Do you know the first message was sent in 1992, and it was ‘Merry Christmas’? Since that time, SMS has evolved so much. SMS is not only part of person-to-person communication anymore. SMSs are now being used to establish communication between customers and businesses. A business that is not using SMS services is missing a lot of potential customers and opportunities to outshine the competition. SMS marketing is growing, and it will grow even more in the future.
Today, businesses of all sizes know how powerful SMS marketing is. That’s why choosing the right SMS service provider is very important. Running a campaign is second to this. There are many things you should look for before choosing the ‘Right One.’
Is Price a Factor To Worry About:
Price is the very first factor that comes to anyone’s mind. It may not be that big of a deal for big businesses, but it is for SMEs. To obtain a service provider with good quality, one has to pay the right price. Going with a low-cost service provider will result in poor network service, outdated features, an inefficient system, and unproductive results.
Other than price, so many factors need to be considered by a business. These factors are delivery rate, speed, security, web-based dashboard, CRM integration, plugins, APIs, etc.
In order to cut the cost, you might collaborate with the ‘Not Right’ SMS service provider. This put two things at risk, one is marketing, and the second is customer experience. Where marketing increases your customer base, customer experience creates loyal customers and a big brand-like presence. Putting these two at risk is not good for any business.
So let’s learn about things that you need to consider when choosing an SMS service provider that is suitable for your business.
A Complete Package:
Suppose you are going shopping to buy different things, but then you saw a shop that has most or almost everything that you need. If that happens, you will always choose that shop over others, even though it is a little far from other shops.
The same goes for SMS service providers. Whether it is bulk SMS service, promotional, or transactional, if all are provided one with robust maintenance, it is all good to go. This help business to create marketing campaigns more efficiently, and a well-planned campaign will reach to a larger audience.
Demonstration of Power:
It would be great if the service provider agrees to give you a demo of their services before you can use it for yourself. This demonstration can be limited by the number of messages a business can send or by the time, whoever comes first. This way you will know how well the service provider will do for you.
It may not be the case with every service provider you find. So to test their effectiveness, you can rely on case studies. Case studies are the best way to realize how flexible their services are. Find a case study that suits your requirements. If you find one, you know what you can expect from them here.
Are They Reliable:
Here reliability is referring to great uptime and less error or bugs in the work process. A service provider that offers these kinds of deals is very best for you. Try to measure API uptime by checking how much responsive it is to the network. If you want to cover a single city, then your provider must be capable of handling 2 cities.
There are very few brands that can provide you nearly 100% of uptime, but they are not hard to find. They can provide you all this with security and customization.
Their Scalability:
An SMS service provider promises you growth in your business, right? So as your business scale in growth, the service provider should also scale too. If a service provider is not able to match up with your growth, then it is not good. You can not just keep changing your service provider every once in a while.
That’s why it is important for you to find a service provider that can scale itself with your business. Find a provider that can match your needs. The need that grows big with your business.
Availability For You:
Ghosting your customers not good for any business. It is even worse if one does it while customers are using your services. A good SMS service provider will always be available for you 24/7. Having a customer round the clock service will get your issues resolved in a timely manner. With this, you will be able to serve your own customers way better and without any delay.
Experience of the Field:
The best way to judge your service provider is to know how well they have performed for businesses like yours. Look for their client list. Analyze what type of business they are providing services to. What is the most common size of businesses they are serving? Once you have considered all these points, what they can offer you will be more clear.
Integration of CRM:
Working in synchronization is one important asset of any marketing or automation software. So if you are not considering integration with other CRMs, then you should. It will give you the advantage of an effective and more productive solution over your competitors.
Multi-Language SMS Module:
The language barrier is one thing that breaks your audience and your reach. Find a service provider that does not follow this barrier. An SMS service provider that supports multiple languages will make sure that you are reaching all your customers. If not much, at least your SMS service provider must support a few major languages of your state or region you are covering.
Conclusion:
So these are the points that you need to keep in check while looking for a better Bulk SMS service provider. Never rush to make a decision like this because a wrong move can cost your business a lot. If you go with the wrong one, it can damage your business reputation. This might result in a loss in customer base or customer reach. So try to take the decision very carefully or trust people who know about all these.
