Improved customer relations using SMS

Just about every type of business benefits from keeping in touch with clients; whether it's a dentist reminding patients of appointments, a vehicle dealership following up on car services or repairs, courtesy calls to thank clients for patronage, or simply to inform of new products or services offered. Building strong relationships with customers ensures their return loyalty.

The telephone and letters remain the most commonly used method of courtesy communication. There is no guarantee that letters will be received, indeed even read, and with land-line calls the person may be unavailable resulting in additional follow-up calls. Both methods can prove costly, particularly as many people can only be contacted on their cellular phones. The other cost implication is in time spent on a daily basis where employees can be productive in other ways.

Today, mobile phones are an accepted part of most people's everyday lives with text messaging (SMS) being used by innovative businesses as a cost effective communications tool. As SMSs are personalised messages that must be read by the recipients, businesses are assured that text messages are received and cannot be misinterpreted.

Delme Hawkins, Manager of Pretoria-based SMSmalls, a product dedicated to providing a bulk SMS sending service, says that feedback from both large corporations as well as small businesses using the system for customer relations is extremely positive.

"Initially when we first introduced SMSmalls to the market place 2 years ago, businesses were sceptical about their customers accepting mobile messages but cellular phones are a way of life for all of us and text messages are far less time consuming than telephone conversations, are cheaper and in most instances appreciated by clients. The number of businesses linking into SMSmalls is doubling monthly. "

SMSmalls claims that it is the only system available that can be used by a broad spectrum of businesses for a multitude of purposes ranging from credit control, marketing, one-on-one or bulk communications, reminders etc. For marketing purposes, users can work within their own closed database or access SMSmalls' extensive classified database of potential new customers.

Auditing firm, JFS Auditors in Pretoria, sends out at least 500 SMS messages a month to their own customers. According to Erica Strydom, Statutory Secretary, the SMSmalls system is used mainly for customer service to inform of deadlines for tax returns, VAT or PAYE payment and to notify clients in a secure and fast way that changes have occurred regarding SARS regulations and requirements and request clients to contact them for further details.

"Clients are appreciative, particularly when timeously informed of deadlines to avoid penalties. Text messages are precise and cannot be misconstrued as can happen when verbally conveyed by a third party and the recipient can save the message as a constant reminder."

"Sending SMSs is less time consuming than phoning. Dates when messages must be sent out are scheduled in advance."

Tersia Gilbert of Dr M.D. Carstens, a dental practice in Pretoria concurs that reminding patients of their appointments via SMS has cost saving and time saving advantages, considerably reducing the number of patients who forget about appointments. "In the medical field, one gets to know regular patients on a personal level. It's difficult avoiding long small-talk conversations."

Car dealerships are strongly service-oriented industries which demand a high level of customer relations. Here, SMS messaging is used extensively to remind of vehicle services due or to follow-up on customer satisfaction with completed services. Barloworld in Cape Town and Magnis Nissan in Pretoria are convinced SMSmalls users.

Another strong system user is Medihelp Medical Scheme who send out up to 58 000 messages at a time notifying members of annual meetings. SMSs are used as back-up to tell members to look out for detailed information in the post with the request to let the company know if not received. "Our members definitely responded positively to the SMS, says Carin Rijnen, executive manager: Business Development at Medihelp. SMSmalls is also used to communicate with our brokers either nationwide or, when required, on a regional basis. Time saving is absolutely phenomenal as it takes minutes, if not seconds to send out a message."

Investment company, StratEquity's MD, Johann Beukman, enthuses that there isn't a company that can't use SMSmalls. "We send out 500 messages each night and around 3 000 once a week to our own database of clients who want to receive information on their share portfolio or new investment opportunities. Response is very positive."