Bulk SMS message alerts, making a difference
Two years ago, I traded in my trusty Toyota Tazz for a Ford Bantam… No, this is not a sales pitch nor a comparison between the two manufacturers (we all know which one is better), but merely an illustration of how bulk SMS messages can make a HUGE difference to customer satisfaction…
…Before the Ford, I was accustomed to Toyota’s high quality levels of service and customer care. Needless to say, my first experience with Barloworld (my closest service centre) was not a pleasant exercise. So much so that I was tempted to sell it back to them after the 15000km (first!) service. “Why?” you might ask…
Simply put, I was never told when the vehicle was ready for collection, unnecessary parts were replaced without any consultation, and I did not know what the final bill amounted to. In fact, I had NO form of communication, no telephone calls, sms alerts via any bulk SMSsystem with them throughout the day, apart from me phoning them to ask if I could collect my vehicle.
Endless frustration, a lot of guess work, last minute arrangements to collect the car and no after service follow-up, resulted in me giving them a rating of 3 out of 10 for the whole ordeal (the only good that came out of it was the complimentary sweets!). Of course, the curse of bad customer service is the tendency to spread, and it was not long before I heard that other Barloworld dependants had had the same mind-numbing experience.
Two months ago, the vehicle’s odometer again indicated that customer dissatisfaction was just round the corner – SHRIEK! – It was time for the Ford’s big 30000 km service and, needless to say, I was not looking forward to it. But what a turnaround: friendly staff, a well organised operation, a timely lift to work and… wait for it… bulk SMS message updates!
Via bulk SMS alerts they let me know that:
1. My Ford was in the service bay.
2. My vehicle was out of the service bay and that NO extras were required.
3. My Ford was in the wash bay.
4. My vehicle was ready for collection, and finally
5. The total cost of service!
This was a huge improvement – from *SHOCK, HORROR* to *WOW, COOL* in 15000 kilometres. Immediately, the client (me) knew what was going on, where in the process we were, how much it was going to cost and when I could collect my vehicle. And all of this via a little text message onto my mobile phone via a bulk SMS messaging solution.
The good news and experience spread to my friends. I rated the overall service level at 8 out of 10 (with the complimentary sweets costing them the 2 points), and, all of a sudden, the longing for my Toyota was very distant.
So, how can you make bulk SMS messaging work for your company?
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Tags: bulk messaging Solution, bulk sms, bulk SMS messaging, Clickatell UK, mobile marketing, mobile messaging, SMS alerts, text messages, text messaging
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