SMS Workflows in Action: Examples and Use Cases

How does SMS integration work in real life? More easily than you might think.

Connect with your communities on a more personal and convenient basis when you incorporate SMS texting. This format allows you to make real-time connections on their mobile devices, and what’s more personal than that?

Set up more meaningful, instantaneous interactions with your audiences when you integrate SMS into your already existing workflows. Modern customers and audiences want fast and easy, and more people have a mobile device now than ever before. According to Pew Research, 96% of Americans have a cell phone, and 81% have a smartphone.

But don’t take our word for it — here are a few examples and use cases that exemplify just how effective this method can be.

4 SMS workflow examples

So, how can an SMS communication strategy benefit your organization? First, it’s helpful to understand the departments and business functions where SMS will be most effective. Here are some areas to consider for this tool.

1. Reminders and notifications

Incorporating SMS texting workflows means you can send helpful reminders to customers when they have a deadline or important appointment approaching. They’ll receive an automated notification, so they never forget what’s coming up. One study revealed a 38% reduction in missed hospital outpatient appointments if patients were sent an SMS reminder.

Another benefit is the ability to send a text meeting reminder together with a link to the Zoom call or Google hangout, making it simpler for users to join the meeting with one click on their device.

2. Gathering data

Surveys can also be incorporated into your texting strategy, helping you gather data quickly and efficiently. Send the same form out to all your contacts and analyze data on the Mobilize Comms platform. Distribute surveys after an event to assess satisfaction or to evaluate your marketing tactics to see what resonates with users and what doesn’t. SMS texting opens up many new opportunities to collect and analyze data about your audience.

3. Customer service

Another area of the business where SMS workflows can be effective is customer service. Modern audiences love this offering because they’re not required to speak to someone on the phone. And, text messages are more likely to be opened than emails or other forms of communication, with 98% open rates as high as 98% according to Gartner.

Assist customers with any issue they’re experiencing and answer their questions or concerns faster. Mobilize Comms offers 1:1 messaging, allowing your customer service agents to directly communicate with a contact over SMS.

4. Real-time communications

Sometimes you need to reach people in the moment, whether for an emergency alert, like evacuating a natural disaster, or coordinating volunteers. Mobilize Comms gives you the power to send out urgent messages in real-time with mass SMS texting.

These are just a few of the many ways texting workflows can fit into your business to facilitate fast, highly engaging communication. Now, let’s look at some use cases of SMS texting in business workflows.

Use case #1: Foodbank engagement

SMS texting is easy for food banks to use and provides many advantages. SMS workflows help these organizations send out surveys to connect with clients or coordinate contactless distribution of goods with instant data intake and text verifications. Volunteers can be updated in mass and clients can be updated, all without the need for Wi-Fi (5 billion people across the globe can send and receive texts on their devices).

Top benefits for food bank SMS messaging include the following:

● Build a seamless process to collect data and communicate with clients on an ongoing basis

● Autofill features ensure your audience does not have to answer the same questions each visit

● Build surveys with advanced validations, including eligibility (household income, number of people, etc.)

● Respond to triggers with a simple SMS text, including when someone opts in to a donation keyword

Using data collection in parallel with SMS is the most accessible way to streamline data collection and ongoing communication with the vast majority of clients. An added benefit is the reduction of manual data entry, which frees up staff and volunteer time to enhance the mission.

Use case #2: Department of Defense

Government bodies like the Department of Defense (DoD) depend on instant, automatic communications to effectively operate. DoD installations are like mini-cities, with their own base commander, police, fire department, medical facilities, and more.

Not only are text messages easier to send to the community when mass communication is necessary, but they’re easier to read, too. It takes the average person just 90 seconds to reply to a text, compared to 90 minutes for email.

This creates the following benefits for the DoD when integrating SMS:

● Access to the workforce that is not online with access to WiFi

● Improves engagement with higher opening rates

● Important messages can be communicated instantly since most people always have their mobile devices handy

● Last-minute notifications or updates can be sent faster and more efficiently

The DoD relies on effective communication methods that speed up its workflows and increase engagement from workers and clients. SMS texting provides just that.

Simplify communication with Mobilize Comms

When you’re ready to integrate SMS texting and data collection into your communication strategies, Mobilize Comms is here to help. We provide custom comms solutions that fit into your existing workflows. Features include one-on-one chats, mass texting, and data collection and analysis to help you harness insights from your audience. You can also incorporate features like images, video clips, and GIFs into your SMS campaigns.

Learn more about our plans and pricing by contacting the team at Mobilize Comms.