m-Ticketing Made Easy

Almost everyone has a mobile phone and will use a ticket at some point in their daily lives either for travelling, going to the cinema or attending an event - making m-ticketing (tickets sent to mobiles) a powerful ticketing solution.

There are huge benefits to m-Ticketing, most of which is how easy it is! Customers can now purchase a ticket anywhere using their mobile making the most of ‘downtime’ and receive tickets immediately. This is great for consumers as they no longer have to visit the box office or queue to collect tickets and they can view ticket information from their mobile any time they wish. For the forgetful, and those of us who lose things, this is a blessing as there is no longer a need to keep the paper copy somewhere safe for long periods of time!

From a company point of view, m-Ticketing can greatly improve efficiency by saving time and money as the requirement to send tickets by post or print the paper is removed and customers receive tickets instantly helping reduce turnaround times.

Show Data Systems is one of the UK’s leading Event Registration and Ticket booking companies. They wanted to make it even easier for attendees to register for trade and consumer events and decided the best way to do this was through mobile ticketing leading to the search for an SMS supplier to make this possible.

In the end, they opted to use HSL's SMS services due to their experience within the market, competitive pricing and user friendly software. They were able to easily integrate their online systems with HSL’s services enabling them to automatically send a barcoded mobile text confirmation of their end client’s badge or booking within seconds.

During the set up period, Show Data Systems were delighted as HSL took the time to fully understand their requirements and ensure that a suitable and effective solution was created rather than just a typical ‘off the shelf offering.’ As a result, the service provided to Show Data Systems meets their exact specifications and Show Data Systems are able to reliably send SMS communications without any worry.

In regards to HSL's own customer service and support, Show Data Systems’ technical director Graham Parkins praised HSL and said that he found the company to be “a pleasure to deal with.” He commented that, “My technical questions are always answered quickly and succinctly.”

Show Data Systems has now been a client of HSL’s since 2009. If you wish to see further examples of how we have helped businesses enhance their services via SMS, please view our case studies.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com

Help! SMS in need of adoption.

When did you last NOT read a text (SMS) message? Not reply. Read. 

Can't remember? Never? Well, it's the same story for your biggest assets - your 'staff'.

There is huge potential for enterprise SMS particularly when you consider that the popularity of SMS amongst consumers is on the rise. 

The recent Ofcom report The Communications Market Report: United Kingdom concluded that people are more likely to send messages to each other rather than have voice calls or hold face to face meetings. It's so much quicker to text a couple of words as opposed to having an actual conversation, especially when you are busy.

One of the biggest benefits of SMS communications is the ability to actually reach intended recipients. The International Telecommunication Union report The World in 2011 - ICT Facts and Figures estimates that 87% of the global population now has a mobile phone giving enterprises the opportunity to connect with more people around the world and even reach people they previously thought were ‘unreachable'.  With market estimates stating that over 90% of SMS are opened, and some figures as high as 98%, SMS communications are also much more likely to be read by recipients than any other form of enterprise communication. Think. Do you know anyone over the age of 16 who doesn't have a mobile phone and doesn't have it with them?

Enterprises are using SMS in a wide variety of ways and it can be implemented across offices, departments, locations and countries. For example, SMS can be used to send information to customers with reminders to take medication, changes to their flight, or when they can expect their orders to be delivered. More specific examples include using SMS for IT monitoring and sending alerts to notify staff immediately of any system issues whilst others use SMS for emergency communications including alerting employees and locals regarding extreme weather conditions.

SMS is also helping enterprises around the world reach their target customers. To read further examples of how SMS is benefiting enterprises today, and how it could add value to your enterprise, please view our case studies.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com

How do you get yours?

It’s 17:10 on a Monday evening and you are just about to leave the office. Most of your colleagues have already left and as you check your inbox one last time you notice an email from your manager advising, “The office will be closed to all staff tomorrow morning due to emergency building repairs. Please communicate this to all staff immediately.”  You instantly reach for the telephone but then realise most staff left at 17:00 and that there are hundreds of them to contact. You first panic, then after taking a minute to let your blood pressure normalise, consider sending out an email to all staff; it’s quick and easy to do but not even half of your staff have access to work emails from home and the half of those that do, probably won't. In fact, according to Phonedog, "email sit unread for an average of 48 hours before being read while SMS messages are usually opened only four minutes after being sent".

It’s at that moment when you remember a text alerting service which the comms or marketing or some other department recently adopted for sending out customer service updates. "The proportion of adults who personally own/use a mobile phone in the UK is 92%," according to Ofcom and as all members of staff have already given their contact mobile number, you realise that this would be the ideal communication tool to use. You quickly scroll through your emails and call through to the marketing department who confirm that the service is active and that you can use it. They make a small change to the set up to allow you access and a few minutes later you have sent out a text to all members of staff advising of the office closure, what to do instead and also asking staff to acknowledge receipt of the message by replying with their name.

You then leave the office, safe in the knowledge that your colleagues will receive the notification and that you will be able to easily check the replies against the list of staff the message was sent to.

This is just one example of how using texting (SMS) alerts for emergency communications can work and can be quicker and slicker than other forms of communication. Texting can actually be applied in a host of situations and by all company departments whether that be updating field staff, sending out IT alerts or notifying customers that their product is available or tracking where the delivery is.

HSL have an excellent text alert solution for time sensitive communications which is known as AlertBroadcast. Put simply, the solution will enable you to text a number of contacts quickly, reliably and also offers the ability for contacts to reply back to the message sender thus confirming receipt and correct comprehension of the message. Alertbroadcast is therefore cost-effective, fast and quite simply works. In fact, a number of HSL clients have been benefiting from the solution for years. For example, Dartmoor Search and Rescue have used the solution for over 5 years and have found it to be “extremely reliable”. Likewise Newmont Mining Corporation have commented that “the technology helps the warnings to be more immediate and effective in alerting our communities and staff in case of an emergency".

To find out more about how AlertBroadcast works and how it could improve your company communications view our AlertBroadcast page. If you’d like to test the solution for yourself, contact us and we’ll set you up with a free test account so that you can see the benefits in action for yourself.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com

Hot tips for cold snaps

As the first cold snap of the winter arrives to the UK, businesses need to prepare. Research conducted by Zurich Insurance has revealed that 64% of UK businesses have suffered disruption as a direct consequence of the severe weather experienced in the winter. We have all witnessed areas in the UK coming to a complete standstill with flights cancelled, trains delayed and parts of motorways completely closed. Ultimately, one of the biggest consequences of this disruption is employees struggle to get into work as they are either delayed or unable to make it in. Even when employees are able to make it in, businesses can expect less productive workers as employees are distracted and worried about the journey home.

With current economic conditions being so challenging, disruptions to business operations are severely damaging and experts have estimated that harsh winter weather has meant around 2000 businesses are more at risk of failure.

Home workers find winter warmth

One of the easiest ways to prepare for the winter weather and minimise the disruption of absent and late employees is through home working. This enables your business to operate as normal as staff can continue to perform their day to day tasks. It also removes the confusion over whether to pay employees who are absent from work due to bad weather. It could also provide competitive advantage as there may be others in the industry that fail to prepare and are therefore unable to operate as normal.

One recent survey conducted by Ceridian found that home workers are more productive, have lower levels of stress, higher morale and motivation. Research by TeamViewer also found that it can be an effective way to raise job satisfaction. This is great news for enterprises that are looking for effective ways to reward, motivate and retain staff and provides an alternative route to increasing salaries.

It is also important that we do not forget that enterprises are responsible for the well being of their employees. By removing the need for employees to travel into work when the weather is severe and dangerous doesn’t just increase safety but it also eliminates the anxiety and stress involved with getting to and from work. This is particularly important when you consider the Met Office findings that when temperatures drop below zero, mortality rates from heart attacks peaks three days later, from strokes five days later and from respiratory infections ten days later.

Therefore, if the weather is bad or dangerous for employees to get to work, enterprises need to be able to communicate with staff before they set off to work to let them know when they do not need to travel in unnecessarily. This isn't always an easy task, especially when you have to communicate with a large group of employees in a limited space of time. The most effective way to do this is by sending a text as most people carry a mobile phone with them and are very likely to read the text message immediately.

HSL's AlertBroadcast solution provides customers with an easy and cost-effective solution to keep in touch with employees. This two-way SMS alert system enables enterprises to broadcast a message to inform a group of contacts with time critical information.

For more information about how HSL's AlertBroadcast solution can help your enterprise prepare this winter, please visit us at: http://www.hslsms.com/services/alertbroadcast/

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com