Why you need a quality provider
The great strength of mobile messaging and marketing is in being able to reach only those targeted recipients at a suitable time. Messages that are not delivered, sent to the wrong person, are late or arrive at the wrong time will negatively impact your brand. They will also lose you customers pretty quickly!
If you’re sending an authentication text, emergency message or other time-sensitive message, delays or non-delivery will have serious repercussions in any situation.
There is also the issue of less trustworthy companies- those that use standard SIMS added to servers (purchased across the counter) to send bulk messages in violation of network Terms of Service, and those who don’t offer guarantees.
These companies are not good for your business and should be avoided at all cost. They are sometimes referred to as ‘grey traffic’ providers. Worse though, there are companies that do offer guarantees and ‘pretty delivery graphs’ when in reality, they are nothing more than drawings and lines on a page. Beware of these providers.
How to choose a good MESSAGING provider
Choosing a good messaging provider is similar to selecting any other strategic partner. Cost is of course an issue, but quality and reliability are more important in this situation. Given that timely messages and reliable delivery mechanisms are more important to the success of the campaign than the actual cost per message, it has to be the primary consideration.
So then, if you’re considering mobile messaging for your business, we have provided a check list below to make it easier for you.
Your Score:
- If you answered YES to Question 2 then you are looking for a simple SMS provider. If you also answered YES to Question 4 then you be looking for a provider than can deliver MMS (Picture and video texts) as well.
More Questions for you to consider:
The purpose of the section is not to propose a vendor or create bias but rather arm you with a set of questions that you can rank against the vendors that you are considering. Highlight those questions below that are 'must have’ and make sure you have as many YES answers against those questions.
The answers to these questions should sit alongside your gut instinct to let you know whether the provider can deliver the quality of service you need to make your mobile campaigns a success.
The provider that offers you the most functionality, the most guarantees, who delivers robust reporting tools so you can see where and when your messages are delivered, uses mainly Tier-1 networks to deliver those messages, and doesn’t hide charges or time-limit credits are ones worthy of considering.
If that provider also offers multi-channel support, an easy to use UI with which to create and send those messages, response handling that you can use and offers a trial period and share glowing testimonials should be worth extra consideration.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketing professional or are new to the mobile channel, selecting a provider involves the same processes. Asking lots of questions, reading plenty of small print and trying before you buy is the only way you’ll ever know for sure.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you out then get in touch with us here.
You can also download a copy of our 'selector guide' at the link below.