Picking the right channel for delivering reminders is as vital as the reminders themselves. If no one opens an email, what good is it? If you call, odds are you’ll leave a voicemail that will never be heard. Did you know that 85% of consumers prefer SMS reminders over email or voicemail?

For service businesses, a missed appointment is costly. When a patient skips a medical engagement, it costs the health care provider an average of $200. One missed visit every week adds up to $10,400 lost each year. Sending SMS reminders can significantly reduce the number of no-shows and improve the bottom line.

Research by technology solutions firm Mitto found that almost half of Americans would miss a health care appointment without SMS reminders. The survey also found that 43% would forget they had a package arriving, and 39% would forget they had an item in their online cart without a reminder. Sending reminders reduces possible friction during a customer’s journey.

SMS Gateways Make It Easy

Computer-generated messages are routed to a cellphone network using an SMS gateway. The platform enables organizations to create reminders and design campaigns without interacting with a telecommunications network. With an SMS gateway, businesses benefit from the following:

Timed Delivery. SMS gateways allow businesses to generate and schedule text messages to arrive at the right time. Reminders are most effective 24 hours before an appointment. Using an SMS platform, companies can create messages in advance of the desired delivery time.

Reliable Operations. With 25 years of operating experience, SMS communications have proven to be a reliable channel for delivering critical information to customers and employees alike. Unlike other technologies, SMS is backward compatible.

Cost-Effective Communications. Concentrating messaging into a single platform simplifies operations and reduces costs. With a 98% open rate, SMS messages deliver a better return on investment than emails with only a 20% open rate.

As the world moves faster, organizations need to respond with quick, reliable messaging.

SMS Campaigns Engage Customers

Marketing campaigns using SMS platforms deliver a higher return on investment than email. Generally speaking, people respond to text messages within 90 seconds, while it takes most people 90 minutes to answer an email. After 90 minutes, there’s no guarantee an individual will even respond.

SMS campaigns build loyalty programs. If your business has a loyalty program, SMS is another channel for delivering information on rewards or offering promotions that earn points. A text isn’t going directly to a spam folder.

It also provides targeted campaigns for high-value customers and uses purchase history to inform customers of newly arrived products, personalizing the interaction even more through follow-up conversations.

SMS API Makes Integration Possible

Every organization has its own set of tools for managing customers and storing data. Integrating an SMS messaging platform enables companies to leverage their data to deliver personalized texts. APIs serve as links between software solutions that facilitate the exchange of information.

Integrating SMS gateways with back-office data expands the reach of text messaging. Together these solutions can automate scheduling reminders so customers are alerted to an upcoming appointment within the recommended 24-hour window.

Working with customer relationship management packages, SMS platforms can deliver tailored information to specific customers. Together, the technologies can unlock the power of curated data and effective communications to deliver exceptional customer experiences.