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Utility companies face increasing pressure to lower rates and help customers cut consumption as more and more households and businesses struggle to pay their bills. SwitchGasandElectric.com estimate that half of the UK population will be in fuel poverty by the end of this year and others estimate that as many as 45 companies are going bankrupt every day.
Smart Meters with built-in SMS technology is just one way in which utility customers can benefit from advancing mobile technology. Invaluable data can be sent from the Smart Meter as and when required making it possible for households and businesses to monitor their energy usage in real time. As a result, customers are able to monitor their consumption and make any necessary changes to their usage patterns to help them lower their energy bills. In addition to this, energy customers are finding that by receiving information more frequently they are also able to identify and investigate any irregularities straight away, helping rectify problems such as leaks quicker than they were able to in the past. Alarm messages can also be sent by SMS when a certain threshold has been exceeded to help ensure customers are not hit by large bills. Alerts can even be used to analyse temperature and gas consumption and when an issue arises, for example a burst water or gas pipe, the relevant parties are advised by SMS.
Consequently, utility companies are finding that these types of SMS messaging alerts can help improve customer satisfaction and retention rates which is a top priority for utilities. Due to the competitive nature of the market, customers can easily find out the best rates available via dedicated online websites and switch to cheaper rates and tariffs. SMS alerts to create energy efficiencies and help customers cut costs can prove to be a simple yet effective way to ensure customer loyalty. Another way that utility companies can achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction and retention rates is by using SMS to enhance general customer communications. For example, energy customers can also receive alerts regarding updates to their account or when an engineer will be arriving at their premises, helping keep customers informed and reducing the number of missed appointments.
Utility companies can also use SMS internally. Internal uses can include IT alerts, sending passwords, corporate promotions, sending meeting appointments and communicating with engineers in the field, all helping to increase operational efficiency and communications with staff. HR departments are also using SMS to update potential candidates on the status of their application, helping reduce the recruitment cycle.
There are many more ways in which mobile communications can be used to reduce energy consumption and lift customer satisfaction and retention levels and we continue to see new solutions enter the market. For example, using SMS messaging to turn off electrical devices remotely. Further information on how HSL’s reliable and easy to use SMS solutions can be used for utility companies can be found on our website at http://www.hslsms.com/sectors/utilities/. Alternatively if you wish to find out more about the general uses of enterprise SMS, please read 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
Enterprises are now realising the benefits of using SMS for CRM. According to a recent SITA survey almost 9 out of 10 airlines intend to offer flight search, check-in, boarding passes, purchase and status notification as part of their core mobile services offering. Mobile services should be a key consideration for hoteliers and other hospitality providers given that a large proportion of hotel and event guests are often airline passengers enroute.In the HeBS Digital’s Sixth Annual Benchmark Survey on Hotel Digital Marketing almost one-third of those surveyed intended to spend up to 49% of their advertising and marketing budgets on digital marketing initiatives, although hoteliers only spent about 15.6% on Mobile Marketing. The reason for this is explained quite concisely by Michael Kasavana, NAMA Endowed Professor of Michigan State University's Hospitality Business School, who found that, "When considering mobile technologies, many hospitality managers are not convinced of the potential benefits resulting in enhanced guest engagement, improved customer satisfaction, and increased consumer spending." Mobile technology, and in particular SMS solutions, can in fact open the door for companies in the hospitality sector to re-market to opted-in consumers by sending them targeted, relevant branded information that adds value by offering incentives for participation and streamlining the guest's overall service experience. There are also a multitude of other ways in which SMS can be used to improve client relations, for instance by encouraging feedback and conversation, updating guests in terms of bookings, service availability and generally ensuring that they have all the sufficient up to date information requested.Within the hospitality sector there is one group of enterprises who are well aware of the branding and CRM advantages that SMS has to offer. Restaurateurs are already incorporating SMS into their communications strategies to drive consumer loyalty and encourage repeat bookings and visits. The market certainly is more than willing to participate as, according to Pew Research released this year, 30% of smartphone or cell phone owners used their phone to decide whether to visit a business such as a restaurant. SMS therefore offers the diner a quick and instant way to confirm their reservation and when used intelligently will save restaurateurs money, remove the need for unnecessary admin and free-up phones, computers and most importantly staff.We have been providing highly reliable and effective mobile services to the hospitality sector since 1999 and during this time our clients have benefited from improved efficiency of their communications, reduced administration and marketing costs as well as enhanced the overall customer relationship process by keeping customers informed through SMS and more importantly by listening to their requirements and suggestions.With our wealth of experience in the hospitality sector we have a range of services that can be tailored to suit a number of differing requirements and solve a number of problems. They range from simple easy to use SMS solutions to fully integrated enterprise packages designed to complement and enhance your existing communication software. To read further examples of how SMS can enhance CRM in your enterprise, please view our Sector Information.
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
There has been much debate lately regarding the suitability of SMS for emergency communications. SMS is now being successfully used by emergency services, councils and also by rescue teams within the UK. Critics would argue that SMS can be subject to external factors and supplier issues such as poor network coverage, low quality supplier routes and low redundancy on the part of your SMS service provider. However recent research from Ofcom shows that SMS remains the most popular form of communication for mobile users in the UK. The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has additionally stated that there are more mobile phones in the world than there are toothbrushes and as we know SMS messages are normally delivered within a handful of seconds, it is easy to see why SMS should be considered for emergency communications.Whilst there is not much to be done to avoid external factors such as the mobile handset being switched off, suppliers can at least ensure that the service they offer is of a high quality and therefore eliminate other concerning issues.As part of our enterprise solutions we offer a critical alerting tool called AlertBroadcast which is ideal for time-sensitive messaging. The technology behind our AlertBroadcast solution is based on our highly capable and resilient SMS delivery infrastructure which includes using established mobile operators alongside our own technology. This enables us to provide enterprises with not only a cost-effective but also a highly robust service, offering 99.9% service availability.HSL's AlertBroadcast solution is technically sophisticated, but simply put, it provides customers with an easy to manage two-way SMS alert system between a controller and contacts. The controller simply sends an SMS message from their mobile handset to a dedicated mobile number provided by HSL and the message is then forwarded on automatically to the designated group of contacts. The controller and contact lists can be set up remotely and can be quickly amended to ensure that the most up to date contact details are used at all times.This solution is ideal for using in an emergency situation or when information is needed quickly as it enables customers to quickly and reliably send critical SMS alerts to employees, team members, suppliers or partners. Additionally, the controller can also request a response from the contacts within their broadcast message. By requesting the response and receiving the reply, the controller can be confident that the message has been delivered on time to the contact and interpreted correctly by the recipient (which is crucial if the recipient is acting upon instructions).AlertBroadcast is an effective tool and is already used by a number of our clients for updating staff with important company information such as alerting mine employees of impending tsunamis and tropical cyclones and also providing time sensitive updates to search and rescue staff in the field.To read further examples of how HSL's AlertBroadcast solution can be applied in your enterprise and used for emergency communications, please view our AlertBroadcast page.
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
The number of enterprises adopting SMS as part of their communications strategy continues to grow as they are realising the advantages that can be gained across their organisation. There is great potential for enterprise SMS as highlighted by the recent Ofcom report The Communications Market Report: United Kingdom which revealed that the popularity of SMS is rising. Within enterprises, SMS is being used as a way of communicating more effectively with staff. One example of this is where an SMS alert is sent to employees to notify them of company information such as office closures and meetings scheduled. As staff are alerted immediately, and can respond where necessary, the enterprise will save a significant amount of time and improve efficiency.Enterprises are also using SMS messages for external communications such as updating potential new staff applying for positions within the business. In this instance, SMS alerts can be sent to conveniently notify candidates of the status of their application thus ensuring they do not miss any crucial updates and shortening the recruitment process. Furthermore, enterprises are able to check the status of the sent SMS message by using delivery receipts. This provides the enterprise with the ability to audit sent messages and encourage feedback from the recipients.SMS alerts are also being used within business CRM systems as a way of communicating with customers. A great example of this can be found in the airline industry which utilise SMS for mobile ticketing helping improve efficiency and enhancing the customer service experience. Airlines are also using SMS to communicate with passengers by providing updates concerning changes or cancellations to passenger flights, or general service information. This helps to significantly improve customer satisfaction as customers are informed immediately of any changes to their flights and allows them to respond where necessary.An easy way for enterprises to introduce SMS alerts into their communications strategy is by adopting an EmailSMS solution. This is ideal for companies wishing to adopt an extremely straightforward SMS solution as it is easy to implement and requires very little technical knowledge.Using HSL's EmailSMS solution couldn’t be simpler and companies can use any existing email software such as Microsoft Outlook. To send a message, you would simply compose an email as normal however in the ‘To' field you would include the mobile number in the email address. Staff or customers can also reply back to messages they receive on their mobile phone as they would reply to any other text message.To read examples of how HSL's EmailSMS solution can be applied to improve your corporate communications, 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
