SMS, short for Short Messaging Service, is used to send text messages to users' mobile phones. SMS offers a more direct way to reach users than most other messaging channels, as it uses their personal phone numbers. With this channel, you can reach a larger percentage of your customer base, wherever they are in the world, at any given time, even when they are offline.
SMS is one of the most effective touchpoints for interaction. Since 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of receiving and have an estimated open rate of 99%, text messaging is an extremely attractive sales promotion channel.
SMS is one of the Architect channels you can include in the customer journey flow.
How does the SMS channel work?
In the journey flow, when the user arrives at the SMS element, an SMS message is sent to the user as a single operation—it is not sent in bulk. Each time, a separate SMS message is sent out. Personalized messages will be generated according to each user’s behavior.
Before sending an SMS message, the system checks whether the user is reachable via SMS. If the user is reachable via SMS, they will receive the SMS message. In case the user cannot be reached, they will be dropped from the journey. The "Reachability" function checks whether the user’s phone number, SMS opt-in, and GDPR opt-in exist.
In the following cases, the system does not attempt to send an SMS message to a particular user:
- The user doesn’t have a phone number.
- The phone number isn’t in the E.164 format.
- The user doesn't consent, and the Sms Opt-in is false.
- The user opted out of SMS; the SMS Opt-Out is true.
- The user’s Gdpr Opt-in is ‘false’.
If your company obtains your users' consent in compliance with the local regulations, make sure to pass the GDPR opt-in field to Insider One. If you want to stop collecting and processing the data of an identified user, GDPR opt-in field should have the false value. Insider One cannot be held liable if these obligations are not fulfilled and reserves the right to seek compensation from your company.
The SMS is sent out within one minute at maximum.
An SMS message can be up to 160 characters. If it exceeds 160 characters, it will be sent out as two SMS messages, and you will be charged for two text messages. For information on Unicode characters, refer to the Terms to Know.
If you add a URL to your SMS message, it will be automatically shortened when sent.
Use cases
With the SMS channel in your journeys, you can:
- Send offers and deals (e.g., discount offers, limited-time promotions, etc.),
- Share helpful tips and information (e.g., appointment availability, service hours, etc.),
- Send welcome/onboarding messages,
- Collect customer feedback or information such as email addresses,
- Send cart reminders to convert customers,
- Launch competitions with rewards,
- Experiment with new promotion techniques (e.g., a quiz with a coupon as a reward).