Updated SMS from PC pricing
We have now improved our pricing and product offerings further. It is now possible to also buy 2,000 SMS text messages. Previously you purchased either 500 or 5,000 SMS text messages.
The currency available for customers to do a purchase is EUR, USD, SEK and GBP.
As always, do ask us if something is not clear enough or you look for something special.
/ The SMS4PC team
SMS Delivery Reports – making sure they got the message!
SMS Delivery Reports are a somewhat underestimated feature in our opinion. So we decided to elevate this in a short blog post. In its simplest form a delivery report is a notification that lets you know when your text message has been delivered to the recipient’s mobile.
So why is that so important to know?
Well, first of all a delivery report is useful when you really want to make sure that your message reaches its intended destination, and gives you the peace of mind that it has. Alternatively, if it hasn’t, you can take action and perhaps give them a call instead. Making sure a that message has been successfully delivered could also be very important in cases where your customer claim that they didn’t receive the information you have sent. Mais excusez-moi, mon amie – voilà; the proof and evidence is right there in form of the delivery report!
However, the delivery report only informs you that the message has been received, not that it actually has been read. We can control many things in life, but not everything.
There are a number of reasons why a text message is not delivered straight away. For example the recipient could be out of range, have a full inbox or maybe his/hers mobile phone is just turned off. Sometimes it depends on the network operator, but that is never the case with SMS4PC as we guarantee 100 % network dependability at all times.
SMS Delivery Reports are available to all SMS4PC users, and is easy to use:
The magic of distribution lists.
In a world where personal and relevant information makes the difference between success and failure, a tailor made distribution list comes in handy!
The constant clutter of information delivered through all kinds of media, makes it hard for the active (or inactive) recipient to get your specific message. People often choose to tweak their spam filters, or to un-subscribe to newsletters and otherwise irrelevant information as the overflow of mostly un-targeted marketing messages just become too much.
Well – congratulations! There is a simple solution to this, pretty much based on the science of proven marketing basic principle’s: adjust your message to your target group, make it relevant and send it via a distribution list by SMS!
Target group adaption 101
Let’s say that you frequently send information to your client’s purchasing departments. They would – typically – not be interested in the latest news about your marketing success in China (which, by the way, would be great news for investors and shareholders!). A regular purchaser probably wants information on prices, stock, product quality and delivery.
So how can you make sure that only the staffs at the purchaser’s department get your info? Target them with a distribution list.
A distribution list is a collection of numbers that is useful when you want to send messages to that specific audience. For example: create a distribution list in Excel called Purchasers, which includes the names and numbers of the staff at your client’s purchasing departments. When you send a message to this distribution list it goes to all recipients on the list. Easy as pie!
Using distribution lists saves time – you don’t have to send the message one by one. It also makes sure that you only send relevant information to the relevant people certifying that they will red your message and take action on it.
How to make a distribution list
1. Open Excel and add the numbers that you want in your list. Save it.
2. Copy the list and paste it in SMS4PC. Add a name for the list.
3. Edit your list. To send a message to some of the people on the list, but not all – edit the list in advanced mode by deleting the numbers in you do not want to send the message.
4. Compose a message and add the distribution lists as a recipient.
How staffing and recruitment agencies make money with SMS
Today I discussed the basic communication needs that exist within one of the leading Swedish consultancy companies. These needs could very easily be addressed and solved with SMS4PC’s cloud based communication platform.
The basic needs were
1) Remind the staff and consultants about time reports on a monthly basis
2) Remind consultants about upcoming interviews with customers
3) Contact a group of candidates in the search phase for people to match projects
All the above needs can be adressed with SMS as a communication tool and this consultancy company will use the SMS4PC cloud based communication platform in order to notify its staff and consultants by using SMS. These messages will be sent out both automatically and manually.
The automatic ones are built on the new SMS4PC API while the manual ones are sent out by using the web based communication platform from SMS4PC.
The reason why they decide to go this direction is strictly commercial. They feel 100% sure this kind of solution will generate more revenue and create higher efficiency internally as well.
/ Joakim
Using SMS4PC to Highlight Products
One of the things successful businesses do well is create unique branding. When a company has successfully created branding, the public in general is aware of the company and what products it provides. This is true even if the company does not provide a service all persons utilize.
Manufacturers can use SMS4PC to help create branding by highlighting products via SMS messaging to the retail businesses who sell them. In order to have a product worth branding, a business doesn’t have to be a multi-million dollar company with factories world-wide. The business may be a single craftsperson who creates handmade items for sale in local store fronts. No matter what sized manufacturing operation is involved, SMS4PC can help keep the product in the mind of retailers.
Use SMS4PC to send text messages from a computer to the phones of store owners and operators. As business partners, retailers want a product to succeed too. Manufacturers can help retailers promote products by offering constant communication and product information. Retailers can be made aware of new marketing campaigns or product benefits via SMS messages. Those stores will pass the information on to customers, helping to create product branding.
SMS4PC can also be used to send messages about product recalls, answers for frequently asked questions, and product line expansion. Offering advance information on new products through SMS messaging can also be a good idea. Informed retailers make better business partners.
Product branding messages don’t have to be limited to retailers. Companies can consider offering an option online for individual customers to sign up for information about their products as well. Sending end users information about upgrades and new products helps generate word of mouth advertising. All companies know that word of mouth is one of the strongest marketing tools available! With SMS4PC, a manufacturer can easily send messages to thousands of customers at a time.
Please share with us your success stories on how you use SMS texting from computers to make your business more competitive and successful!
How to login to your SMS4PC account online?
Last days we had some technical issues for people signing up for our free trial account. We have been told by several people that a message was shown saying “you have no messages left” even though the users actually had free SMS messages left on the account. This scared away some users and others came to us asking what this is and why that message popped up.
Of course that was wrong and we apologize fully for that incident and we want to invite all of you back again to test our super desktop messaging service out. If you give it a shot and come back this week we will give you additional 10 free SMS text messages.
What do you need to do?
1) Login to your account from our webpage
2) Inform our support staff with your mobile ID (in the format like +46343466999) by sending them an email
By the way, let us know your thoughts of the service as well 
Happy texting
Value Added Services: SMS4PC and the Service Industry
The age-old adage in the service industry is that a current customer is more valuable than a new customer. This seems to be an odd principle, but it boils down to finances. There is a cost to pull in new customers. Companies have to pay for advertising or promotions, and may pay costs associated with labor time to enroll new customers in a service. Repeat customers, however, are already onboard. Advertising dollars didn’t bring them in — satisfaction with past performance did.
So, how can a company keep customers coming back? Through excellent service, competitive pricing, and additional perks. SMS4PC can help service industry businesses provide great service and additional perks to its customers.
Here are some of the ways businesses can send SMS messages from their PC to a customer’s cell phone and provide extra service:
• Remind customers of appointments. Appointment reminders can be sent individually or in groups using SMS4PC. When setting appointments, ask customers if they would like appointment reminders sent via text to them, and obtain the correct phone number if they want this service.
• Keep loyal shoppers aware of new items. Small boutiques and specialty shops may have customers who would be interested in new items. A small sporting shop could send SMS messages when the new line of golf clubs arrive, and a fashion boutique could let the ladies know fall fashions are ready to purchase.
• Let customers know about openings. Physician’s offices, dentists, and salons all have a short list. These are people hoping someone else cancels, so they can get in. Providing the news that an appointment is available via SMS message may be convenient for many clients.
The ways a company can provided added value through messages to customers is limited only by the creativity of the company! With SMS4PC, creative ideas can be implemented with ease.
Join the business culture of SMS messaging
At this point, everyone is aware that text messaging is prevalent in societies throughout the world. Text and SMS messaging has come close to taking the place of a quick phone call or email for a variety of communications. Many people make the mistake of relegating SMS messaging to teens and younger crowds. The truth is, anyone in business today needs to have a fundamental understanding of SMS messaging in order to be competitive.
Estimates in 2009 indicated that over 3.5 billion text messages are sent per day. Those are staggering numbers, but even more impressive is that a New York Times article around the same time indicated 97% of all SMS text messages were opened. SMS messages are not known for the same spamming issues which have developed with emails, and users are more likely to open a message on their phone. This means companies who use SMS messaging have a golden opportunity for marketing and providing customer information.
SMS4PC helps users maximize this opportunity. The software does not require someone to be familiar with many technical applications, and can easily be used by anyone with a personal computer. Companies can launch SMS messages from their office to thousands of users worldwide with a click of a button.
SMS4PC is not only good for marketing. Many companies are discovering process efficiencies by utilizing SMS messaging within the organization. Computers can be set up to provide alerts or business communication to employees, consultants, and vendors. In the current global business structure, instant communication across vast distances is required for a company to remain competitive. SMS4PC can provide the tools needed to manage such communication.
Join the business culture of tomorrow, and let SMS4PC provide a valuable tool to keep your business competitive in the future.
Some issues with the downloadable apps…
We got some feedback from some users the last days that the downloadable app we have might crash at a few occasions and also ask a user for re-registration. This is bad and we are working on that as we speak!
In the meantime we recommend all of you who might experience something like this to switch to our web based SMS app. You will be able to use the same account (register the same mobile number), and use the SMS credits you might have purchased already. All the same functions are there and it is extremely simple to get started.
In order to get started signup for web-based SMS here
SMS4PC and Retail Coupons
Coupons are very popular these days, and they aren’t just for groceries anymore. Groupon and other coupon sites have offered discounts on everything from flowers to movie tickets, and the couponing world is sweeping the internet. Current retail culture is such that customers don’t only like coupons and discounts—they expect them from time to time.
In a world where everyone wants to protect their privacy, customers freely sign up with trusted companies for mailing lists, emails, and text messages in order to receive news about special deals. Offer your customers the chance to sign up for SMS messages about deals. Customers can fill out a simple written form with their phone number, which you can later enter into a spreadsheet. If your company has a web presence, consider offering customers the option to sign up for messages online.
Once you have collected customer numbers in spreadsheets, you can follow the instructions in our blog post or video to send hundreds or thousands of customers an SMS message with discount news directly from your computer.
Some examples of items you might want to send include:
1. Notification of flash sales. Slow day in the store or shop? Drive foot traffic with an SMS message stating customers can get 20% off any item for the rest of the day.
2. Coupon Codes. Offer repeat customers an incentive by sending a coupon code for a percentage off one item, buy one get one free, or other deal. Make the coupon code good for a limited time, such as a day or even a few hours. Higher valued codes can expirer in shorter amounts of time.
3. BOGO deals when you bring a friend. Offer a buy one, get one deal if the customer brings a friend. This is especially effective for services. For example, a nail salon might offer BOGO pedicures for a customer who brings a friend. This is also a great way to get new customers.
No matter how you use SMS4PC when sending coupons, you can be sure it will be easy, fast, and cost-effective!