OpenMarket – December 11, 2017
Calculating return on investment can sometimes be tricky – especially if the advantages aren’t immediately clear. SMS, however, consistently proves its worth to all lines of business, helping deliver to customers when they need it most.
Today, brands are ferociously competing for customer loyalty more than ever before. But with budgets under increasing pressure, CX professionals have tough decisions to make on where to cut costs (that won’t have a negative impact on customers).
It’s an unenviable task. And because it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than keep an existing one, the stakes have never been higher. Sometimes, it’s all too easy to focus on the costs, and forget about the impact on the business.
To tackle the problem head on, you need a communications platform that offers a cost-effective solution, that also delivers great CX. This needs to be scalable across the entire business, working for all departments. SMS is the secret weapon of brands the world over, and it’s helping to transform the cost of providing great CX in every line of business.
Play into customers’ hands with timely sales and marketing
Consider Joel for a moment: he wears contact lenses, and he’d be lost without them. Running out of them is simply not an option.
Normally, he has to remind himself to order more when he’s running low. It involves a phone call, finding his account details, sending in his prescription, and it’s another 2-3 working days before he receives the new box.
With SMS though, Joel gets a text at the end of every month to remind him to order more. He simply replies with the number of boxes he needs (or not) along with his prescription details, leaving him to get on with his life. Painless.
Deliver the goods on time, every time…and save a fortune
Let’s stick with our friend Joel for a bit longer. A couple of working days later, he finds out he needs to travel for work the next day. The annoying thing is, that’s right when his order’s due to be delivered.
He could ring the call center, quote his order number, and go through the whole annoying, long-winded process of rescheduling his delivery. But who has time for that? And that’s presuming he remembers in the first place.
To his delight, however, he receives a text saying his delivery is due tomorrow. It even offers an option to rearrange. He selects a new time and date in an instant. What’s more, he did it all from his taxi to the airport.
He’s a satisfied customer, and no wasted delivery trip. A cost-savings win.
Simplify customer service once and for all
Appointments are a vital lifeline for many of us, but when people miss them, they’re also a significant loss-maker for brands and organizations. And if you’re a healthcare provider, that’s money which could be otherwise spent on patients and care.
So what’s the answer? You’re not going to phone people prior to their appointment to remind them – that would cost a ridiculous amount. But you also don’t want to punish people for missing appointments. That won’t go down too well.
That’s where SMS comes in. Appointment reminder texts, sent direct to people’s mobile phones (including the option to rearrange). And the result: fewer missed appointments, happier customers, and a heap of time and money savings thrown in for good measure.
Gain enterprise-level IT and security – without the cost
IT and Security are arguably a brand’s most important consideration (they run and protect the entire business after all). Though while there’s a serious need to keep the organization watertight, legitimate access also needs to be straightforward and hassle-free.
With instances of phishing on the increase worldwide, two-factor authentication is quickly becoming commonplace when logging in to systems such as email and cloud storage. But to make the process simple, ringing a call center isn’t going to do you any favors. And confirmation by email won’t help when it’s email you’re trying to access.
The solution is to keep it simple. And what could be more straightforward than a text containing a verification code, sent straight to the user’s mobile phone. Quick, easy, ridiculously cheap, and customers and employees will sleep soundly knowing their data’s being protected.
Get your message across to employees – when they need it most
Company announcements – in large organizations especially – can be a challenge to put out en masse (and getting employees to read them can often feel like drawing blood from a stone).
The options are few and far between. Choose email: it’s going to end up in a spam filter, and few are going to read it. And if you choose a paper letter: it begs the question, “Where are we, 1982?”
Your best bet? SMS. Any message you send is going to get read (98% of texts are opened, and 90% are read within three minutes). It’s a cheap, pay-as-you-grow format, that’s instantly scalable. And what’s more, your employees will be more efficient.
Thoughtful messaging that doesn’t cost the earth
Integrating an intelligent text messaging system into your tech stack is more straightforward than you think. And because it’s so cheap and packs a punch, you’ll soon notice the benefits.
What’s more your customers will notice the difference, and their loyalty will go through the roof. Cost savings and increased revenue – what could be better?
Want to learn more on the ROI of SMS? Our eBook on The New Age of Customer Experience is packed full of ideas for improving customer experience while cutting costs. And if you want to chat about your requirements, give us a call. We’re always happy to talk.