SMS in customer communications

Australians send more than 85 million text messages each day, and that figure is rising. SMS has a unique role in communications and marketing, and with improvements in technology the opportunities for clever, experiential campaigns which drive real results are endless.

Here are five examples that have created a fresh new perspective on the role of SMS in customer communications.

1. Personalised appointment reminders

Hotdoc – an online medical booking service – reports response rates of around 91% for their clients YES or NO automated appointment reminder messages. The introduction of these messages significantly reduced the no show rate for practices.

2. Two-way conversations

Beautylish is an online beauty retailer located in the US, operating in a very competitive industry. Their delivery confirmation SMS alerts contain the brand name, order confirmation number and delivery status.

But Beautylish makes this more than just an alert, they encourage customers to raise their excitement levels by responding to a prompt. If the customer chooses to respond, they are sent a fun GIF. It’s another way of building the brand relationship with the customer.

3. SMS donations at Guide Dogs Victoria

Contacting over 16,000 donors from their database has been simplified with SMS fundraising campaigns using secure Sender ID for greater peace of mind amongst donors. From full database sends, to campaigns targeted to a particular demographic, Guide Dogs Victoria have experienced faster collection of donations, and improved retention of regular donors.

4. Managing staff rosters at Bupa Care Services

An automated SMS system is used by administrators at Bupa Care Services to fill available shifts when staff members call in sick. This time saving innovation has meant less phone calls to find available staff, and more time delivering their services to patients.

5. Bill payment reminders at ENGIE (formerly Simply Energy)

Features a smart, automated SMS system from Simply Energy (ENGIE) to remind customers of outstanding debts who were proving hard to reach. The SMS enables customers to make payments and arrange payment plans via a link, or easily contact someone within the business.

It elegantly managed the intricate balance between cost to serve, COVID-19 regulations at the time, external financial pressures and worried customers.