can sms chatbots can be a next-gen engagement platform?

Dynamically Send, Receive & Enhance Text Message Campaigns.

Just received an alert for cash withdrawal from an ATM? Just got a booking confirmation or a promotional offer from an airline? A simple SMS is what pushed those to your mobile number.

This simple yet powerful tool is the enabler for multiple brands that you engage with. As far as mobile is concerned, ease and ubiquity of SMS has made it the preferred communication channel over the years - it works on every phone, on every network and nearly everyone knows how to effectively use it. Businesses and consumers are habituated to engaging over SMS for the most commonplace as well as sophisticated engagements. This has ensured that application to peer (A2P) SMS remains the most relevant communication channel in the business to consumer (B2C) world.

 

The case for conversational SMS engagement

Mostly, SMS based engagements are rule-driven and meant for routine limited engagements. Transaction alerts come in a set format, governed by pre-defined triggers/rules. Similarly, to seek information one has to send a certain keyword to a number. Normally, there is negligible scope for extending the conversation and definitely not in normal conversational language.

Consumers are demanding conversational engagements with brands. Consider an engagement with a spa. Normally, the spa would ask you to SMS "YES" to confirm the appointment. This is rule based and puts the onus of sticking to a keyword on you. Instead of keywords, customers want to engage more naturally by texting something like "Yes, but only if you cannot reschedule on Monday."

Consumers are not really looking for a new communication tool beyond SMS. They simply want intelligent and value adding conversations with brands using this preferred chanenel.Just imagine if communication with a brand could be conversational like chatting with a friend.

So, what exactly are SMS Chatbots and how do they really work?

For anyone lacking time or an assistant or the desire to make a laborious phone call or go online, the SMS chatbot can address your needs through the simplicity of SMS.

For example, a bank sends a customer a message saying his/her debit card has been auto upgraded and the new card will be dispatched today. In response, the customer texts back asking for details of this new card. By recognizing the words "new card," the bot responds with a message like: "Hello Rajesh, I believe you are requesting information about your debit card which has now been upgraded to the 'Platinum Category'. The key features are x,y and z. For complete details, please click here."

"SMS chatbots make it easier for people to communicate with businesses in natural conversational language as compared to search engines where you have to input not so natural 'keywords'.

The Future

Multiple businesses stress the need to adopt new channels of mobile engagement but continue to swear by the power of SMS. Its ubiquity, about 100% reach and ease of adoption make it the most pervasive and future proof communication channel. Undoubtedly, SMS chatbots will grow as more relevant use cases are created.

While the case is compelling for the consumer, it is as strong, if not stronger for businesses. Businesses realize that it takes signifignificant money and effort to convince a consumer to download an app. The chances of a brand's app actually gaining traction are slim to none. But, brands want to connect with consumers in a highly personalized way. The solution lies in leveraging the longest serving mobile communication channel and marrying it with bot based intelligence - SMS chatbots.

SMS is actually the perfect medium for chatbots. In today's world the customer service reality for brands is that most interactions usually boil down to the same five questions. If you can automate and direct those away from a human interface to an intelligent bot interface, using a channel which customers actually prefer, you've reduced costs by half. So SMS chatbots revolutionizing customer service and resulting in huge savings for enterprises

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