Sponsored Content: Why Businesses Should be Equipped with SMS

This post was sponsored by Bicom Systems, a leading provider of VoIP phone systems and cloud services.

Consumers today are using smartphones more than ever. Smartphone usage skyrocketed following the outbreak of COVID-19, as people turned to their personal mobile devices for everything from work to news updates to communicating with friends and family — and the trend shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

As such, SMS business usage makes more and more sense. Smartphones are typically the first thing that people look at in the morning, and the last thing they see at the end of the day. What’s more, SMS has a 98% open rate, making it one of the best ways to transmit critical messages.

Of course, users are already equipped with SMS from their mobile carriers. However, a growing number of businesses are choosing to make SMS available through their UC applications as well. The two technologies can work nicely side by side.

Let’s take a closer look at how businesses are using SMS.

Top business uses for SMS

Emergency alerts

An effective emergency alert system with timely communication can save lives. Organizations are now using SMS to send emergency alerts to students, staff members, and the general population.

This is particularly important in the post-COVID era, where organizations need to communicate to transmit pandemic-related safety announcements. For example, a school system might use SMS to inform students and parents about an outbreak.

 Appointment reminders

Missed appointments are a big deal in the healthcare industry, amounting to more than $150 billion in losses annually.

Healthcare organizations can use SMS to send reminders to patients informing them about upcoming appointments, while making it easier to cancel if needed in advance. SMS makes it fast and easy to communicate with physicians.  

Promotions or Sales

Marketing emails can easily get lost or buried beneath the mountain of other messages that customers receive. However, SMS is almost always read — making it a great way to transmit promotional and sales-related items.

Customer surveys and polls

Businesses often struggle to collect customer feedback. In order to get customers to respond, surveys have to be fast and convenient. For example, making a customer wait at the end of the call to take a survey adds time to the conversation, which isn’t beneficial.

SMS surveys are fast and easy, and can be deployed at any time following an interaction. As such, they typically have better response rates than other types of surveys. 

Curbside delivery

Many restaurants and businesses turned to curbside delivery during the pandemic to safely get products into the hands of consumers while reducing the spread of COVID-19. This technology saves time, and reduces lines.

SMS makes curbside delivery fast and easy, allowing businesses to let customers know where orders are ready, where they should go, and how they should pick up their items.

Bicom Systems Now Offers SMS for Businesses

In case you missed the announcement, Bicom Systems recently introduced new features in the latest version of PBXware and gloCOM 6.3. Moving forward, resellers can introduce SMS to customers, delivering even more value and convenience.

To learn more, contact Bicom Systems today.

Laura Kyle is a social media associate for Bicom Systems (www.bicomsystems.com).