CEO Adviser: Keeping it Old School

A proper mobile strategy is as important for a business as its actual products and services. With three billion mobile users on nearly six billion devices worldwide, it is the top channel for reaching and interacting with on-the-go customers and employees. As executives consider the checklist of mobile
capabilities their businesses use, one key technology many fail to remember is the most pervasive, simple and effective one available today: mobile messaging, or SMS (short message service).

SMS for business has seen a resurgence thanks to Application-to-Person (A2P) mobile messaging, which is when a mobile message is sent from an application or platform directly to a mobile device by the business. A2P mobile messaging is expected to be worth more than $70 billion by 2020, and it has become an influential tool for both customer- and employee-facing uses across all aspects of a business.
A major reason for this progress is the explosive growth of the mobile-focused millennial generation in the workforce. Nearly half of this group believes a smartphone is the one thing they
cannot live without. Millennials are 40 times more likely to take action when sent a text message, making this technology the best way to reach them.

Recent market research shows that traditional mobile messaging is still the preferred method for quick mobile communication by todays active businessperson as well. Employees often feel overloaded having to check another app on their phones, so 72 percent of workers prefer texting for work-based communication over other alternatives, such as Over-the-Top (OTT) messaging apps, due to its simplicity and ease of use.

Businesses shouldnt abandon investing in new mobile technology. However, they should not overlook how to utilize an affordable, effective technology thats already available and has a trained user base. There are more ways than ever for a business to use mobile messaging, and here are a few examples of where it can add significant value.

1. Deeper, Real-Time Customer Insights. Service and hospitality businesses such as locally based Alaska Airlines use SMS to solicit customer feedback even before the cockpit door closes. By distributing post-boarding surveys to passengers via text message, the airline can gain real-time feedback while the experience is still fresh in the customers mind. Airline employees can view the responses in real time and immediately understand where the customer experience needs to be improved. These insights are also valuable to executives who are continually seeking information on how customer needs are being met.

2. Efficient Employee Communication. Sticking with the Alaska Airlines example, its workforce is typically on the go, providing customers with the best service possible. Mobile messaging is one technology that companies in this industry use to inform employees of changes that may affect their work schedules. Whether its an internal system outage, changes in assignments or an emergency notification alert, SMS improves critical employee communications, engagement and productivity.

3. Increased Service Efficiencies. Nothing is worse than sending a truck or service roll and a customer cancels. Sky, an international telecommunications and cable provider, uses two-way SMS to connect with customers prior to service appointments, giving them an easy way to cancel or request alternative times. These types of two-way appointment reminders can reduce no-shows by more than 25 percent, eliminating a wasted service call and saving the company thousands of dollars in resource costs.

4. Tighter Security. Companies like Amazon and Google are leaders in using mobile messaging to add an extra security layer to employee and customer account transactions through two-factor authentication (2FA), the process of sending a confirmation code that a user must enter in addition to a password to gain access to a protected site or online account. While seemingly simple, its an effective tactic used by organizations dealing with private and sensitive information. One local financial company that uses this technology successfully is First Technology Credit Union, which works with many of the startups here in the Seattle area.

These scenarios are examples of how traditional mobile messaging helps companies optimize operations while enhancing relationships with their customers and employees. Have you thought about how you can use mobile messaging in your business?

Jay Emmet is SVP at Seattle internet service provider Amdocs and GM of its OpenMarket division. Reach him at [email protected].