Utilising SMS for SMEs30 March 2006
Most of us are more than familiar with using the short messaging services (SMS) on our mobile phones for quick and easy communication in our personal lives. The technology has proved a phenomenal success, its low-cost meaning that anyone of any age can afford to message friends and family in this way. Texting is so widespread it has even spawned its own language, with a dictionary of abbreviations designed to make getting your message across even simpler.
Even though SMS has pervaded our leisure time UK companies have been slower to pick up on this type of communication as a business tool. But it seems that small businesses at least are beginning to capitalise on the technology during day-to-day operations.
A new survey from the Mobile Data Association (MDA) found that 100 per cent of business managers polled said that their businesses actively used SMS to some degree, with 75 per cent saying that the technology was used for internal company communications.
As would be expected, the degree to which the technology is applied varies across industry sectors. The research was compiled from a broad range of business areas and found that the 14 per cent making use of picture messaging were involved mostly in construction, as well as manufacturing and engineering.
Remote workers naturally worked with mobile-to-mobile messaging often, with office-based workers facilitating this form of communication with PC-to-mobile texts. Despite this, the research revealed that the primary function of SMS currently is to allow colleagues to converse more easily as opposed to providing a form of contact with customers.
Benefits
An IPA TouchPoints survey suggests that of all written communications in the UK, text messaging accounts for 29 per cent - closing in rapidly on email through which half of written correspondence is sent. The benefits to small businesses of adopting this method of contact are:
- Saves time: sending information or queries to a colleague can be achieved quickly and concisely through text and time wasted using a voice call is eliminated. The MDA report found that 45 per cent of business manager respondents said that SMS had generated significant time-savings.
- Enhanced productivity: being able to send and receive messages almost instantly whether in the office or mobile means that more can be achieved with the hours in the working day.
- Saves money: SMS is a cheap way of communicating particularly as a number of mobile operator packages offer bundles of free texts as part of the deal.
- Easy to use: the fact that most people have their own personal mobile phone means that staff require little or no training in order to use the technology for work purposes.
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