Written by: Greg Chen, CEO of Mobiz
South African companies must take care not to inadvertently deepen the existing digital divide. Although Covid-19 and related lockdowns have accelerated a growing trend towards fourth industrial revolution technology such as artificial intelligence, in an unequal society such as South Africa, many consumers find it difficult to access data-intensive apps and processes.
This makes it vital for local businesses to include different forms of technology in their business strategies to ensure their operations are running inclusively. An effective way to do this is by including SMS solutions in customer processes.
Once seen as a luxury, mobile phones are now in the hands of 95% of South Africans, according to Geopoll, with data-hungry smartphones accounting for 91% of devices.
However, data prices in South Africa are some of the highest in the world. This is reflected in a study by Cable.co.uk which ranked South Africa 136th worldwide for its mobile data based on the cost of 1 gigabyte (1GB). As such, SMS solutions are still a great platform for businesses to utilise in 2021 as WhatsApps and emails still rely on data to be delivered. SMS reaches stakeholders across locations and income groups, making it an inclusive and accessible format.
Industries that can benefit from this approach include:
Retail and e-commerce: Companies in the retail sector, be it online or a brick-and-mortar store, can use SMS as a way to market personalised and tailored deals to customers based on their buying behaviours. They can also share payment links and leverage customer insights through data.
Healthcare: Information compliance is essential in the healthcare industry. For example, medical aid companies are reliant on customer information and unfortunately this can become outdated quickly such as updating or removing beneficiaries on a policy. This can be done safely, without impacting a customer’s data bundle, via reputable SMS solutions.
Financial services: SMS solutions can integrate with various payment partners so if a business needs to send a statement, the recipient can make a payment immediately, from home or from anywhere. This also means that businesses can save paper and ensure all data is digitised.
Education: As schools have been operating remotely on-and-off to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, SMS solutions are becoming more and more beneficial to communicate with parents and students alike. They can be used for any form of notification, emergency, roles and admissions, for example.
Internal communications: A recent PwC survey showed that as a result of the pandemic more employees wish to work from home in the future. Just over a third of South African workers (33%) say that in the future they would prefer for their working environment to be a blend of face-to-face and remote work. With this in mind, SMS solutions are a great way for the company to stay connected connection and promote engagement while remaining personal.
It is also important to note that businesses should not be concerned by being limited to 160 characters when using SMSs. At Mobiz, we have taken this into consideration and provide a landing page delivered to recipients via SMS which gives businesses more room to communicate the necessities. The landing page is also data-free for users, extending business’ reach and allowing companies to effectively communicate or engage stakeholders across the board.
Greg Chen is founder and CEO of mobile marketing company Mobiz – offering personalised, secure and trusted SMS marketing at scale.
