Ellen Velickovska, Managing Director at telXira
Growth in omni-channel business messaging is accelerating, and there is a huge opportunity to reach more customers with simple, efficient, and trusted application-to-person (A2P) SMS messaging services.
ResearchandMarkets expects the Global A2P SMS Market to reach $74.7 billion by 2026, up from the $59.1 billion reported in 2020.
For enterprises, engaging with their end users using their preferred communication channel is a big value-add, but can be a challenge without the right tools and expertise.
On top of this, many enterprises are feeling the pressure with increasing demands for different messaging use cases. These include Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to securely access platforms, plus A2P and person-to-application (P2A) messaging, with more companies and consumers moving towards interactive chats and AI.
Anyone that wants to enter the business messaging market or use messaging in their business should have friction-free access to these services with an intuitive and user-friendly platform.
“Business messaging shouldn’t be complicated. It should be as easy as eCommerce, where a user can point, click, and get the result they want.”
Ellen Velickovska, Managing Director at telXira
Understanding Your Messaging Journey
Business messaging shouldn’t be complicated. It should be as easy as eCommerce, where a user can point, click, and get the result they want. The challenge is to find a business messaging partner that understands the market, acts as a guide, and delivers a platform that is easy to use.
Enterprises need to change their approach to reaching customers to achieve top levels of engagement, increase security, grow relationships, and reduce costs.
As an increasing number of enterprises move forward with their digital transformation journey, they need to expand their communications channels beyond traditional Email. They can evolve in the SMS space to improve marketing efforts and customer experience, as well as security through 2FA.
However, a lack of experience and expertise in SMS, plus skills gaps in their internal teams, can make it difficult to get started and grow in the market.
Building an SMS Strategy
In terms of marketing strategy, according to Gartner, SMS can result in open rates as high as 98%, compared to just 20% for email. To tackle the decline in traditional email communications, enterprises should consider an SMS strategy to increase open rates and maximise engagement.
An expert partner can make messaging simple in any enterprise. With a simple and powerful approach to business messaging and an easy-to-use platform, enterprises can further their understanding of different communications channels, as well as use cases and opportunities.
This enables them to connect with their customers, innovate and grow using business messaging. It not only improves marketing efforts, but can also enhance customer experience, and boost security when incorporating 2FA for additional authentication when logging into apps and services.
With a friction-free approach, enterprises can quickly deliver a range of positive outcomes including:
- Security & Customer Protection – Using SMS for 2FA is key for improving security and giving customers confidence that their data is protected. The additional layer of security is important for securing operations and building a trusted brand.
- Communicating in a Way that Users Want – The best way to achieve results is to listen to your customers. SMS Comparison reports that 9 out of 10 consumers would like to communicate with businesses through text message, making it an important channel for growing engagement.
- Cost-Efficient, Reliable & Direct Communications – On average, SMS yields much higher results than other channels, which can boost the cost-efficiency of marketing campaigns. On top of this, it provides a reliable and direct way to send important communications through to the user’s most important device – their mobile.
- End-to-End Customer Experiences – SMS campaigns can provide useful and relevant communications throughout the entirety of a customer’s journey. This is a great way to enhance customer experiences, and in turn, increase ROI.
- New Customer Loyalty – By communicating with customers using their preferred channel, it makes it easier to build a loyal customer base who will keep coming back for more. Customer retention is just as important as attracting new customers – if not more so.
With a partner that is dedicated to making every messaging journey simple, seamless, and successful with 24/7 support, enterprises can achieve new levels of success with their clients.
Continually Transforming Communications
No matter where the market goes or what channels users choose, it is important for enterprises to continually evolve their approach and ensure they have the insights and intelligence to be successful.
By utilising business messaging, enterprises can deliver new experiences, create competitive advantages and explore the growing opportunities across different communications channels. SMS is a key starting point, and as enterprises become more confident, they can explore other messaging channels for a truly omni-channel approach. Enterprises can gain control of their messaging services with visibility, transparency, and the ability to manage and grow their customer relationships with ease.
With the right strategy, enterprises can accelerate their businesses with new levels of efficiency, security, engagement, and ultimately, success.
