Communication is a key element of our daily lives. Without a doubt, the Covid 19 pandemic has affected our communication. Firstly, businesses are advised to reduce walk-in traffic. This keeps customers and businesses away from each other. Secondly, one of the ways to curb the spread of the virus is through maintaining social distance. This is hard for some business setups. As a result, entrepreneurs have continued to invent new ways of ensuring customer satisfaction. Needless to say, bulk SMS today has come in handy for businesses for communication with clients/ partners wherever they are.
Benefits of bulk SMS
- Cost effective – bulk SMS services are usually cheap hence affordable, even for the small businesses
- Supplements other communication channels such as phone calls, emails etc
- It’s a direct, immediate channel of communication
- Bulk SMS is fast and convenient
- Time management – preparing and sending out SMS does not take a lot of time. This gives you time to focus on other important things.
- Improves communication between an entity and their clients
- Precise – Know and understand your audience. This helps you craft the best suited message for them. Additionally, characters allowed in a single text message are limited. This prompts the sender to keep it short and as clear as possible
Naturally,
Banks and Other financial institutions
- Transactional messages – payment confirmations, withdrawals, funds transfers among others
- To create awareness on the pandemic among other occurrences
- Send account statements upon request by account holders
- To send loan repayment reminders
- Informing clients on friendly modes of payment
Churches are using bulk SMS to;
- Send inspirational messages to their congregants
- Sharing daily or weekly devotionals
- Send general information to congregants
- Appreciation notes to individual or general congregation
NGOs and Community based organizations can use bulk SMS to;
- Inform their beneficiaries/members of activities such as food distribution
- Public awareness on prevention of COVID 19 among other diseases
- Appreciation notes to donors
Healthcare Industry
Hospitals, chemists, and other healthcare providers are also using bulk SMS today. It is a cheaper, faster yet personal way to communicate with their clients. Some of the ways bulk SMS is being used here are;
- To send appointment reminders
- Lab results notifications
- Treatment schedules for patients
- Reminders for medicine refills for patients
- Send notifications to staff (shift changes, important notices etc)
- Public awareness on disease prevention and control measures
Logistics companies can use bulk SMS to;
- Confirm shipments
- Inform clients of successful deliveries
- Report on cargo progress
Hotels and Tours Agencies
- Confirm bookings and reservations
- Inform clients that you are back in business
- Send promotions and offers
- Offer suggestions (places, sites, events)
- Share general information/ alerts
In conclusion, the simplicity of bulk SMS makes it easy to use by anyone in any industry. It is evident that the use of bulk SMS is meeting the communication needs of businesses. With time, the consumption of bulk SMS will increase.
