by The rapid adoption of smartphones and messaging apps has changed the way we communicate today. While people are turning to platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to chat with friends and family, businesses are also recognizing the power of mobile messaging to engage with customers. This has led to the rise of application-to-person (A2P) SMS- the use of SMS by businesses and organizations to send notifications, alerts, OTPs and marketing messages to customers.
The Growing Relevance of A2P SMS
With over 5 billion smartphone users globally, mobile has become the preferred mode of communication for people across age groups. This widespread reach of mobile coupled with the 99% open rate of SMS has made A2P SMS one of the most effective channels for businesses to reach customers. Some key factors contributing to the growing relevance of A2P SMS include:
– Ubiquitous Reach: As SMS works on any mobile device, it allows businesses to communicate with both existing and potential customers seamlessly, regardless of their location or network provider.
– High Engagement: With open rates as high as 98%, SMS can help businesses increase customer engagement and action rates. This makes it an ideal channel for reminders, order updates, marketing promotions etc.
– Trust Factor: Customers perceive SMS from businesses as more personal, credible and urgent compared to other channels like email.
– Omnichannel Integration: SMS delivers contextual and personalized experiences across marketing, support and sales channels for a holistic customer journey.
– Regulatory Push: With data privacy regulations like GDPR, customers are more receptive to transactional communication via SMS rather than digital channels.
Mobile commerce and payment platforms, e-commerce websites, banks, airlines, and on-demand service providers have already realized the potential of A2P SMS to streamline their businesses. According to a report, the global A2P SMS market is projected to reach $109.91 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% during 2021-2028.
Managing A2P SMS – Key Considerations
While A2P SMS helps boost customer engagement, certain factors need attention for effective message delivery and compliance. Some best practices include:
– Opt-in and Consent: Acquire proper opt-in consent from customers before sending promotional SMS. This maintains brand reputation and avoids regulatory issues.
– Message Personalization: Personalized messages displaying customer name, order details etc. see higher engagement. Automated tools help create personalized journeys.
– Scheduling and Tracking: Schedule sends for optimal delivery times. Monitor and analyze metrics like delivery status, engagement and usage patterns for insights.
– Keyword Filters: Apply keyword filters to block harmful, fraudulent or spammy messages from reaching end users while allowing transactional and promotional messages.
– Compliance: Adhere to norms related to message formats, character limits and frequency as defined by telecom regulators. Integrate with cloud communication platforms ensuring global regulatory compliance.
– Measurement: Quantify ROI from SMS campaigns through analytics on metrics like conversion rates, uplift in transactions, cost per engagement etc.
– Security: Follow protocols for securing authentication, authorization and transmission of sensitive customer data across networks and systems.
Leading Platforms Simplifying A2P Deployments
With the technical and operational complexities involved, many businesses leverage specialized A2P SMS platforms that abstract the SMS infrastructure complexities and offer centralized message management. Some leading platforms provide:
– Dedicated short codes/long codes for branding and dedicated origination and termination routes ensuring reliability.
– Multi-country/carrier capabilities allowing global SMS reach.
– Powerful APIs and software development kits for easy integration with existing tech stacks.
– centralized web dashboards for contact management, campaign creation and KPI tracking.
– Server-side message filtering, encoding, masking and delivery receipts.
– Capability to handle volume spikes without transmission failures.
– Regulatory mandates like data protection, cyber security etc.
– Competitive pricing and 24/7 support.
Top platforms and SMS aggregators globally include Twilio, AWS SNS, Matrix SMS, Vonage, Zipwhip, Plivo and MSG91, among others. They simplify the complexities of A2P implementations while helping enterprises tap the full potential of mobile messaging.
Wrapping Up
With evolving customer behaviors and preferences, mobile engagement will continue to gain importance. As businesses strive to deliver unified experiences across touchpoints, A2P SMS becomes the ideal channel for both transactional and promotional communication. Reliable platforms, compliance best practices and data-driven optimizations will further strengthen the role of mobile messaging in forging meaningful relationships with customers. Looking ahead, enterprises leveraging A2P SMS strategically will gain significant competitive advantage in today’s digital-first world.
*Note:
- Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
- We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
