, delivered via the channels that they prefer, and answers in real-time.’
The GoFax SMS service provides your business with 2-way SMS capability. 2-way SMS gives your customers the ability to reply directly to personalised SMS sent from your organisation. By using two-way SMS, you can view SMS replies from your customers, follow up on responses and track who and when a response has been made.
The GoFax SMS service also allows you to personalise your SMS send, including adding dynamic fields like first name and last name. You’ll be able to ditch the impersonal ‘valued customer’ and provide your customers with a more friendly, personalised experience. This will, in turn, elevate customer satisfaction.
Ways to Utilise SMS in Your Business
SMS is used in many different ways by thousands of businesses worldwide to effectively communicate with their customers, clients and colleagues. Here are just a few examples of how you can use SMS during the holidays:
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Office closures – notify your customers of any closures during the holiday period.
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Employee holiday hours – SMS direct to your employees, letting them know of any change to employee hours during this time.
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Holiday messages – send your customers a personalised Christmas, New Year’s or Easter message, letting them know you’re thinking about them.
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Holiday sales & promotions – the holiday period is the perfect time to offer sales or run promotions. If you’re looking to increase your revenue, send out an SMS to your customers that includes a coupon code or a link direct to your sales page.
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Appointment reminders & cancellations – you may experience an increase in cancellations during this time. SMS is a great way to notify a customer of an upcoming appointment and provide them with the ability to respond if they need to cancel or reschedule.
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And more!
There is no limit as to what content you can send your customers through SMS. Get creative this holiday season.
Be Holiday-Ready with a Free SMS Trial
Interested in seeing how GoFax SMS can enhance your business communications? Sign up for a free GoFax SMS trial today. Start sending SMS instantly to engage your customers this holiday season.
For any further questions on how to use GoFax SMS for your business, or for a free demonstration, get in touch with our sales team on 1300 928 872.
