You’re going to need a tool that will help you deliver round-the-clock services without sacrificing quality. 

In short, you will need a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) number. 

The next question could arise, “how does a VoIP number transform your business operations?”  

Here’s how…  

Unlike traditional phone lines, VoIP numbers leverage the power of the internet to transmit voice data, offering cost-effective and feature-rich solutions. They have been revolutionizing the way small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) connect with customers, partners, and teams. 

Why VoIP Numbers are Crucial for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs) 

When it comes to SMBs, every resource counts. VoIP numbers offer a range of benefits, including substantial cost savings, enhanced flexibility, and a wide range of features. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to leverage VoIP numbers for the growth and success of your growing business. 

What are VoIP Numbers 

VoIP technology converts voice signals into digital data packets that can travel across the internet. This process enables real-time, high-quality voice communication, removing the need for traditional phone lines. 

VoIP numbers are virtual and can be operated from any smartphone or computer with an internet connection. This versatility empowers you to communicate seamlessly across various platforms and locations. It is a powerful tool that gives you access to many game-changing features in a competitive market, that too at an affordable price. 

Why does your business need VoIP numbers 

Cost Efficient 

Cost efficiency is the biggest reason why companies have been switching over to VoIP technology. 82% of businesses stated that their cost savings went up after switching over to VoIP. VoIP solutions are far cheaper than traditional phone systems and they also give more than value in return. Since the solutions operate over the internet, the charges incurred remain significantly low. 

The feature to price ratio is unmatchable when it comes to VoIP numbers. Premium features such as call recording, real time analytics, conference calling, barging, and many more wrapped into one number. Combined, they enhance your calling operations in multiple folds, without increasing your expenses.

Easy to set up 

VoIP numbers do not require any traditional physical landline phones to be set up for making calls. They can be accessed through any device connected to the internet. All you require while setting up is a computer or a smartphone or a VoIP enabled desk phone.  

Yes, setting up VoIP numbers does require an initial investment to set up the devices in place. Later, it’s only a matter of maintenance and regular updates which are automated and require no additional expense. 

Remote work capability 

We have already mentioned how VoIP numbers can be accessed from any internet enabled or VoIP enabled device. This means you can make calls from one part of the world and connect with a customer on another.

It allows you to expand your business across different regions without setting up a physical office there. You can hire remote employees from different locations and assign them VoIP numbers on their existing devices. They can make calls effortlessly as long as they have a stable internet connection.  

Did you know?

According to a 2021 report by Owl Labs, 90% of employees said that they had the same productivity levels even when working from home.

Easy Portability 

Another great aspect of VoIP is that it allows you to convert your existing numbers into a VoIP number. Let’s say you have a designated business number which you have been using for customer interactions and wish to continue using that. VoIP providers give you the flexibility to port those existing numbers to VoIP. We will discuss how you can port your existing numbers to VoIP in only a few steps. 

Secure 

VoIP numbers make sure your calls are super safe. They use special codes to turn your chat into secret messages that only you and the person you’re talking to can understand. Think of it like a secret language! Plus, if you use a VPN, it’s like having a super secure tunnel just for your calls. It ensures nobody else can listen in. 

Don’t forget about strong passwords- they’re like the super lock on your front door, keeping any unwanted guests out. Similar to updating your computer or smartphone helps it run better, keeping your VoIP system up to date keeps it extra safe. 

Types of VoIP numbers

Local Numbers 

These are like your regular phone numbers, but not tied to a specific location. VoIP providers let you pick an area code from almost anywhere. This way, when your agents make the call, it looks like you’re calling from the same locality, even if they’re far away. Hence the name, local numbers. For example: (555) 123-4567 is a local number where 555 is the area code for a specific location. 

Toll-Free Numbers 

You’ve probably seen these numbers starting with 800, 888, 877, and so on. Numbers with such prefixes are known as buy Toll free numbers. When customers call you on these numbers, they are not charged anything, encouraging them to reach out to you without hesitation. Several businesses use them a lot for customer service hotlines or ordering lines.  

International Numbers 

If you have friends, family, or customers in different countries, this is where international numbers come in handy. These are numbers with an area code from another country, making it easy and affordable for people there to get in touch with you. International VoIP numbers help you build a global presence in your target regions without setting up your business there. 

Virtual Extensions 

Virtual extensions, also known as virtual phone extensions, are like the little branches off your main number. They let you create additional lines or numbers associated with your main business phone number. You can use them to direct callers to different departments or people within the company. They’re not tied to physical phone lines, but rather operate through internet connectivity. 

Non-Geographic Numbers 

These numbers don’t belong to a specific location. Large businesses that don’t want to tie their numbers to a particular location often use them for their customer interactions. Having a local presence builds trust and rapport with customers. Geographic VoIP numbers allow you to establish a local presence in different regions without the need for physical offices. 

Vanity Numbers 

Vanity numbers are memorable, brand-enhancing numbers that can leave a lasting impression on customers. These are combinations of alphabets and numbers to form a unique number that represents your bran identity. Crafting a memorable vanity number involves creativity and strategic thinking.  

You must consider your branding efforts and what your business stands for. Having a number that matches with your branding campaign makes it easier for customers to remember and recognize it faster. In a study by the Mountain Marketing Group, 84% of the prospects were able to remember the provided phone numbers because it had letters instead of numbers.

How to get a VoIP number for your business?

Getting your hands on a VoIP number is a relatively easy process now. You can get a VoIP number by following the following steps. 

1. Prerequisites: Analyze and determine your communication requirements, current device setup, and connectivity. Create a list of the features, budget, security level, and quality of service your business needs. 

1. Select a VoIP Provider: List out potential VoIP providers with their plans, reviews, types of services, and use cases. Before you narrow down the final candidate, ensure they meet all the requirements, and they have flexible plans for scalability. 

1. Purchase VoIP plan: Meet up with the VoIP provider and discuss your requirements with them. Select one of their subscription plans that seems most suitable for your business and sign up. 

1. Setup account: Setup your account, select the devices your agents will be receiving the calls on, and define parameters for all calling operations.  

Once your VoIP plan is active, you can start making calls or invite customers to call your VoIP numbers to interact with you. 

What are the factors you must consider before selecting a VoIP provider 

When obtaining VoIP numbers, choosing the right service provider is crucial. Look for reputable providers with a track record of reliability and customer support. Check for reviews and ask for recommendations from industry peers. 

Consider factors such as pricing, scalability, available features, and customer support before selecting one. Also, verify if the provider offers number porting services, which can simplify the transition to VoIP. 

How to port your existing number into a VoIP number 

If your business already has established phone numbers, porting them to VoIP can streamline communication processes. Learn the steps involved in transferring your existing numbers to a VoIP system. 

How to set up VoIP numbers for your business 

There are several VoIP providers across the globe who provide numerous VoIP based solutions. VoIP numbers are just one of them. One would assume that there are multiple ways to set up a VoIP account for your business, but it’s not. You can categorize these steps for the sake of understanding.  

#1 Gather Necessary Equipment

Depending on your requirement, you may need multiple VoIP phones, headsets, or devices with softphone capabilities (computers and smartphones). The next thing you will need is a reliable and high-speed internet connection for quality VoIP calls. Ensure that your internet service meets the necessary bandwidth requirements.  

If you’re using physical VoIP phones, follow the provider’s instructions to connect and configure them to your network. Download and install the necessary software provided by your VoIP service provider for softphones. 

#2 Configure VoIP Features 

Set up key features like call forwarding, voicemail, call routing, and auto-attendants according to your business needs. Record personalized voicemail greetings and set up voicemail boxes for each user or department. 

#3 Establish Call Routing 

Configure call routing rules to direct incoming calls to the appropriate extensions or departments. Integrate VoIP with other essential business tools like CRM software, email, and productivity applications for seamless workflow. 

#4 Test and Secure 

Conduct thorough testing to ensure that calls are clear and that all features are functioning as expected. Address any issues or glitches that arise during testing. Implement security measures like strong passwords, encryption, and regular system updates to protect your VoIP network from potential threats. 

How to protect against VoIP fraud attacks? 

Protecting your VoIP solution against fraud attacks is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your business communication. They can lead to financial losses and compromise sensitive information. Here are some effective measures to safeguard your VoIP phone system: 

• Use unique passwords along with 2FA and MFA authentication wherever possible. 
• Keep all VoIP equipment, software, and firmware up to date with the latest security patches and updates to address known vulnerabilities. 
• Set up firewalls to control traffic and intrusion detection systems to monitor that traffic for unusual or suspicious activity. 
• Use encryption protocols (e.g., Secure Real-time Transport Protocol or SRTP) to secure the transmission of voice data over the internet. 
• Grant access to only authorized personnel and restrict function permissions based on their job roles.
• Monitor Call Traffic and Usage Patterns 
• Train your staff in best practices for recognizing and reporting potential VoIP fraud. 
• Conduct regular call log audits, looking for anomalies or unauthorized activity. 
• Keep a plan ready for responding to suspected or confirmed VoIP fraud incidents. 
• Choose a reputable VoIP service provider that prioritizes security and offers features like fraud prevention and detection.

To learn more about ways that you can secure your VoIP system, head over to this blog Do’s and Don’ts of Securing your VoIP Communications.

Must-have VoIP number features to help SMBs grow

ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) 

ACD ensures that incoming calls are routed to the most appropriate agent, improving your customer service efficiency. It prioritizes calls based on pre-defined criteria, reducing wait times. Some of the common criteria are agent availability, priority levels, geographic location, language preference etc. 

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) 

An IVR system allows callers to interact with a menu of options using voice or keypad input. By choosing one of the options from the menu, the caller can connect with the right department assigned to that route. This feature streamlines call routing and provides self-service options for customers. 

Integrations 

VoIP integrations with tools like CRM and helpdesk software enhance your business’s productivity and enable seamless information sharing between systems. Multiple integrations give you accessibility to more platforms to store and manage your customer data. They also allow you to connect with your clients at the click of a button. 

Auto Attendant 

An Auto Attendant, also known as a virtual receptionist, is a VoIP feature that greets callers and provides them with a menu of options to navigate through a phone system. It uses pre-recorded voice recordings to greet and interact with callers. It also allows callers to select the department or extension they want to reach by using their keypads or voice commands. 

Call Monitoring & Analytics 

VoIP allows you to record and monitor all the calls that take place in your organization. Every call recording provides you valuable insights for training, quality assurance, and compliance purposes for your employees. You can take advantage of these analytics to review and analyze every customer interaction and help your teams deliver better customer experience. 

Three-Way Calling 

VoIP allows three-way calling, for instances where more than two people need to be on a call. It allows people from different locations to communicate and collaborate effectively. Many VoIP providers give this feature as standard with any type of service you sign up for. 

Smart Call Queue 

According to research by the SQM group, the average acceptable waiting time for customers stands at two minutes. This means 120 seconds of waiting in silence to connect with you. Smart call queue prevents this situation by sorting the callers based on priority or urgency instead of having them wait for too long or be transferred to another department. 

Call Transferring 

VoIP provides your agents with easy call transferring to solve complex cases faster. At Acefone we let you choose between a cold transfer (uninformed) and a warm transfer (informed). It helps reduce the overall call drop rate and enhance customer experience. 

Voicemail to email

The cloud Voice mail feature ensures that your agents miss no important messages. It forwards all missed calls to your agents’ inbox which they can access on any of their registered devices. Access to those voicemails gives your agents insight into the caller’s issues and helps them provide relevant solutions. 

Softphone Accessibility 

Softphones are software-based phone applications that allow your agents to make and receive calls from their computers or smartphones. It makes communication from the agent’s end flexible and increases their availability towards customer calls. 

Checkout features that you can get by becoming a part of the Acefone community.

Integrating VoIP Numbers with Your Business 

Customer Support Hotline 

Support agents can utilize a dedicated VoIP number for customer support to streamline inquiries and provide timely assistance. 

Virtual Sales Team 

You can equip your sales reps with VoIP numbers to maintain professional communication with leads and clients, regardless of their location. 

International Expansion 

You can establish a local presence in your target regions by using VoIP numbers with specific area codes to attract and serve international customers. 

Marketing Campaign Tracking 

You can assign unique VoIP numbers to different marketing channels (e.g., website, social media, ads) to track the effectiveness of each campaign. 

After-Hours Support Line 

You can provide a dedicated VoIP number for after-hours inquiries, ensuring that customers can reach the business even outside regular operating hours. 

Recap 

Empower your business with the transformative capabilities of VoIP numbers. Implement the knowledge gained from this guide to drive growth, enhance communication, and build stronger customer relationships. 

Remember, the power of VoIP numbers lies in their ability to adapt to your business needs. By leveraging this technology, you’re positioning your SMB for long term success. Embrace the future of communication, and watch your business thrive. 

At Acefone, we help businesses like you enhance your cloud communications solution and deliver high quality customer experience. You can get in touch with us to learn more by dialing 1888-859-0450. 

FAQs 

How to identify a VoIP number? 

To identify a VoIP number, you can head to a reverse phone lookup website and cross check whether a number is VoIP or not, and its owner details. E.g.- https://www.freecarrierlookup.com/ 

What is the difference between a VoIP number and a regular mobile number? 

A regular mobile number is tied to a physical SIM card and cellular network, while a VoIP number operates over the internet. VoIP allows far more features like virtual attendants, call forwarding, and call routing than a regular mobile number. 

Can anyone call a VoIP number? 

Yes, anyone with a phone can call a VoIP number, just like a regular phone number. The call will be routed through the internet instead of traditional phone lines. 

Can VoIP numbers send text messages? 

Yes, VoIP numbers can send and receive text messages, just like regular mobile numbers. They use a technology called SMS over IP. 

Do VoIP numbers have voicemail? 

Yes, VoIP numbers come with voicemail features. We have also talked about this feature earlier in this blog, which you can find in the features section.  

Are VoIP numbers secure? 

VoIP technology is definitely secure, but like any communication method, it’s important to take precautions. Using encryption protocols (like SRTP) and strong passwords, along with regular security updates, can help ensure the security of VoIP communications. 

The post The SMB Guide to VoIP Numbers: Helping Businesses Grow appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

With smartphone users increasing to more than 90% of the population, it is imperative for businesses to be where their customers are––on mobile-friendly platforms.

Thus, there lies a flood of opportunities for marketers in the arena of SMS marketing. Done right, bulk SMS service can magnify your reach manifold. However, if you don’t implement it correctly, there could be a potential revenue loss, and you could also end up damaging brand reputation.

If your SMS marketing campaign hasn’t been yielding desired results, then this blog is for you. We’ve curated a list of mistakes that you can avoid while designing your bulk SMS marketing campaigns.

7 Mistakes to Avoid Wth Bulk SMS Campaigns

• Not knowing your audience

Knowing your audience and understanding their behaviour, buying patterns, requirements, etc. should be every business leader’s first priority. You can’t create impactful SMS campaigns without knowing what your audience connects with. 

Marketers need to consider demographics such as age, gender, pain points and lifestyle preferences. Align your campaign according to the said criterion to make it more appealing and personalised. 

To be able to do this effectively, it is important that you segment your audience into relevant groups and design effective message templates for each of them.

• Lack of personal touch

Once the SMS has reached the target audience, only content matters. Your content should hit the nail on the head—make readers feel special and, at the same time, brief them about your product. 

Do not forget to include the customer’s name in the text. And if you combine it with their purchase history, that’ll be the cherry on top! Don’t forget to keep them updated about your latest offers and promotions and ensure regular check-ins tailored to their needs. Additionally, if you include links that allow customers to expand images related to your product or offer, it can create a more engaging and personalized experience.

• Effective CTA is missing

SMS stands for short message service and, hence, the content should immediately draw the reader’s attention towards the CTA (call to action) ––a.k.a. the purpose of the message.

The presence or lack of a CTA can make or break your SMS content. If you have one, you can lure the reader into clicking on that link or placing that call. However, if you don’t have one, you can leave your readers feeling uncertain about the next steps that they need to follow and, subsequently, your brand.

Thus, always remember to place CTAs strategically to ensure that your audience does not miss out. 

Bottom line: Never forget CTAs while developing bulk SMS campaigns.

• Wrong timing of SMSes

Timing is everything. And this mantra applies to bulk SMSes as well. Customers are highly likely to feel annoyed if they’re contacted at odd hours. And rightly so. 

Although India has managed to regulate promotional SMS timings (from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm), one can still go wrong. 

Have you noticed how prominent F&B brands usually send out their SMSes during mealtimes? That’s a smart strategy to persuade users to hit that CTA in case they’re planning to eat-out. 

Keep in mind:

• Never text too early––before the person has his cup of coffee or too late when the customer is already preparing for bed or is asleep.
• Avoid sending messages during peak hours when people are preoccupied with other activities.
• Avoid sending messages during weekends as that can lead to a high unsubscribe rate.

Your customers may always be on their phones, but you still don’t want to buzz them at the wrong time. Choose your time window carefully based on your industry and customer’s preferences.

Read more: SMS Guidelines in India: The Do’s and Don’ts

• Lack of consent

Make sure to add opt-in and opt-out options to your bulk SMS services. Always take consent from your audience before making them a part of your bulk SMS group. With so much noise from thousands of brands, customers are bound to get annoyed with too many promotional SMSes.

This also affects your brand reputation because customers will look at your business as inconsiderate. Lack of consent or permission can also force them to take legal action against your brand. 

• Long and convoluted SMS template

Modern day customers don’t have the time to open and read every text. They usually glance at SMSes and other updates from the notification bar and clear it right away. A short and smart combination of words in a line should be enough to put your message across and influence them positively without taking up too much of their time.

Always try to follow the 3C practice for your bulk SMS service—clarity, concise and call–to-action. Lengthy messages depict unprofessionalism and confuse your audience.

• Using colloquial or casual tonality

While every customer will not connect with professional sounding content, it is important for businesses to avoid unprofessional language and abbreviations as these make your brand look overly laidback.

The content should sound neither too casual and nor too professional. And it should be easy to understand. In order to improve your brand’s credibility and reliability try to use a language free from jargons and acronyms.

• Not being consistent with bulk SMS strategy

Make sure to set an optimal frequency before you launch your campaign and stick to that pattern. The aim should be to strike a balance.  

If you send too many messages in one week and then, too less in the following week following, customers will be confused and will opt-out of your bulk SMS service.

Being annoyingly frequent is also a common mistake made by marketers while running bulk SMS service campaigns. In these cases, even if people don’t opt-out, they will still disregard your texts. 

Both scenarios are risky.

Therefore, depending on your sector and type of subscribers, find the best and most optimal frequency for your business. 

• Choosing the wrong bulk SMS provider

You need to be very careful when choosing your technology partners. Markets for bulk SMS are more than saturated and you need to evaluate them on the basis of several aspects such as cost, uptime, delivery rate and backup. Carefully analyse and study online reviews for these service providers before investing your hard-earned money.

You can choose a reliable organisation like Acefone. Our customers love us for the delivery rate and after-sales support offered by our experts.

Parting words

These common mistakes can be easily taken care of if one pays close attention to the details. Focussing on them will help you design the ‘ideal bulk SMS campaign’. Make the most of this tool as smartphones are the closest devices to customers and easiest to capitalise on.

The post Little Known Mistakes While Running a Bulk SMS Campaigns appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

There is no doubt that social media, print, and web are high rewarding mediums, but bulk SMS is an instant platform that requires very few barriers to get your message across, straight to your target audience.

Considering seven out of ten people own a smartphone, it is important that technology is easy-to-use and non-intimidating. If businesses want to connect with the growing audience, they need to keep looking for ways to make marketing more mobile-friendly—bulk SMS in one such way!

SMS Marketing as a Crucial Part of Mobile Marketing

SMS marketing involves small portions of information aimed directly at your target audience. With a phenomenal opening rate of 98% within 3 minutes, the information pops up straight on your customer’s mobile screen. No other marketing tool offers such efficiency rates, making it the most sought-after tool by the marketers. As a savvy digital marketer, you cannot neglect SMS marketing.

How does SMS Work?

SMS stands for short message service—’short’ refers to the maximum number of characters allowed in a text message: 160 characters. But how do SMSs actually reach mobile screens?

It is obvious that our cell phones are receiving and sending information even when we are not using it to attend calls. It is constantly in touch with the phone towers via a pathway known as a control channel.

Your cell phone and towers exchange data packets and also provide a pathway for SMS communication.

As soon as you send a text message, it travels from the SMS center to the tower and finally to your customers’ mobile phone. Similarly, when you get an SMS, it is first received at the tower and then to the assigned destination, which is your phone.

The actual data format for the message includes things like the length of the message, location, timestamp, destination phone number and the format, etc.

One of the most prominent advantages of bulk SMS is their reachability and accessibility across the globe—with minimal effort! Especially in these uncertain times, when customers have no idea what their favorite brands are up to, SMS does the job.

For example: Stay safe, stay indoors! Relax at home and order your favorite The Body Shop products. Get 20% off on any purchase + Free home delivery. Call on 0930XXXXXX.

This SMS depicts that the brand is still open and operating from their online platform and discounts are available. Since 90% of people read text messages within 3 seconds of receiving it, SMSs increase customer engagement while ensuring business continuity by keeping everyone in the loop.

Some Features Offered by Bulk SMS Solution:

1) Send Reminders

Today’s customers are always on the move. They need fast and reliable information from businesses they interact with. Sending quick reminders can help improve their perception of your organization.

2) SMS Marketing

Market new products and services using SMSs and increase traffic on your online platforms. Effective SMS marketing strategies can also boost sales.

3) Keep Customers Updated

Keep your loyal customers updated with the latest advancements and make them feel important.

4) SMS Alerts and Notifications

Send alerts about any issue that the customer should be aware of. For example, if you belong to the financial sector industry, you must convey any suspicious activity on a customer’s account via SMS and calls to keep them informed.

Service providers all around the globe offer bulk SMS services with a myriad of features. We have already looked at the advantages of bulk SMS, let’s understand how they add value at an organizational level.

Bulk SMS and Customer Relationships

Bulk SMS comes with an interesting feature of ‘opt-ins’. Opt-ins give permission to a particular brand to send promotional messages to customers.

Customers appreciate this option because it is a non-intrusive way of promoting your brand. Invasive messages without your customer’s consent will leave a bad impression of your organization. Opt-ins and opt-outs are great ways to avoid disruptive texting.

Another aspect of Bulk SMS that strengthens your customer relationships is personalization. Your messages can be personalized to the recipient. They can even be personalized based on demographics. To achieve this level of personalization is a costly affair with any other marketing tool. With bulk SMS however, it can be done cost-effectively.

Targeted Approach

With so much going around in the digital marketing space, target marketing is on its peak. These are the times where marketers cannot send out promotional messages into the ether in the hope that it reaches the target audience.

As we already talked about how bulk SMS is permission-based, anyone who receives the message will:

1. already have a relationship with your organization
2. have agreed to receive promotional messages

These two facts depict that these targets are already customers and can be converted into hot leads with the help of smart analytics. Marketers can leverage bulk SMS service by targeting it to an extent of customer’s behavior and preferences.

Opening Rate

Compared to an average opening rate of 20% in case of emails, bulk SMS service serves as the perfect solution for sending vital information across.

Additionally, the speed with which bulk SMSs are delivered to the recipient is splendid. Bulk SMSs to larger audiences take only a few minutes to deliver.

Customer Retention

Believe it or not, but bulk SMS play a very subtle yet imperative role in bringing back those ‘almost lost’ customers. Messages like “your favorite product is waiting to get delivered at your doorstep, visit your cart to buy now!” aid customer retention.

Low Cost and Higher ROI

Any type of marketing—newspapers, TV ads or print—is cost-prohibitive for small and medium-sized businesses. Bulk SMSs, however, have zero set-up and installation costs. They can be implemented with absolutely no hardware saving your running costs as well.

How else can you connect with thousands of customers in a matter of a few minutes without burning a hole in your pocket? With this cost-effectiveness and high rate of return, bulk SMS are the most effective modern marketing tool for SMEs.

Allows for Easy Integrations

The cloud provides organizations with the opportunity to integrate their SMS strategy into their communications and CRM systems. This gives marketers the time to focus on designing the right type of communication experience as a whole. Cloud telephony integrations will also provide you with SMS analytics like smart URL features, demographic details and improve your customer experience.

Some More Uses of Bulk SMSs:

→ Effortless communication

→ Easy-to-use and understand

→ Flexibility and scalability

→ Customization of messages and user ID

→ High conversion rate

Start Texting Your Customers Today

In today’s digital landscape when consumers are highly active on their screens, SMSs have become important to search for vital information like your account balance or order status. Where other, more complex and Internet reliant solutions fail, SMSs excel.

Most importantly, every generation of customers is familiar with SMSs and their usage. This improves the reach of your message manifolds.

Bulk SMS is an ideal way to reach a niche audience who is interested in knowing about the latest updates of your business. It’s a great pull marketing technique to keep customers coming back for more information and engagement.

The post Bulk SMS and Their Vital Role in Ensuring Business Continuity appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

With the mass of marketing information being exchanged every day, emails have begun to lose their impact. Traditional routes such as calls, too, don’t always help smaller startups reach their target audience.

What is one to do, then?

Integrate SMS into their cloud phone system through an API.

SMS APIs reach customers directly on their mobile phones, cutting through the noise of other marketing emails and advertising.

They also allow you to update customer’s communication preferences and store responses and other information in your phone system’s online portal.

How does this help?

With all the information stored in one place, you can provide a truly personalised experience for your customers, to keep them coming back again and again.

To know more about how SMS APIs can help startups enhance their customer experience, and the importance of integrating the service with your hosted phone system, read on.

1. Use SMS to send highly targeted, personal messages

As a startup, you need to go above and beyond to give customers a great experience.

Integrate your messaging service API with a cloud phone system to make detailed notes on your customers’ areas of interest. You can also find out what they have previously purchased from you.

Send targeted SMSes based on these interests to impress them with personalised experiences even in early days. Follow it up with spot-on service, to make up for the lack of online reviews.

With SMS marketing, the opportunities to make the customer feel valued and let them know you will only send them useful and relevant messages are plenty.

Bigger corporations may be unable to get to know each customer personally in this way, so startups should leverage this advantage to really drive customer experience forward.

2. Deliver customer service wrapped inconvenience

Your customers are busy. 

An easy contact channel will be a great selling point for your business. By offering SMS customer support, you make it easier for the customers to contact your business. You also save their money and time. 

A customised communication channel will improve customer experience and create new opportunities to open up a dialogue with your clients. This will lead to more resolutions for customer queries and more opportunities for you to sell your product or service to new clients.

A Global Mobile Messaging Report (2016) showed that 9 out of 10 consumers globally want to text with businesses, but only 48% of businesses are equipped with SMS. This shows that there is a massive amount of potential for SMS customer support becoming a part of your customer service strategy, and not many businesses are taking advantage of this.

3. Improve customer engagement with SMS messaging

When used appropriately, SMS support services can improve engagement for startup businesses.

As a business owner or marketer, ensure that your messages are sent at the appropriate time (not too early, not too late) and that you don’t spam customers with SMSes. Include a ‘click to buy’ link or allow customers to get in touch by enabling the ‘reply to the message’ feature.

When you achieve the right balance, your SMS will reach the customer directly, as most people have their phones on them at all times. It will encourage customers to take action, and enhance customer engagement and experience.

4. Connect with customers of all ages

Customers of all ages want to communicate via SMSes with a business. SendGrid’s 2019 Email Benchmark study showed that SMS messaging is ranked highly by customers across a broad age range, and that they want appropriate messaging from businesses.

Data from the study suggests that an omnichannel communication strategy helps gain the attention of customers of almost all ages and that you should be available on multiple platforms so customers can choose how they want to connect. If you aren’t using SMS support for your startup, you may lose out to a competitor who is using it, as customers are always looking for quick ways to contact you.

The study also suggested that customers want alerts, reminders, and more through SMSes, a service that you can provide with ease through your hosted phone system.

5. Improve customer insights through analytics

Startups can use SMS messaging through their hosted phone systems and gain an array of insights through the online portal.

Based on the customer’s interaction with your SMS, you can learn about optimal send times, whether they clicked a link or completed your desired call to action, the number of times they opened it, and any further interactions––all in a few clicks.

These analytics can help you know more about your customers and the types of SMSes they respond well to.

A campaign by Silverstone, timed just after the Grand Prix aired, gained them a 608% return on the investment just by timing a message correctly and including a clear call to action.

This shows just how effective SMS marketing can be and how, by using the analytics available through your hosted phone system, you can send out messages to your customers at an appropriate time and gain the best possible return on investment. 

To find out more about SMS marketing and how you can deliver amazing SMS campaigns from your cloud phone system, call us today on 1888-859-0450.

The post How SMS APIs Help Startups Enhance Their Customer Experience? appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

SMS marketing is direct and cuts through the masses of emails your customers are receiving every day – and can be a great addition to your marketing plan if used correctly.

If your messages are informative and give customers the information they want to receive customers will respond positively to this and you will be in the front of their mind when they come to make a purchase.

SMS marketing is quite personal, as you are reaching their personal mobile phones, so you must think carefully about the messages you are sending and make sure they are relevant and to the point. 

SMS marketing can be a fantastic addition to your marketing plans, so this article will outline why you should include SMS marketing when you’re creating your marketing strategies.

Reach Your Target Audience Immediately

With SMS marketing, you do not need to wait for marketing collateral to be printed, adverts to be approved, newspapers or magazines to be released – your advertising is sent immediately to everyone you want to reach.

As SMS marketing is immediate, you can add urgency to your messages by sending out limited-time offers to encourage customers who might have been thinking about buying from you to go ahead and make the purchase.

Customers are more likely to read an SMS message, as it is more direct than an email and the customer will be notified of the SMS coming through to their mobile phones.

This means, that your message will immediately reach and be picked up by your target audience – giving you even more chance of your marketing message being successful.

SMS Marketing Is Cost-Effective

When compared to Facebook advertising, email marketing, and other areas of your Marketing plan, SMS Marketing is highly cost-effective.

It does not cost much to send the SMS messages to your customer’s mobile phones, and it also does not take too much time for your marketing team to put these messages together – so you will save on both staff time and advertising spend. 

With a hosted phone system, you can send SMS messages right from your phone system’s online portal. It is simple to categorize customers and select only the customer type you are looking to target.

When you use your hosted phone system, this means that you can keep all the analytics in one place and you do not need to export your data to any 3rd party software – you can simply do everything you need to in one place; with no need to spend any more money on extra software.

All Mobile Phones Are Compatible With SMS Marketing

If you have been marketing on social media, or in newspapers and local press – you may find that you have missed some of your target audience as they are not active on social media, or they do not read newspapers, etc.

With SMS marketing, you will reach many more customers as every customer’s mobile phone will support incoming SMS messages.

You may think that SMS marketing is basic and there are more technically advanced ways to reach your target audience, but simple solutions can work very well for businesses, and using SMS marketing may help you be more inclusive to customers who are not using social media or other online marketing channels.

SMS Marketing Is A More Direct Form Of Advertising

Most people have their mobile phones within reach at most times of the day, so using SMS marketing is a way to reach people directly in their homes or place of work.

If messaging is simple, to the point and highly relevant then customers will appreciate your business making accessing your offers simple for them; as you can include links and direct people to your latest offers online.

As SMS marketing is so direct, it is also more personal. Instead of a blanket email, customers will feel as if this offer has been personally chosen for them and sent to their mobile phones to make it easier for them to access.

This personalized service will help to increase customer experience and make the customer journey easier for customers thinking about buying from you.

Even if they are not quite ready to purchase yet, they can look back through their SMS messages when they are as the message is less likely to be discarded like an email.

SMS Marketing Is Trackable

Through your online portal, you can access a range of analytics through your hosted phone system. This means you can track who has opened your SMS message and when they opened it, you can also see if they called you to follow up.

This tracking means that you can use SMS marketing to follow up with customers and start building a relationship with them.

Your staff can call the customer to check they received the SMS message and can offer help with any questions the customer might have – which could lead to increased profits and increased customer experience.

All from simply tracking and using the information provided to follow up with customers!

Overall, SMS marketing should be a part of your marketing plan if you want to reach all of your customers with highly targeted and personalized marketing messages.

Used correctly, this direct form of communicating with customers can unlock new customer relationships and ensure that your business is at the front of a customer’s mind when they come to make a purchase. 

To find out more about SMS marketing and how your hosted phone system can help you add this to your marketing plan with ease, call our expert team on 1888-859-0450.

The post 5 Reasons Why SMS Marketing Should Be Part Of Your Marketing Plan appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

TRAI has established guidelines and regulations on the following fields of SMS:

1. Transactional SMS
2. Promotional SMS
3. DND Scrubbing
4. Sending time
5. Termination charges
6. Sender’s name
7. Penalty fees and so on

Recommended Read: Auto Dialer Vs Predictive Dialer.

1. Transactional SMS

A Transactional SMS is a business SMS which is used by an organization to send any informational messages like order alerts, one-time password, booking and payment information, and so on. They send SMS to the customers in order to pass on information that is necessary for buying the product or service. However, a transactional SMS is not intended for business marketing, unlike a promotional SMS. A business should thoughtfully choose between promotional and transactional SMS. A Transactional SMS service comes with standard business templates, which can also be modified by the firm. For instance, if you are holding a product-based firm and a customer has purchased your product online, a transactional SMS will be sent to the customer saying ‘Your order no.123456 has been shipped and will be delivered to you by dd/mm/yy. Thank you for shopping with us.’

2. Promotional SMS

A promotional SMS is used to send offers, discounts and promotions as the name suggest to existing and new customers as well. However, the messages may or may not be solicited by the recipients. Promotional messages can be set within a fixed time interval (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and cannot be sent to customers who have availed the Do Not Disturb (DND) status. The sender ID of a promotional SMS is usually comprised of a random 6-character Sender ID allocated by the telecom operator.

3. DND Scrubbing

Do Not Disturb (DND) is a service initiated by the TRAI for customers or generally the public who do not wish to receive unwanted calls or SMS for promotional purposes. Telemarketers should be careful while sending SMS to their customers and should be cautious in not sending the SMS to DND customers. DND scrubbing is a service provided to help telemarketers differentiate between DND customers and non-DND customers.

4. Delivery Time

TRAI has also established a set of restrictions on the SMS delivery time. A business can send transactional SMS round the clock anytime anywhere whereas a promotional SMS can be sent only within the standard working hours, i.e. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. By setting guidelines on the SMS delivery time, the public or the customers are relieved of the unsolicited messages and calls when they come back home from work.

To learn more about optimizing your customer communication strategy, explore the differences between a call center vs contact center.

5. Termination charges

Termination charges are fees charged by one telecom operator to other for handling calls. Even in cases free mobile –to –mobile calls provided by certain operator plans; these charges are hidden.

6. Sender’s name

Sender IDs include the name of the brand, and it is necessary to register the ID and the message template to be delivered prior to usage. If a message is sent outside of the sender ID and template of the message, it might not get delivered even after causing charges to the sender. The sender IDs vary based on the type of SMS.

The sender ID format of transactional SMS has nine characters from which the business can choose 6 alphabetic characters that denote the name of the brand.

E.g.: 12-ABCDEF

Where:

• 1 is the access provider’s code
• 2 is the service area code

ABCDEF is the sender’s name identifier in the message delivered which is representative of the name of the business or organization.

For Promotional SMS, unique sender IDs are available based on the category listed by NCPR such as:

• Banking, Insurance and Finance sector
• Educational institutions
• Healthcare
• Real Estate
• IT, broadcasting, communication and entertainment industry
• Tourism sector

A business can pick an alphanumeric identifier in the format AB-CDDDDD, wherein:

• A is Access provider’s code
• B is a service area code
• C is a numerical from 0 to 7
• DDDDD is the 5-digit identifier allotted by the service provider which is unique

7. Penalty Fees

Non-adherence to the above guidelines will result in incrementing penalties and blacklisting for a period of around 2 years.

8. Other restrictions:

• Supporting Unicode
• Reliability of handset delivery receipts
• Restrictions on sending stock or share related messages through transactional routes. In order to obtain permission to send stock or share related transactional SMS, a business to obtain valid certification from entities registered with SEBI.
• Any social media or website invitations need to be validated and whitelisted prior to sending through transactional accounts. Violating this can result in heavy fines.

Suggested Don’ts

1. Sending promotional messages through transactional route
2. Calling Do Not Call (DNC)customers for marketing
3. Sending promotional messages to DND customers
4. Sending promotional messages to customers who have opted-out the feature
5. Sending more than six messages to the same recipient within an hour
6. Assuming website-based opt-ins as accepted ones
7. Sending opt-in messages to customers through transactional routes

Suggested Do’s

1. Asking registered users for permission to send any information regarding their offers and services by asking them to accept the opt-in clause
2. Providing an opt-out option for customers who have accepted for promotional messages.
3. Sending transactional messages to opted-out customers.
4. Sending messages transmitted on the directions of the government or any other authorized body.
5.  Sending SMS of the following types to DNC listed customers:

• Political SMS- It is to be noted that political SMS are prohibited during the election period throughout the entire country
• Charitable SMS
• Informational SMS
• Survey SMS
• Personal SMS

Contact us to start a hassle-free bulk SMS campaign for your business.

The post SMS Guidelines in India: The Do’s and Dont’s appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

The text messages sent by a business or brand can be divided into two broad categories – transactional SMS and promotional SMS. A business sends transactional text messages to customers to provide relevant information required to use its products or services more efficiently. The Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) defines transactional SMS as a text message which does not contain any promotional content.

On the other hand, a business sends promotional text messages to promote a product or brand by informing both customers and prospects about offers, discounts and promotions. TRAI has not defined promotional SMS clearly. But it regards all non-transactional or service text messages as promotional text messages. Hence, before availing the benefits of bulk SMS services, businesses need to identify the major differences between transactional SMS and promotional SMS

Major Differences between Transactional SMS and Promotional SMS

• TRAI Guidelines                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    TRAI has imposed several guidelines to control bulk SMS services in India. For instance, it prohibits businesses and marketers from sending promotional SMS to telephone numbers which are on the Do Not Disturb (DND) list. But it allows businesses to send transactional SMS to customers who are on the DND list. Hence, it becomes essential for businesses to abstain themselves from sending promotional text messages to customers falling in the DND criteria. However, TRAI keeps updating the regulations and restrictions related to bulk SMS services at regular intervals. The businesses must comply with the latest TRAI regulations while sending each type of text messages.
• Purpose

As noted earlier, a business has to send transactional and promotional SMS for different purposes. The transactional text messages act as a tool to convey important product or service information to existing customers. For instance, a bank can send transactional SMS to deliver important information like bank account balance, current bank transaction, and OTP for financial transaction.

On the other hand, the businesses use promotional tools as a powerful tool to advertise or promote their products or services. They send these text messages to customers to convey offers, discounts or promotions. They further send the promotional SMS to customers and prospects regardless of their consent.

• Delivery Time

Transactional SMS can be sent on a specific action taken by the customers like requesting OTP or placing order. Hence, a business can send transaction text messages 24 hours a day. But no business can send promotional messages to customers and prospects before 9 AM and after 9 PM.

• Sender ID

The bulk SMS service providers send transactional messages and promotional messages using different and independent SMS gateways. But the businesses need to select the sender ID according to the type of text messages. A business can send transactional text messages using an alphabetic sender ID consisting of six characters. But it has to use a numeric sender ID for sending promotional text messages.

Build smarter customer experience strategies with SMS.

Charges and Taxes

TRAI imposes service taxes on promotional SMS. But it does not impose any service taxes on transactional SMS. Also, TRAI prescribed a termination charge of 5 paise on both transactional and promotional SMS. The service and termination charges make promotional and transactional text messages more expensive than normal text messages. Hence, a business has to incur additional expenses to send both transactional and promotional SMS.

The bulk SMS services provided by leading cloud telephony service providers help businesses to send both transactional and promotional text messages without violating various TRAI guidelines. In addition to helping businesses to run multiple SMS campaigns simultaneously, the providers also boost the campaigns by providing sophisticated facilities like automatic DND checking, marketing campaign scheduling, automatic SMS retries, and business system integration.

Start your free bulk SMS trial with Acefone. Reach out to us.

The post Transactional or Promotional SMS: What Does Your Business Need? appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

A major reason for using SMS as a verification platform was because SMS had a high open rate of 98 per cent which is 60% higher than email.

This noticeable difference in the user preference led a growing number of businesses to adopt SMS as their verification tool ranging from big tech giants namely Google, Facebook to ride-hailing & food delivery app namely Uber and Zomato. Almost every industry and app have now started using SMS verification platform at multiple stages of their user’s journey. Below are six such business cases where SMS verification has strengthened the security of apps and has helped the business to combat online fraud effortlessly.

1. User Registrations

Growing businesses are flooded with registration requests. But to ensure that no unauthenticated or fake users intrude into the system, they need to verify the identity. Traditional password-based authentication proved to be weak and insecure in the past. Any fake user with multiple email IDs could easily create multiple user registrations to spam the system.

Here, asking users to register with their phone number helps in filtering many potential spams during the initial phase, i.e., registration process. Validating the user by sending a One Time Password on the provided number provides maximum security in the registration process. It prevents frauds explicitly in two ways with sms verifcation: –

1. It detects if the number used at the time of registration is already associated with the company or not, to prevent any spamming.
2. And, whether the existence of the phone number is real or fake by validating with the received OTP

2. Password Reset

To make the passwords highly secure, many platforms prompt users to create complex, lengthy and unique passwords. While this SMS verification method makes the password hard to crack, it also becomes hard to memorise, which leads to a lot of password reset requests.

In such cases, sending an OTP code on the associated phone number prevents a lot of fraud and identity theft. Also, makes the password reset process a lot easier for genuine users. Every time users want to reset a password, a simple text message with OTP codes can help them to do the same quickly. And the limited time validity of the OTP codes adds on to the security of this process.

3. Two-step Verification

65% of people use the same passwords everywhere, and 90% of passwords are crackable within 6 hours. Thus, stealing passwords and hacking into account is not hard for hackers.A password manager can significantly reduce the risk by storing complex passwords securely and preventing unauthorized access. Moreover, sharing passwords with peers or family members or using the same password over multiple platforms is a general practice followed by the users. This makes it easy for the cybercriminals to hack into user accounts.

Two-step sms verification adds a layer of security while logging into the account. After the user enters their password, they’re asked to enter the OTP code received in the textbox. These OTPs are instantly generated and are valid only for a few seconds which reduces the probability of an unauthenticated login to the minimum. Google has been promoting the two-factor authentication rigorously to prevent user accounts from any fraud.

4. Reactivate Users

When a registered user logs into their account after a long period of inactivity, suspecting the legitimacy of the activity is imperative. Many times, the request can be genuine, but there is a high probability that an attacker is trying to activate a passive user login to break into the system.

To handle such cases, sending an SMS to the phone number used at the time of registration works as the best solution. This immediately verifies the nature of the activity and helps the business to tackle it promptly.

5. Order Verification

Fake orders and frauds are a prime concern for any e-commerce platform. This platform has provided a convenient method for people to shop online, but at the same time, it is important to handle the lapses this convenience entails. And the criticality multiplies with the increase in the number of high-value orders.

Using SMS verification on high-value orders prevents many fraudulent purchases. Sending a simple order verification OTP to users at the checkout page makes the process more authenticated. The order gets successfully placed once the user validates the OTP. This kind of verification keeps a check on the rising number of e-commerce fraud without complicating the purchase process for the users.

6. Transaction Authentication

Financial transactions are critical and are thus most vulnerable to online fraud. Earlier, ATM pins were used to ensure the safety of the transactions. They were considered secretive and private and thus guaranteed more security. But with expanding online fraud, breaking into your ATM pin during the online payment process became a cakewalk for the hackers.

To battle such critical and sensitive frauds, the introduction of OTP verification proved to be a significant step. It reaffirms the transaction authenticity before the final payment. Also, it hardens the process of breaking into an online transaction as the validity of OTPs is for a brief time, which leaves hacker with less time and incomplete information to break into the system.

Opt for SMS verification for your business. Reach out to us at 1800-120-4132 to start your free trial today.

The post Six Ways to Combat Fraudulent Activities with SMS Verification appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

SMS is one of the best methods used these days to make an outbound access to the customers. The ideas these messages carry is mostly short, succinct and are likely to be read by the customers. Today, when the customers don’t have much time to spare and are reluctant for any marketing activity, bulk SMS service is an assurance that your messages will be conveyed to the customers, effortlessly.

1. Captures Customer’s Attention

Getting customer’s attention is the key to open the possibility for your business or service. Here the necessary aspect that counts to be working for the customers is time spent by the customers in reading an e-mail or SMS. It also includes the effort that is made by the customer while reading the text.

SMS stands more effective than an email because it asks for lesser effort from the customers and when delivered, the message is read even later. So even if it is read with a fleeting sight, it stays there in the customer’s attention.

2. Provides Speed to Your Marketing

The effectiveness of the approach made to customers depends on the intensity with which it has been received. In today’s times when most of the businesses are on the go, you get much lesser time to be in touch with your potential customers.

So, it is necessary whatever you are trying to convey should be short and to the point so that the customer doesn’t have to spend much time on it. And bulk SMS has the capability of mass access. A message can be conveyed to a number of customers without putting much effort.

3. Provides Return on Investment

Bulk SMS is also cost-effective, and you just need to put in minimal investment to get this service, and the returns you yield are very high. Also, the factor that helps in making the idea of bulk SMS work is, you can use it according to the scale of your business.

With such autonomy, you can easily take your business ahead with the help of an effective outbound approach to the customers. The only condition is the bulk SMS service should not be made an involuntary message to the customers.

Recommended Read: Mistakes While Running a Bulk SMS Campaign

4. Targets Specific Customers

With the help of bulk SMS, your campaign can target a particular set of customers. The best practice is to compartmentalise your customers according to their interests and inclinations, and then you can send specific messages to the respective groups.

The bulk SMS helps you connect with a big group of customers with the same interest. Emails fulfil the same purpose, but the effectiveness of the SMSs is far more.

5. Effective Communication

Although bulk SMSs are a unidirectional communication channel, a contact number, a website link can be easily shared through the message. Such information can be used for customer’s further reference. In addition to this, a personalized message can be sent to the respective set of customers according to the details of demographics and their interests.

In general, adding a personalisation factor to the marketing activity involves various touch points, but with the help of bulk SMS, you just need to get the customer contact data and curate a message that carries customer’s interests.

Bulk SMS is the best way to make bulk customer contact in just one go. With such little effort involved, bulk SMSs bring unprecedented benefits to the business.

Spread the word with effective bulk SMS services at Acefone. Talk to us now. We’re waiting for you!

The post 5 Benefits of Bulk SMS for Your Business appeared first on Blog | Acefone.