The Basics
SMS stands for Short Message Service. You probably know it as text messaging. An SMS payment is when a business sends an SMS or invoices to the customer for the purchase. The message contains a link to a secure payment form that allows customers to enter their payment account information to confirm their purchase. If your business is interested in accepting SMS payments, here’s what you need to know to get started.
SMS payments are one way to use SMS in your business. These are contactless payments, so anyone with a text-enabled phone can pay to a company by SMS. If your business wants to start SMS payments acceptance, you need an SMS payment provider. SMS payment providers enable SMS payments by combining text with secure PCI-enabled payment processing capabilities.
Many SMS payment providers are also credit card processors or facilitators, while others are exclusively SMS payment providers. If you’re already working with a credit card payment facilitator, check to see if you have an affiliate payment provider. This allows for the easiest integration. Otherwise, another SMS payment provider will work as well.
How to Start Accepting SMS Payments
Your first and most crucial step to start offering SMS payments as an alternative payment method is to choose an SMS payment provider that is right for your business. Find out if your credit card facilitator offers SMS payment processing and compare the features and costs of other SMS payment providers.
After choosing an SMS payment provider, work with your company to choose the right plan based on your needs. Once that’s done, you can set up an invoice with your company, create an account, and get a third-party merchant account if needed. There are several praiseworthy business account services to choose from.
Link your customer database to your provider, create contact and contact time rules, and create basic text messages to send across multiple payment statuses.
Providers typically offer the option to receive payments using your current company phone number or virtual SMS number.
SMS Payment Solution
Intuitive interface: You should be able to customize the message content, response logic, and other settings. A simple interface allows you to control information and agility and make changes without paying a service fee.
Easy Transactions: If customers can store payment information for future payments, it will be more convenient for them and increase sales.
Backup System: Failure if payment is not made are backup communication options such as voice and email phone numbers.
Two-way SMS: This option allows you to set up an automatic SMS response triggered by the selected keyword to provide more information or give your customers the option to talk to agents.
High Quality Connections: High quality service provider connections help prevent text messages from arriving.
Dedicated Numbers: You must use unique phone numbers, not random or shared numbers. Dedicated numbers increase deliverability and customer confidence that phishing attempts are not targeting them.
Bulk Deposit: Transactions are credited in bulk, making it easy to check your books.
Affordable: Some SMS payment providers charge based on the number of individual SMS messages sent. Others pay for a series of text messages you send. Individual plans are probably the cheapest if customers tend to pay early when sending their first text message. If payment takes a long time, the chat or ticket method is more affordable. If you are sending a large number of paid SMS messages, the best option price is by volume or range.
SMS Services Grow Businesses
Ideally, you should start SMS payments before or after the sale. When you sell a service, you can instantly bill and receive payments via SMS while you’re with your customers, whether in a physical store, event, or wherever you are.
You can also use SMS to track other forms of communication, such as emails regarding the collection of expired invoices. Text messages are harder to ignore than other types of communication. Emails are easily buried in one’s inbox, but texts rarely go unopened. Also, since the message arrives on your mobile device, it’s more convenient to pay by phone than to write a check. If customers are easy to pay, they are more likely to pay on time.
If your business is already using SMS marketing services, adding SMS payment options can help you grow your sales. If you are already talking to a customer via SMS and the customer is interested in purchasing a particular product or service, you can send an SMS invoice for that product.
For more information about the SMS services we at Cloud Contact AI offer, visit our home page!
SMS Marketing to Improve Student Services
Relationships are easier to maintain now than ever because of technology’s ability to connect people across the world. 93% of 15–24-year-olds and 92% of 25–34-year-olds own a mobile phone, respectively (Mintel, 2005). If you’re an undergraduate student, you’re more likely to use a mobile phone than any other form of technology (Longmate & Baber, 2002). Users can send and receive 160-character text messages via their mobile phone with the service provided by SMS. These students, who grew up with cell phones, have a special love for the medium for a variety of reasons. Young people who use mobile phones are more likely to develop an independent identity, as they can communicate with their peers at any time and from any location without the need for parental approval.
What to Look for When Choosing a Bulk SMS Service
Communication strategies are fundamental to the success of any company. The ability to get a message to both existing and potential customers/ clients is important for obvious reasons. Emails get left unopened; buried in the recipient’s inbox along with thousands of others. Phone calls from unknown numbers go unanswered. Texts however, rarely go unopened.
In addition to being a low-cost resource, the conversion rate is high and the content delivery guaranteed, using mass SMS correctly creates broader and more assertive communication for your business.
The Role of Text Messaging in Healthcare
Communicating with patients is an important role of healthcare professionals. The medical sector includes clinics, hospitals, wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, therapists, and anyone who provides medical services. Patients are essentially customers, but they rely on healthcare workers to heal them and fix their ailments. Because of this, there is another level to the relationship between patients and providers that is often overlooked. There are many ways to communicate with customers. SMS marketing has become a popular method thanks to the many benefits it offers.
Hiring Through SMS; Cheaper than Indeed?
People don’t lose sleep over unread or unanswered emails. Your email inbox is probably full of unread messages as you’re reading this. Your texts, however, are likely all read and responded to (if necessary). Considering that texts are rarely ignored, it’s a mystery that more businesses aren’t using SMS to recruit new team members. Regardless, let’s dive into why you should consider it for your business.
How SMS Marketing Strategies Can Help Small Businesses
How SMS Marketing Can Be Used for Lead Generation
Every successful business should implement lead generation strategies to boost revenue and drive profitability. Although seventy-five percent of buyers expect businesses to text them with important updates like reminders and offers, only thirty percent do so. This is the biggest mistake companies make to generate leads. Generally, Most companies use emails or phone calls for this purpose. But SMS has the potential to elevate your lead generation to new heights! There are two types of SMS that you can send- Transactional SMS and Promotional SMS.
Using SMS Marketing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the world’s busiest shopping days. Businesses are fighting to get their ads in front of customers’ eyes and send them unbeatable offers to drive purchases in the days following Thanksgiving.
Promotional Email Marketing Examples
Promotional emails are a great marketing strategy because they are sent directly to the recipient’s inbox. This allows companies to send promotional content to their existing and potential customers to increase awareness of their products and services.
80+ Sales Text Message Templates for Every Industry
