How to Start Your Own SMS Service
An SMS service can be applied to virtually any business and help it to improve communication with clients and even to drive sales.
Analysing Your SMS Service Requirements
Determining how you will apply your SMS service is a big part of the equation, as this will influence your business directly. Fictional business ABZ Shoe Retailer’s owner, John Savage, will help you ask the right questions to illustrate how the purpose of an SMS service can be determined. Let’s see which questions are considered to be important…
Q: Why use an SMS service instead of, for instance, email?
John Savage (JS): I used email for a number of years. While it is relatively easy to use and virtually free to send, it just didn’t provide the required results. With an SMS service penetration rates are higher, response rates are climbing way beyond that generally achievable with email and I am able to implement detailed tracking, which gives me a good idea of how my campaign is doing.
Q: What will my clients gain from my SMS service?
JS: Current information on all the hottest and newest brands and designs in footwear. Some of my competitors sell certain items at prices below mine, but an SMS service will be the Ace up my sleeve.
Q: If I was my client, what would I expect?
Well, I like it when businesses put in that extra little effort, especially when it is something in which I take a special interest. Take for instance the SMS service offered by my bank: every time my account is accessed or when a change occurs, I get an SMS. This makes me feel safer about my money and more confident in my choice of bank.
Q: How can I use it to get more business?
Hmmm, well I’ve got a couple of ideas. Aside from the already mentioned communication of new products, I’ve heard that offering incentives will not only fuel client participation, but can help to stimulate customer numbers – people who like shoes must obviously have friends and family that like shoes.
Q: How can it be used to drive customer loyalty?
I know for a fact that my competitors aren’t making use of an SMS service. Establishing a mobile relationship with current and prospective customers now could supply me with an audience for future mobile communication/technologies.
Getting Your SMS Service Up and Running
The tools to use to get your SMS service up and running are pretty much wide and varied. Your business size and messaging requirements will determine the tools being used to accommodate and effectively run your SMS service.
The list below will give a brief explanation of the SMS service tools available and the business-sizes they apply to. Note that, should your business have the relevant development skills, then the tools specified can be used regardless of business size with the only criteria being that the minimum messaging requirements will have to be adhered to.
SMS Applications
- Suitable for small & medium businesses
- Pre-designed web interface – ready to use
- Provides API functionality: reporting & logs
- Two-way messaging functionality
- Use from anywhere in the world
- Suitable for small & medium businesses
- Pre-designed desktop interface – ready to use
- Provides API functionality: reporting & logs
- Two-way messaging functionality
- Installed locally on computer – OS dependent
Application Programming Interfaces
SMPP API – Min: 5000 credits/month
- Suitable for medium to large businesses and organisations
- Flexible
- Requires software development
- Language- and environment independent
- Software environment-independent
- Two-way messaging functionality
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Requires software development
- Perfect for MS Windows and ASP environments
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Requires software development
- Language- and environment independent but uses XML
- Easy to implement
- Two-way messaging functionality
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Requires software development
- Easy to implement
- Language- and environment independent
- Two-way messaging functionality
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Requires software development
- Easy to implement
- Uses XML
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Optional software development – existing application also suitable
- Easy to implement
- Language- and environment independent
- Suitable for small, medium and large businesses and organisations
- Optional software development – existing application also suitable
- Easy to implement
- Language- and environment independent
For more information on getting your business SMS enabled, follow the link to our SMS service page.
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Tags: application programming interface, COM API, Communicator, FTP API, SMPP API, SMS Service, SMTP API, SOAP API, XML API
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2 Comments On This Post
[...] the original post here: How to Start Your Own SMS Service | Clickatell UK Blog Share and [...]
The blog you have posted has been very useful to me. It has provided me with all essential details about the sms service that are available of late.