6 industries using SMS messaging

SMS in industry

In a mobile-first, always-on world, SMS messaging is proving to be an essential tool in every business owner and marketers’ toolkit. And it seems like it doesn’t matter what industry you’re involved in – SMS messaging is how your customers want to communicate with you.

There have been so many different communication channels launched in recent years. Think social media, Slack, Skype, and push notifications. It can be easy, under the influence of these new technologies, for older, original technology to be forgotten. But text messaging, which has been around for more than 30 years, continues to work just as well as it always has when paired with these new technologies.

We recently published an article about a survey that showed that most people want to talk to businesses using SMS-enabled chatbots. It highlighted how businesses that weren't using this form of communication were missing out on important customer interaction – particularly for customer engagement.

Many different businesses in several industries are realizing this. They’re realizing that messaging can enhance customer experience and amplify customer loyalty. Here are some of the industries using SMS to their advantage.

SMS messaging in healthcare

Popular uses of SMS in healthcare are setting up appointment reminders, providing diagnostic test results, and providing prescription reminders. Another example of this industry making use of SMS messages is researchers in Australia who use it to get feedback from people who’ve recently been vaccinated.

Travel and tourism

One of the worst parts of traveling is being hit with unexpected delays or schedule changes. To mitigate this, travel and tourism companies are increasingly using SMS's to keep customers informed. Some airlines offer a service to SMS passengers notifications of gate changes and delays or check-in reminders. Many travelers have missed flights because of last-minute gate changes. With these messages, missed flights will be a thing of the past. In addition, big hotel brands like Four Seasons and Hyatt, send targeted text messages to communicate with guests to improve their experience.

Meals & catering

SMS messaging has completely changed the way food is ordered. Indian Railways, for example, launched a new 'book meals through SMS' service in 2014. Railway passengers can send an SMS to 139 to book a meal. Another innovative use of texting to place food orders is HungryText, a simple and intuitive mobile service that allows restaurant-goers to place a pre-order via mobile SMS and pick up the order directly when they arrive at the restaurant. Patrons either eating at the restaurant or collecting the take-out, don't need to wait in line or for the food to be prepared.

Shopping

Retailers are increasingly using text message sales receipts instead of the more traditional paper version. This makes organizing receipts far easier for customers and allows the retailer to personalize future text messages based on buying history.

Real estate

Every successful real estate sale begins with one form of contact. Real estate agents are using text messaging to get more leads and make more sales. They’re able to inform their client list about new listings in their specified areas, send out appointment reminders, and save time by SMSing important information to customers instead of leaving voice mail messages which are unlikely to be listened to.

Financial

Think about the last time you made a banking transaction or payment. You likely had to use a one-time pin or enter a two-factor authentication code to complete the transaction. Banks can use SMS's to increase security and improve customer engagement. In the US, Chase, American Express, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo all offer services to enable customers to receive notifications about low balances, large transactions, and account activity. All of these services allow you to keep a close eye on your accounts.

These examples all show that brands understand that SMS offers the most value, especially when delivering time-sensitive information. To find out more information about why customers want to receive SMSes from your business, read our recent article detailing 4 reasons why your customers what to use SMS messaging.