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10 Different SMS Use Cases
1. SMS as Appointment Reminder
In healthcare – hospitals in particular – a no-show is a common problem, as patients often don’t turn up for their doctors' appointments. This phenomenon used to cost hospitals lots of money. Used to. Because the number of no-shows is vastly declining due to SMS reminders.
To reduce no-shows, SMS reminders are sent sometime before the appointment. This reminder is a simple SMS message with a short text, reminding the patient of his appointment. This not only reduces the number of no-shows but also improves the relationship between patient and hospital.
Dear Mrs. M. Hello. With this SMS, we want to remind you of your operation on 01-08-2018 at hospital X - Location X. Please make sure you're 24h sober.
SMS reminders are not only implemented in health care. Many other companies use SMS to remind their customers or employees of an appointment or a meeting. Package delivery notifications are yet another way of implementing this technique.
Today I will be delivering your parcel 12345678XXY. Visit parcel.com for my exact time of arrival. Greetings, your driver.
2. SMS as Planning Tool
For a company’s logistics or HR department, it is a recurring challenge to organize the logistics/work planning. Quick changes may need to be made and replacements found, especially in case of last-minute changes or when a colleague calls in sick. SMS can be used as a notification tool that always reaches its destination and is read within minutes.
An employment agency, that specializes in flexible side jobs, uses SMS to inform students of available tasks and to ask them whether they are available. With these messages, they try to fill in vacancies as soon as possible. To such a service, you can easily connect an answering service. Reactions are then automatically delivered to your mailbox or web environment.
Dear Chris, could you please fill in your availability for week 34 with at least 12 hours? Thanks! EmploymentAgencyX
SMS is not just a convenient planning tool for work planning, but for logistic planning for the drivers on the road as well. An international transport organization that offers its services worldwide, by boat, plane, and truck also uses this technique. The complexity of this service demands a smart and reliable planning system. They realized this by fully integrating SMS in the business-critical process of communicating with drivers.
"PIECE9S0, 2X PIECE(S) * XXXKG AFZEILENMAX PAYLOAD 25.5TON - LOADING AT DATE XX-XX-XX at 20H"
3. SMS as Internal Communication and Notification Tool
When it comes to internal communication, it is important for the information to reach its destination quickly. And to be read quickly. When the information is short and to the point, SMS is an excellent channel to inform people instantly and effectively. One example is a company that helps schools send SMS messages to inform students of schedule changes or newly uploaded grades.
Dear student, please check your college mail for a change in the itinerary. Details will follow shortly. In case of questions, please contact me. Teacher X.
To improve customer- and employee happiness, showing you care about their important moments is vital. It’s as simple as keeping a list of customers’/employees’ birthdays, which you can use to congratulate them via SMS. For companies using an HR system that includes these birthdays, creating a connection to the SMS Gateway is easily made. This way, you can show you care without ever lifting a finger.
Christian, we wish you a very happy birthday! Company Y!
4. SMS as External Marketing Channel
A company’s marketing department is always looking for the most optimal mix of channels to reach their goals as time- and cost-effective as possible. The possibilities of SMS as a marketing tool are diverse. CM.com is here to help you, both on the technical and creative level, to get your message across.
DISCOUNT WEEK @ SUN STUDIO: 4 AUG. Bring a friend for free between 19 and 23h.
When you use SMS as a marketing tool, you can personalize both the content and the sender. Also, your target audience can respond to their received messages. When a marketing message is sent, it is important to comply with all regulations. Here, it is important that all mobile numbers are collected the right way.
5. SMS for Server Notifications
For the IT department of your company, it is important to be instantly informed whenever -for example- a website is offline, a server is offline or the server’s cooling system is flitching, and so on. If there is no constant monitoring on this, problems like these may not be picked up in time. And damages may be big! By setting up automated SMS alerts, the previously selected numbers will be informed instantly when a certain check is triggered. This way, action can be taken immediately.
**MYSERVER** FROM: Server101 Type: PROBLEM service: Volume state: CRITICAL CHECK. THIS. FILE. NOW. CRITICAL - Server version unavailable
6. SMS as Login Code
Privacy and data security demand more attention lately. To increase efficiency and be more flexible, a growing number of companies are introducing Two-factor Authentication for secured access to online working environments.
Two-factor Authentication (2FA) is a login method needing something you know (your username and password) and something you have (your mobile phone). This second layer of authentication can be a One Time Password that is sent to the user’s phone via SMS or voice. This way, only the owner of this mobile phone can gain access to your data.
Moreover, an SMS OTP can be used only once, and typically is valid for only a few minutes. This makes the login process so much more secure than when only username and password are used.
Your code for today is D36FB
To make use of One Time Passwords, companies typically use a security partner that supplies specialized software to send out these passwords. As soon as a connection is made to the CM.com platform, SMS and voice codes can be sent.
7. SMS for Voting
SMS is a popular tool in TV shows where viewers can vote for contestants. But it’s not only big TV shows that can benefit from SMS as a voting tool.
IN: "09" OUT: Thanks for participating. Your vote is processed successfully.
Smaller companies can use SMS voting for example in MT meetings, congresses, or internal events. Voting for a certain proposition, selecting a new board member, or choosing the next company outing. All votes can be followed live, showing you real-time who or what got the most votes.
8. SMS for Applications and Requests
SMS can also be used as a two-directional communication tool. For example, you can use SMS to request a brochure. A big radio station uses SMS to enrich commercials, ending a commercial with ‘Want more info? SMS [RADIOSTATION} to 3669 for more information.”
IN: "FD" OUT: Thanks for your interest. We will shortly contact you.
This mobile marketing tool SMS grows the level of interactivity with the audience and makes the threshold to responding as low as can be.
9. SMS for Calamities
Most companies have their alarm notification to security and emergency services in order. However, informing and mobilizing their own employees often leaves much to be desired. For example, informing the company’s own crisis team, clearing certain buildings, or informing staff of other companies within a certain range.
FIRST AID EW25 - All first aid personnel please report to the janitor's office!
In the case of a calamity, it is highly important that this happens easily, without any additional devices (that may not even be available during a calamity). SMS holds the answer. With a special feature, sending just one SMS message with a 4-digit code can trigger a message that is sent to selected groups.
10. SMS for Donations
For charities, which mostly rely on financial donations, it has become more difficult to bind consumers to their charity. As a result of, amongst others, aging, crisis, waning engagement, not having cash, and expensive collectors, charities see a decline in the number of donations. Mobile donations, as SMS donation is also called, provide a solution. Charities use SMS to lower the threshold for donations.
Thank you! Your donation will help save children from starvation. We will keep you informed of our progress!
SMS donations are not just for the big charities, also smaller foundations and associations use SMS.
Thanks for your donation of 1 euro to charity X. Your donation + the costs for the SMS will be credited from your phone bill. SMS powered by CM.com.
Get Started with SMS
CM.com’s communication platform is for businesses that want to start conversations with their clients. With our fast and reliable SMS Gateway API, you can create superior customer experiences that drive engagement and convert leads.
