Messaging has come a full circle from symbols on rock to rich media messaging using GIFs and emoticons on a mobile phone. While businesses might want to adopt newer channels of mobile engagement such as WhatsApp Business and eventually RCS; SMS, is going nowhere. Its ubiquity, about 100% reach and ease of adoption makes it the most pervasive and future proof communication channel.
SMS, the massively unrecognized hero is the default messaging app on a phone, smartphone or not. Texting is still massively popular with businesses. It doesn’t come as a surprise then, that businesses are expected to send 2.5 trillion messages in 2019 according to a report.
Here are 6 reasons why companies still need to rely on traditional text messaging to communicate with their consumers:
Its ubiquitous:
Your consumers may or may not be on WhatsApp but they are sure to have SMS on their mobile phones. While we assume that all smartphones are the norm now, a report by Ericsson suggests otherwise. Although smartphones are steadily finding their way into the interiors and small towns of every nation, according to the report one-third of the world’s phones aren’t “smart enough”. Infact, the report states that 35% of phone users in the world are best reached via text messaging.
Its ubiquitous:
Your consumers may or may not be on WhatsApp but they are sure to have SMS on their mobile phones. While we assume that all smartphones are the norm now, a report by Ericsson suggests otherwise. Although smartphones are steadily finding their way into the interiors and small towns of every nation, according to the report one-third of the world’s phones aren’t “smart enough”. Infact, the report states that 35% of phone users in the world are best reached via text messaging.
Protected:
Data flow in SMS is always protected by the law of the land, and there is continuity even if one operator liquidates. Not only are they answerable to the law in the operating country, but they also have to survive in a competitive ecosystem. If messages are terminated or not sent to the consumers, penalties are levied on operators. A reliable service provider will offer atleast 99% with a multiple retry mechanism if service fails.
Protected:
Data flow in SMS is always protected by the law of the land, and there is continuity even if one operator liquidates. Not only are they answerable to the law in the operating country, but they also have to survive in a competitive ecosystem. If messages are terminated or not sent to the consumers, penalties are levied on operators. A reliable service provider will offer atleast 99% with a multiple retry mechanism if service fails.
Fall-back:
With the traditional text message, even if an operator is down you could reach the user from an alternate one. But in the case of OTT messaging apps, if the app is down that means it is down for everyone in the world. So having SMS has become even more essential for businesses, inspite of the availability of more sophisticated mediums of business messaging.
Fall-back:
With the traditional text message, even if an operator is down you could reach the user from an alternate one. But in the case of OTT messaging apps, if the app is down that means it is down for everyone in the world. So having SMS has become even more essential for businesses, inspite of the availability of more sophisticated mediums of business messaging.
Window to possibilities:
Consumers today demand a richer customer experience and prefer being reached on a medium that offers convenience. By adding on technologies such as Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and Chatbots on SMS, businesses can offer consumers a richer experience. You can offer consumers the opportunity to transact, retrieve information and even check account balance with a CTA as a PWA link, missed call number or actionable buttons.
Window to possibilities:
Consumers today demand a richer customer experience and prefer being reached on a medium that offers convenience. By adding on technologies such as Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and Chatbots on SMS, businesses can offer consumers a richer experience. You can offer consumers the opportunity to transact, retrieve information and even check account balance with a CTA as a PWA link, missed call number or actionable buttons.
It comes with the phone:
An OTT messaging app needs to be downloaded and can also be uninstalled. Whereas the default SMS app cannot be uninstalled! SMS is the quintessential feature that nobody would and can really give up. It’s the primary fallback for businesses.
It comes with the phone:
An OTT messaging app needs to be downloaded and can also be uninstalled. Whereas the default SMS app cannot be uninstalled! SMS is the quintessential feature that nobody would and can really give up. It’s the primary fallback for businesses.
Basic right:
People may or may not own a smartphone, but as per the UN, telecom service is a basic right worldwide. And SMS is bundled in it. The International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) has a provision regarding the right to communicate with a mandate for all telecom operators to deliver “a satisfactory quality of service”. Likewise, each country has its own mandates for quality of service that operators need to live upto.
Basic right:
People may or may not own a smartphone, but as per the UN, telecom service is a basic right worldwide. And SMS is bundled in it. The International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) has a provision regarding the right to communicate with a mandate for all telecom operators to deliver “a satisfactory quality of service”. Likewise, each country has its own mandates for quality of service that operators need to live upto.
So, whether it is a time-critical notification like OTP authentication, or a discount offer to encourage sales, SMS still plays a very important role in customer engagement currently. Explore Karix Mobile’s advanced SMS solutions that also allow you to reach out to customers with real-time message analytics capabilities. Explore our SMS solutions or talk to an expert to learn more.
Aug 2019