by anton | Jan 28, 2015 |
The days of phone calls and emails for customer communication are long gone – having a SMS Platform is the ultimate way to go. And we can give you ten very good reasons why! 1. It is the new “word of mouth” because it is so easy to forward text messages to friends and family. 2. It helps to create customer loyalty because you can provide users with any information they want, and at the drop of a hat. Keep them up to date or wish them a happy birthday. 3. It improves communication with consumers because it enables you and the customer to exchange info in real time. Problems are resolved quicker, which results in happier customers. 4. It is one of the best forms of mass communication available. You can reach thousands of people at the same time – without breaking a sweat. 5. It gives you a foot in the door. If someone is already willing to give you their phone number, it won’t take much to convince him/ her to purchase your products. 6. Opting out of SMS Platform campaigns is easy. Even though you don’t want people to unsubscribe, it will save you money in the long run because you won’t be marketing to people who aren’t interested in your brand. 7. Text messages are very cheap, especially if you buy them in bulk. Compare it with traditional marketing methods and you won’t believe how big the gap in cost differences is. 8. It is a good marketing tool on it’s own, but can play well with others too. Combine it with your other...
by anton | Dec 17, 2014 |
Market research is always a time consuming and expensive process. But with the revolution of the mobile phone, getting to know your target market as never been easier. A SMS platform is perfect for this! Availability The whole of the African continent now has access to mobile phones. Consumers are easy to reach and distance isn’t a problem anymore. You can take your research wherever you want your brand to go. Also, because they take their phones with them everywhere they go, they can answer your questions any time they want. E.g. during their lunch break at work or in front of the television in the evening. Simplicity People simply don’t want to be bothered with lengthy questionnaires and surveys. They lead busy lives and have a short attention span, which means they lose interest quickly. Luckily, a SMS platform forces brands to keep their questions short and to the point. Consumers find this much more appealing and consequently it makes them much more willing to participate. Speed and cost Mobile users can type and send their answers in the blink of an eye. But a brand can also bypass some of the processes that would have slowed them down in the case of traditional market research. No designing, no printing and no manual capturing of data! This also directly influences the cost of your research. You don’t need to hire people or pay for services if you aren’t using traditional processes. Not to mention, buying SMS in Bulk is cheap. And you don’t need an expert to type a text message – anyone can do it! Don’t be...
by anton | Oct 20, 2014 |
If own a delivery company, or your business provides this as an added service, your main concern is getting the package to a customer in a timely fashion. Did you know that a SMS Platform won’t only help the process to go down smoothly, but it will even save you money at the same time? You probably know this scenario all too well: you arrive at the location indicated by the customer, only to find that the person isn’t there or you received an address that is totally wrong. A back-and-fort battle ensues between you and the customer. You try to deliver the package a few more times but something goes wrong every time. Frustration starts to build as you watch your petrol costs grow and count the hours wasted. If only you had a SMS platform! People usually have their mobile phones on their person. If they leave their location, their phone goes with them. SMS connects you with them instantly and it is much cheaper than calling. Also, should the receiver miss your text at that very moment, they can always read it a few seconds later – unlike a missed call. Use texting to: Let the customer know that their parcel is ready for delivery Confirm the delivery address and time Tell the customer that you are on your way to the location Inform them should anything go wrong – e.g. you are stuck in traffic Report back afterwards to confirm delivery or non-delivery Ask if the customer was satisfied with your service Can you imagine how impressed consumers will be with such attention to detail?...
by anton | Sep 12, 2014 |
Customer loyalty is a corner stone of every thriving business, however, keeping consumers coming back for more is easier said than done. Agreed? Not if you have a SMS Platform! Mobile is an excellent tool for driving customer loyalty programmes. The secret behind being successful in this endeavour is knowing what your customers want. What works and what doesn’t work for them? The top three rewards offered by companies are: discounts, free products and loyalty points that can be redeemed at some point. According to an article on Bizcommunity, the majority of customer votes went for discounts and savings (39%). Free products/ premiums followed closely on its heels with only 5% less votes. Loyalty points received the least of the votes – most likely because it takes too long to accumulate enough points to redeem on something worthwhile. Okay, now that we have a better understanding of consumer preferences, how do you tie it into your SMS Platform? You start with the biggest factor: value add. You are in the ideal situation to customize your loyalty programme. By looking at your customers’ behaviour, you should be able to take your texting (and rewards) to a more personal level. This way you are truly adding value to the lives of your customers – something that 32% of customers say is not happening. Also, allow your other communication channels to assist your SMS platform. It doesn’t have to be a stand-alone platform. For example: encourage your customers to check-in on Facebook at your restaurant (via their mobile) while they are having a coffee. Three things that customers regularly complain about (and...
by anton | Aug 15, 2014 |
The SMS Platform has come a long way since the first ever message was sent in 1992. Today, more than half of the world own or has access to a mobile phone and people are sending still sending text messages like crazy. Finland was the first nation to use texting on a competitive as well as commercial basis. Terminology for mobile messaging differs from country to country. North America, the UK, Australia and the Philippines prefer the word “text” while Europe, Africa and Asia are more likely to use the term “SMS”. 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion mobile subscribers make use of texting. In June 2006, 12 billion text messages were sent each month. Just two years later, this number climbed to a staggering 75 billion! In the Philippines, people really love their SMS Platform. The average user sends 10 – 12 text a day; this amounts to approximately 142 billion text messages sent over the course of a year. In the USA (2009) users topped the stats with 152.7 billion texts per month (not per year!) Despite the fact that there are many other communication channels available, even Smartphone users still love sending SMS messages. Owners aged by 18 to 24, send about 2022 texts. Now here is a statistic that will really blow your mind – and proves that texting is still the undisputed king of cheap and easy communication. In 2012, the amount of texts sent were recorded at 8.5 trillion. It is estimated that within the next five years, this number will total 40 trillion. The longer something is around, the more skilful you...
