Parcel Delivery Companies love text messaging because it is quick, to the point, and flexible. What they don’t love is paying a fortune to keep their customers informed of when a hotly anticipated package has arrived. Luckily for both parties, TextMagic has come up with an inventive solution that allows parcel delivery companies to send SMS via email. This message service via Mobile SMS Delivery makes parcel delivery painless.

Consider collectmyparcel.com, which uses TextMagic’s email to SMS service to alert its customers that a delivery has been made. The email to SMS service is constructed so that the company can send messages to its customers in a timely fashion without incurring significant usage fees. This service is a boon to the parcel company primarily because it engenders excellent customer relationships. The personal touch of a text message distinguishes the service from other delivery companies that rather abruptly disgorge packages as they hurry through their route. A text message imparts a feeling of community and care without demanding significant reserves of time or money.

The email to SMS technology also functions as mobile marketing software. Provided that the parcel delivery company does not send too many alerts or messages, having access to a list of customer phone numbers is extremely helpful for sending out time-sensitive information about certain deals or other offers that require immediate action. Once again, the personal form of address is far preferable to an anonymous promotional postcard received in the post. The mobile SMS software enables companies to rapidly organise their database of contacts and send out information as it becomes available. Essentially, text messages are sent over email channels utilising specially designed software. This saves money without compromising either the immediacy or quality of the message. Instead of relying on networks that are struggling to handle high user demands, TextMagic’s software enables companies to use lesser travelled telecommunication routes while still reaping the benefits of instant customer contact.

In an age where the average person is exposed to a variety of different media inputs on a daily basis, finding a method that can effectively cut through the noise and deliver a message that will be noticed is absolutely vital. As more and more people purchase mobile devices, there is an increasing push to market directly to each of these devices. Consumers rely on their phones to provide them with information they can trust. By sending messages directly to each person via their phone or smart phone, marketing campaigns benefit from reaching their desired audience and knowing that their message has made an impact. The resulting benefits to the company help keep profits rising and foster an excellent relationship between the primary business and its most dedicated customers.

Most importantly, the TextMagic Messenger has been designed to reflect the input of actual customers and recipients. In this way, the technology is not simply an abstract construct of what people “should” like; it is, rather, designed to meet the specific needs of both companies and individuals who have used the technology personally. Parcel delivery companies have long sought a cost-effective way to make their customers feel like a part of a larger community without cutting into their very tight delivery schedule. By incorporating the feedback of clients, TextMagic has delivered technology that satisfies the needs not only of those who use it on a regular basis, but new customers as well.

The technology is instantly adaptable to any industry that values promptness and precision. TextMagic strives to continually update and tweak its services to provide the absolute best experience for both larger organisations and single individuals.

Reliance Freight knows how to carry packages around the world. Their slogan, “Shipments of All Kind Worldwide”, really does express what their logistics services are all about, but when Reliance Freight needs to reach customers in a hurry or its couriers when they’re on the go, they turn to TextMagic. It’s a “valuable tool” in Reliance Freight’s business, the company says, and with a worldwide logistics operation, that’s high praise indeed.

The average day at the offices of a logistics provider will generally include multiple orders, lorries on the road, freight at sea, and cargo in the air. In between all of this, customer needs may change – for example, items bound originally for Leicester might suddenly need to be redirected to Birmingham – and those responsible for this chaotic multitude of cargo don’t have a pen and paper at hand to jot down the new information. TextMagic can help to rectify this hectic situation and restore a bit of order to the day.

With a few simple clicks of the computer keys, an office manager in Derby can send new instructions to a lorry driver in Sussex or a cargo pilot en route to Panama, and they’ll never need to reach for paper or pen to jot down the new information. It can all be sent via reliable text messaging using TextMagic’s worldwide texting service. Freight forwarding companies can now communicate reliably and safely with their delivery personnel using desktop SMS software.

TextMagic features a computer-based SMS service that lets users send messages of up to 459 characters to multiple mobile accounts. Simply register your domain at TextMagic.com, and you can easily send mobile messages worldwide without the high costs so often associated with intercontinental text messaging. Over 200 countries are covered by TextMagic’s service, and messages can be sent in any language. Text message recipients can also easily send replies straight to your inbox, and bulk messaging is easy with TextMagic’s email to SMS options.

Not only does TextMagic offer logistics solutions and facilitate communications between offices and their delivery personnel, it also facilitates communications with customers. As CollectMyParcel.com, a leading parcel collection and UK import service, attests, “TextMagic has allowed us to send a quick message when we’ve needed our customers to contact us.” Thanks to the ease of use of TextMagic’s messaging service, it is now possible for freight forwarders to send SMS from their desktop and reach clients quickly.

Organisation is a key element of success in any freight forwarding company. With TextMagic, SMS technology can be integrated with CRM software. Text message progress can be followed online, so you’ll know simply by going online whether your text message has been received. You’ll have real time data that you can integrate into your customer relationship management software to further your ability to provide the best in customer service.

Whether it’s seeing a delivery to Dorset or to Bangladesh, it’s essential that freight makes it to its destination. TextMagic can make that job just a bit easier with their easy-to-use desktop to SMS messaging. Thanks to TextMagic, lorry drivers won’t have to answer phones while on the motorway, even if that motorway is halfway around the world. With TextMagic, as Reliance Freight and CollectMyParcel.com have discovered, it’s possible to use technology to keep track of parcels, revise instructions, and contact customers, all with more ease and reliability than traditional text messaging services. Best of all, TextMagic’s straightforward billing service allows you to send text messages to Glasgow or Ghana for the same low fee, meaning your messages will not only reach their intended recipients, but they’ll do so for the same low price.

If you’re in the travel and tourism business, excellent customer service is more important than ever – for in such a competitive market, it can be the one thing which separates you from the competition. Not only that, a dissatisfied customer who has received poor customer service is a dangerous weapon – for it can take just one bad review on a travel website to turn future customers away.

So how, as a business owner or operator, can you use the right methods of communication to ensure that you create happy customers, each and every time?

The answer is simple – make sure that bulk SMS is a vital part of your customer communication strategy. Bulk SMS is a straightforward and highly effective way to ensure that your customers receive updates, confirmations and key information about their holiday or service purchase – without the risk of losing vital emails to the mercies of a junk folder or wasting your customers’ precious time on the phone.

So how exactly does differing parts of the travel and tourism industry use bulk SMS to best effect? Here are just a few examples on how SMS is the travel industry’s best friend.

1. Booking Reservations Confirmed by SMS
When a customer has made the important decision to book your transport, accommodation or tour, it makes good business practice to immediately confirm that booking or payment so that they have a record of their reference number and the comfort of knowing their booking has been received. Via a simple SMS message to their mobile number, you’ve provided them with a record which they can carry with them at all times – particularly important when travelling and access to email isn’t always available.

2. Change of Itinerary or Booking Details? An SMS seals the deal
Holidays and travel bookings are often subject to changes on both sides. Whether it’s a last-minute change of plan to the customer’s arrangements, or unavoidable transport delays, bulk SMS is the fastest and most secure way to ensure that those important details are transmitted quickly, wherever the customer happens to be. SMS is a better bet than a phone call, for information such as flight numbers, time of arrival or other facts are already written down – meaning that there’s no chance of misunderstanding or miscommunication.

3. Self Catering? SMS creates great communication without undue disturbance
Many people choose self-catering accommodation for the simple reason that they require a peaceful, uninterrupted holiday period. SMS messages can be read at the customer’s convenience and don’t interrupt the flow of their holiday. Use bulk SMS to communicate messages such as where to find the key, emergency contact numbers and names, or even just to welcome them to their holiday cottage or apartment. Even if this information has been sent through on email previously, that email printout can often be the one thing which is left behind – so by confirming details by SMS message, you’re ensuring that your customer has all the information they need to hand.

Bulk SMS is simple to operate and by using a Pay As You Go service such as TextMagic, it’s cost-effective for even small companies to operate – there’s no requirement to sign up for a contract and you can manage your spend easily. You don’t need special equipment or even a high level of IT knowledge to connect with your customers via TextMagic bulk SMS, for there’s a selection of easy-to-use software solutions available, which are all free of charge to users.

Choose between the use-anywhere convenience of Web to SMS, which can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection or the email-like simplicity of the downloadable software TextMagic Messenger – it’s up to you. You can even send and receive SMS messages directly from your existing email client such as Outlook with the Email to SMS option – meaning that all your customer messages are kept in one place. It’s a simple as that – and your clients will love the fact your communication is second to none, earning you brownie points on the review websites!

It’s no surprise to any business marketer that younger audiences are the biggest consumers of digital marketing. Social media is now the biggest single use of the internet, with sites such as Twitter and Facebook remaining kings of the scene. So, as a marketer, you may be forgiven in thinking that you should move your budget from SMS to social media. Right? Wrong.

Whilst social media is undeniably a massive draw for the youth audience, with usage figures rising all the time, this isn’t at the expense of SMS. In nearly every mobile-marketing conscious country in the world, smartphone usage is still centred around SMS – with research showing that youth in countries such as the US have over 75% of their phone activity exclusively on SMS. The fact of the matter is that whilst smartphones have opened up the market for apps, mobile advertising and social media wherever you are, these functions have only increased the youth consumers’ dependency upon their mobile phones – and SMS is still unchallenged as a way to communicate instantly, directly and privately with a single target.

Whilst sites such as Facebook have proven advertising programmes, the mobile site versions have less focus upon advertising – meaning that Facebook advertisers are still lacking a way to really engage with their target audiences on the go. Additionally, Facebook users will typically only update their page two or three times a day at most, minimising interaction time with the platform. As for the other social media giant, Twitter, whilst it’s a great way to build brand interaction, as a paid marketing medium it’s still relatively untested – with the biggest companies getting their feet wet first of all.

So, whilst SMS marketing is, in mobile terms, the grandfather of communication strategies, it’s still the unchallenged king. That’s why SMS marketing should be the centrepoint of your business marketing strategy. Here’s a reminder of what SMS marketing can offer which other mobile marketing business strategies can’t:

1. SMS marketing reaches all mobile users – smartphone or not
Why limit your mobile marketing reach to just those with smartphones, when the vast majority of phones out there are still based on traditional mobile technology? SMS marketing is simple, straightforward and doesn’t require Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity to get through.

2. SMS marketing messages are more direct than any other method of marketing communication
When consumers receive an SMS message, they open it – nearly always immediately. Unlike advertising, SMS marketing is personalised to the point of being singularly targeted to the individual. It has the power of telephone communication without the invasive ‘cold calling’ issue – meaning that your business can reach its target directly on a personal level whilst giving them the choice to read your message as and when they choose.

3. SMS marketing campaigns are highly measurable
With SMS marketing, you can set up any number of different promotional campaigns and voucher codes with ease and target specifically towards different demographics and shopping habits – providing your business with ultimate measurability. If you’re used to emailing your promotional vouchers out to your database, change to SMS marketing instead – with an open rate of over 90% as opposed to the typical 25-35% open rate of email, you’ll be amazed just how effective a well-run and targeted SMS marketing campaign will be.

So if you haven’t already stepped upon the SMS marketing gravy train, now’s the time for your business to make the leap. With companies such as TextMagic offering simple, Pay As You Go SMS solutions with no premium rate tariffs and no contracts, it’s also one of the most cost effective ways to deliver marketing results. Not only that – there are a host of different and easy ways to manage your SMS marketing campaigns, from the use-anywhere simplicity of the web based TextMagic Online to the straightforward downloadable software of TextMagic Messenger.

For ultimate ‘one source’ functionality, you can even integrate your SMS marketing into your email system with Email to SMS – giving you two-way SMS communication right to your normal email inbox. So don’t forget, SMS marketing is still king of the hill when it comes to mobile marketing – so make plans today to make it work for your business!

If you run a business which has a workforce out on the road, such as salespeople, technicians or  tradespeople, then maintaining effective communication with your employees can often prove challenging. Whilst nearly all of your workers will have mobile telephones, they won’t be able to take calls whilst they’re driving – and not only that, it’s not the best use of time for your office-based staff.

That’s why using a business SMS messaging system such as TextMagic for business is the perfect solution to keeping in touch with your workforce whilst they’re out and about. By sending a quick text to their mobile phones with key business information such as new appointments, rescheduled timings or change of locations for their next meeting, they’ll be able to pick it up quickly and easily, at a time to suit them and without distracting them whilst they’re driving.
Here are just a few ideas on how making use of business SMS messaging to communicate with your field staff can simplify your internal business communications and make managing a remote team easier and more efficient than ever:

1. SMS is quicker than picking up the phone – and 100% accurate
If you ring your employees with messages, then they’ll have to find somewhere to safely stop to take the call. Not only that, they’ll have to take the time to write your message down to ensure they’ve got the details right – and there’s also the danger that due to background noise, they may mishear vital information such as appointment times, phone numbers or locations. By using business SMS to text message key information, it not only takes seconds for your office staff to send out the message, it’s more efficient for your field staff too – as they’ll have the right information immediately at their fingertips.

2. Information sent via business SMS is easily tracked and measurable
Have you ever had the situation where a field employee has claimed that they haven’t received the right information by phone, which had lead to a customer being let down? It’s a difficult HR situation to manage and ultimately comes down to a ‘he said, she said’ situation. By using business SMS services to text message key information to your field staff, miscommunications become a thing of the past – and mistakes and culpability are far more easily traced.

3. Keep your staff focused on time management by using business SMS
All too often, business messages relayed by phone between employees can end up taking far more time than they should. Telephone communication is highly personal and it can often lead to the temptation to extend the conversation with chat – cutting into work time and reducing efficiency. Whilst excellent team relationships are undoubtedly at the core of good business practice, there’s a time and a place – so by using business SMS services to text message vital information, it frees up time for your staff to concentrate on their work – and save the socialising for the pub after work!

4. Business SMS with TextMagic is Pay As You Go – so your bills won’t run away with you
Ever had a nasty shock when opening your business telecoms bill? TextMagic business SMS services are always Pay As You Go and don’t involve any contract or monthly charges – meaning that it’s highly cost-effective to run and you’ll always be on top of how much you’re spending.

There’s no doubt about it – business SMS services are a hugely effective internal communication tool. The TextMagic suite of business SMS tools provide a multitude of easy methods for your to engage and keep in contact with your staff, including the web-based TextMagic Online – which can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, meaning that you can send staff communications easily from wherever you are.   The downloadable software version, TextMagic Messenger, looks and feels like a simple-to-use email client – so your office staff will be able to use it confidently in a matter of moments with an absolute minimum of training.

So why not go along to www.textmagic.com and try out business SMS for free? You’ve nothing to lose – apart from the size of your telephone bill!

Unhappy with the response rate on your email marketing campaigns? Now’s the time to change to SMS marketing, the clever alternative to email

Any company using emails to communicate with its customers will be all too familiar with the issues and frustrations which this style of communication can create. Email marketing has been part of business strategy for many years and due to misuse via selling of data lists, has gone from a convenient and effective method of communicating with a customer base to a strategy which is now largely mistrusted by customers and suffers from poor penetration rates.

So what’s the right alternative to email that will get through to your customers? The answer is SMS.

88% of emails are spam – business SMS gets the message through

It was recently estimated that a huge 88% of emails sent are spam. Unsurprisingly, this means that many of your email messages to your customer base will remain unopened or be sent directly to the junk email folder – not great news for building relationships with your clients. Furthermore, if you have vital information to share with your customers, such as delays on delivery times or the re-arrangement of appointments, how do you get past the problem that your email may never even be opened by your customer?

That’s where the real beauty of business SMS messaging as email alternatives shines through, acting as a lifesaver to your marketing and customer communications.

Four mobile phones sold for every computer – that’s why SMS marketing wins

According to the GSM Association, there are now four mobile phones sold for every one personal computer. Mobile phones invariably stay with their owner 24/7 – which compared to the relatively short time people spend in front of their computers checking their email, just can’t be beaten. Additionally, business SMS messaging services haven’t been affected by the spam issues which the email marketing landscape struggles with, meaning that consumers have a far higher level of trust in SMS messages than they do in email. That’s why an SMS marketing campaign sent to customers as an email alternative will invariably be opened and read – and is most likely to be read at the time of delivery. The latest statistics from market research experts Frost & Sullivan state that the open rate for SMS messages is over 98% - that’s impressive, particularly when you consider you’re likely to get less than a 30% open rate from marketing emails. Business SMS has another benefit over email – you can choose when you want the customer to read your message.

SMS marketing is effective from any computer in the world

There’s a vast choice of different ways in which a business can take advantage of SMS technology as part of its marketing strategy. The TextMagic Messenger is a simple and cost-effective way of sending business SMS messages from a Mac or PC and the interface is available in 11 different languages – ideal for today’s businesses operating over many different territories. You don’t even need to be tied to an office computer, as TextMagic Online offers great two-way SMS functionality from a web-based application – meaning that your business communications are truly mobile and you can connect and communicate with your customers wherever you are.

But don’t just take our word for how invaluable SMS messaging is to business – Mrs Rimmer of land and property specialists Rostons Ltd agrees. ‘Our clients have commented on how useful it is to receive a text and it has put us at the forefront of our industry by using a service like this.’

Business SMS messaging delivers an unparalleled penetration rate over email marketing, enabling your business to communicate more effectively with your customer base and build that all-important confidence factor. If you’re serious about getting your marketing messages in front of your customers, then look for an alternative to email - SMS marketing is the only logical option.