How to Best Use SMS Solutions in the Contact Centre

Scott Threlfall of GCI investigates how contact centres can utilize a fully automated SMS solution to remain ahead of the competition.

Omnichannel, Always On

Interactive voice response (IVR) and call will always have its place at the heart of a call centre, but in today’s always-on digital society, the contact centres who can converse with their customers on any channel, at any time, are the ones that will lead the way and reap the rewards.

Many call centres use SMS sparingly, if at all, but when you consider it’s the most widely used communication platform on the planet – and provides a 96% open rate within three minutes of the message hitting the handset – you can begin to see how essential an enterprise-level SMS option is for any business.

By decreasing hold times, you provide customers with a better experience, and by integrating SMS text messaging into a multichannel unified communications solution you can save your clients’ money with shorter call times and fewer support calls.

Business Continuity

For those that do have a modernized approach to business continuity, the use of SMS is highly effective. Some examples of SMS use within the insurance world, for instance, include customers receiving a text message within a specified number of days prior to their insurance renewal date.

Any subsequent failure to respond triggers a follow-up email reminding them of the impending need to renew their insurance. Then, if they do not renew following this email, their number goes into the auto dialler for the renewals team, who will call until they receive a response. This process is entirely seamless.

Another great use of SMS in the contact centre world is in the debt management industry. SMS is excellent for customer reminders, including payment due reminders, payment overdue reminders, contact us to discuss your finance plans, etc. All of these types of communications can be fully automated around traditional contact centre technology, such as the auto dialler.

SMART Messaging Solutions

If you aren’t using SMS as part of your customer acquisition, retention or loyalty programmes, then it’s time you did!

Using SMART Messenger from GCI enables you to seamlessly integrate SMS into all your internal systems, including CRM, accounts or contact centre platforms.

Plus, with our unique SMART Coupon module your customer agents can now send a digital coupon to a customer’s phone as a reward.

If you’re looking to upgrade your existing contact centre solutions, or just want to have a no obligation chat on what SMART Messaging solutions can do for you, then please get in touch.