"Our DIDs are programmed from the start to have all of the capabilities an end-user needs, making voice calls, SMS, voicemail, etc." Izabell Balash, Head of Product, 2600Hz, said, opening up about the need for companies to leverage SMS during a recent interview. Balash is an SMS expert, and she gave me a lot of insight into why enterprises should take advantage of SMS technology made possible by programmable APIs.
The principal distinction between 2600Hz and companies like Twilio, which for the most part provide a similar service, is that 2600Hz doesn't require coding knowledge. With companies like Twilio, she added, "If you need to access direct inward dialing (DID/DDI) to make outbound/inbound calls, receive/send SMS, and accept voicemails - each one of those actions (inbound, outbound, send, receive) must be programmed by you, on your end."
Balash added this is why the company wants to make it accessible for businesses to incorporate SMS - to among many things, keep customers in the know. And there's some validity to what she's said, as one study recently found that SMS has a 98 percent open rate and a 209 percent higher response rate than phone calls and emails. "On top of that, 90 percent of the messages sent get opened within three minutes," Balash said, drawing my attention to another fundamental detail.
With this in mind, she said it would be progressive for enterprises to leverage SMS technology to correspond with customers because it is the most streamlined route to reach customers. Looking at applications of SMS tech, Balash said whether it’s for marketing, sales, or business operation purposes, SMS and customer engagement go hand-and-hand. She added,
"SMS will not replace sales calls or email threads. Think of it as a great supplement, where customers can set up appointments or get updates on orders"
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Izabell Balash[/caption]
