Managing SMS contact lists just got easier

Companies with large, centralised databases face a dilemma when seeking a solution to send bulks SMS messages.

Do they opt for a solution which requires a separate data management process to import a contact list of cell phone numbers? Or should they look to a solution that seamlessly and dynamically links to their datasets?

Larger or more sophisticated enterprises, such as financial service providers, banks and retailers, typically have centralised contact management systems (CMS) and require the latter option. Any decentralisation of data would reduce the integrity of their CMS.

Even smaller enterprises with a growing customer base would feel more comfortable dynamically linking to contact details from a single database, rather than spending additional time in creating and importing lists of cellphone numbers and personalised messages into a communications solution.

"The efficient management of customer data is a key challenge for businesses. Introducing another management system does not make business sense," said Dr Pieter E Streicher, managing director of BulkSMS.com, a leading wireless application service provider.

"The BulkSMS Text Messenger is designed to support external databases. There is no need to create a new content list. Our bulk messaging software aims to improve business workflow efficiency and staff productivity by directly linking to an enterprise's centralised database."

The BulkSMS Text Messenger is a desktop application that makes using SMS communications as easy as sending and receiving e-mail.

The application seamlessly integrates data and communications using the External Contact Datasources feature. Up to date customer data can be selected, SMS messages personalised, and customers segmented into separate groups. This is done using Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to reference database management systems such as SQL, MySQL, Oracle, Pastel Accounting, ACCPAC, and Goldmine.

The BulkSMS Text Messenger is able to access data in real-time, taking into account any recent changes or updates to a database. For example, sending birthday greetings to a staff list requires a system that can identify and send SMS's to different recipients with a personalised message on a daily basis. The solution also supports the sending of account balances or client care SMS notifications from a centralised database to relevant customers.

"The BulkSMS Text Messenger improves productivity by dynamically linking to an external list of cellphone contacts. It is able to handle a list of, for instance, half a million contacts and messages. There is no need to manually sort through data, create a new contact list, and then import to a communications tool before sending an SMS to a customer," said Streicher.

The BulkSMS Text Messenger also filters and cleans cellphone data in preparation for messaging. This is a significant time-saving application, as it automatically adds country codes prefixes (for example, +27 for South Africa or +44 for the United Kingdom) and eliminates spaces or dashes in the column containing cellphone numbers.

"We developed this desktop software in-house and are constantly refining it to deliver additional value to our clients. The external database link and advanced data management features go a long way in meeting a large company's requirements for an enterprise SMS solution," said Dr Streicher.

BulkSMS.com is planning to hold an advanced workshop on how to make the most out of the BulkSMS Text Messenger's features, including how to use the external database feature. The workshop will be held later in the year. Any interested parties should contact BulkSMS.com for further details on e-mail: info@bulksms.com.