Ensuring Mobile Messaging Success: A Guide to Selecting the Best Mobile Messaging Provider

Transcription

1 Ensuring Mobile Messaging Success: A Guide to Selecting the Best Mobile Messaging Provider Introduction You ve done your research. You know that 981 percent of text messages are read within minutes of delivery and that 702 percent of enterprises today consider SMS to be the number one mobile technology to communicate with customers. You ve presented your plan to your company s executives and they re onboard to add mobile messaging to your company s strategy. Now it s time to choose your mobile messaging partner and start bringing your plan to life. But where do you start? The first thing to be aware of is that not all mobile messaging providers are created equal. Add that to the relative newness of using mobile as a marketing channel, and there are some critical questions you need answered before committing budget to a particular vendor. This guide is intended to help you identify your requirements for choosing a mobile messaging provider, and to understand the key questions you should be asking a potential vendor before choosing the service that fits best. The guide also summarizes the key features and benefits of mobile messaging services and the criteria to guide your vendor selection process. 1

2 Mobile Facts Consumers are still more likely to use SMS on a monthly basis than any other messaging type. - Forrester 3 1. What type of routes does the messaging provider use? Individuals send or receive an average of 35 text messages per day that s over 6 billion messages worldwide every 24 hours. Source: Forrester 5 A messaging route is a network pathway that a text message traverses. The importance of using legitimate routes to deliver messages has never been so critical. With the increased importance of mobile context the insight into consumer use patterns, behaviors and attitudes that is available to mobile service providers and enterprises for the purpose of optimizing the end-user experience there is an opportunity to send targeted mobile messaging communications to customers anytime, anywhere, on any mobile device. However, not all mobile messaging providers use legitimate routes. And as awareness of the use of illegitimate routes increases and security concerns grow, mobile network operators are forcing companies to use higher-quality connections on their network by shutting down the illegitimate traffic. This can be done within minutes of the traffic first appearing on a mobile operator s network. Below is a list of three different types of routes that will help you understand which routes are legitimate and will provide the most effective way to reach your customers: White Routes or Direct Connects : Both the messaging source and destination have a legitimate agreement in place to deliver the message. Black Routes: Neither the source nor destination have a legitimate agreement in place. A black route is illegal on both ends. There are approximately 7.2 billion people on the planet at present. 6 There are approximately 7 billion global mobile connections. *GSMA Intelligence 7 Grey Routes: In between the white and black routes are grey routes, which are legal on one end, but illegal on the other. These routes are particularly difficult to detect. The message is transmitted through an unsecured route based on arrangements outside of standard and licensed agreements with mobile operators. Mobile messages delivered using grey routes are likely marketing or spam messages blasted to thousands of people, and they are questionably transmitted through a mobile operator s network dedicated to delivering messages from person to person. 2

3 Mobile Messaging is rapidly becoming the primary way users engage socially on mobile. - Keith Teare, TechCrunch 4 SMS The predominant use of SMS is for communication, but use by commercial entities has grown steadily over the past 10 years Source: Forrester 3 offers With this in mind, the number-one question you should be asking your provider is what type of routes they use to deliver messages. You should look for a provider that uses white routes, or direct connects, for all or the majority of traffic to ensure optimal message delivery. Keep in mind, the more customers your messages reach, the more effective your campaign will likely be. Uses white routes or direct connects to ensure legitimate delivery of my mobile messages (preferred method of delivery) Utilizes grey routes - unsecured route - that has not been authorized to transmit my mobile messages Transmits messaging traffic illegally using black routes The open rate of text promotions/offers is a whopping 98%. *Venture Beat 8 The average latency caused by a route blockage can range from 20 min to 48 hours if an alternate route can be achieved at all Source: Syniverse 9 2. How reliable, scalable and secure is the provider s platform? Once you ve ascertained that your mobile messaging provider is using direct connects, the next thing to look for is a service that has a proven track record of reliability, and the ability to scale in line with your business requirements for future growth. As with direct connects, reliability should be a critical factor in choosing a provider as it relates to the successful delivery of your messages. You should be looking for a provider that can offer you the lowest downtime per year. For example, a platform that offers five-nines ( percent) reliability will give you no more than 5.26 minutes downtime per year, which is just 25.9 seconds per month or 6.05 seconds per week. A mobile messaging provider can offer you this level of service if it is constantly testing and maintaining its platform to ensure optimal performance. In fact, the best messaging providers will have a platform that is georedundant replicating data in two different locations automatically so the likelihood of failure is also extremely unlikely. 3

4 One of the core arguments for SMS is that as it reaches 99.99% of handsets globally, its reach goes beyond smartphone or web-enabled mobile phone owners. - Forrester 3 SMS has a higher capability of reaching consumers at a lower cost, and MMS takes the creativity level of the message to the next level, leading to more engagement. Source: Mobile Marketer 11 SMS Equally critical is the scalability of the platform. You may start out only needing to send 100,000 messages a month to customers in a single country, but as mobile continues to demonstrate its success as a delivery channel to enhance customer engagement, and as your company scales for growth expanding its offerings into new markets, your messaging requirements will grow. The requirement to deliver 100,000 messages to a single country can quickly become a requirement to deliver 1,000,000 per month across multiple countries. With that in mind, you should be looking for a provider whose platform can ramp up or down in line with your messaging requirements and that is able to deliver those messages globally. Delivers five-nines (99.999%) reliability which translates to no more than 5.26 minutes of downtime per year Replicates data to limit the possibility of downtime Handles large messaging volumes on a daily basis Provides encryption, user-level authentication and physical platform security 3. What is the provider s latency for message delivery? A2P SMS is perfect, from taxi bookings to doctor s appointment reminders. From e-receipts to bank account notifications. From TV voting to customer service surveys. A2P SMS is perfect for delivery notes, booking confirmations, shipping notifications, competitions, marketing promotions, advertising and so much more. It s cheap, simple and ubiquitous. Perfect. Source: Portio Research 14 What if you begin to send messages and they are late arriving to the intended audience or aren t arriving at all? This is another important factor when choosing a mobile messaging provider. In order to reach your customers in the mobile moment, it is important to ensure superior throughput of your messages. For example, a mobile messaging provider that can deliver 99.9 percent of messages in less than 15 seconds, and 90 percent of messages in less than 5 seconds will allow you to reach your customers in the mobile moment. Considering this type of delivery speed, you are much more likely to increase conversion and click-through rates with your customers. A provider s system should also be able to monitor messaging throughput and have proactive alarming tools in place to ensure there are no customer and/or mobile network operator messaging queue issues that arise. Furthermore, it is 4

5 Mobile Messaging offers immediacy and simplicity telling the recipient something timely, relevant, and easy to consume. - Forrester 3 SMS A2P SMS is accepted by the vast majority of people. As a medium for customer service, it is unparalleled in reach and even as a marketing channel it is widely accepted providing it is not abused Source: Portio Research 14 important that the provider is able to provide receipts to confirm delivery. The right message is only meaningful if it is delivered to the right place, at the right time, to the right customer. Be sure to choose a trusted mobile messaging vendor that provides the transparency needed to ensure that your messages are being delivered on time. Delivers 99.9% of messages in less than 15 seconds Delivers 90% of messages in less than 5 seconds Monitors messaging throughout and, if an issue arises, has proactive alarming tools in place to correct the issue as quickly as possible Confirms delivery of messaging to customer 4. What additional services can providers offer to help optimize your campaign? Many providers offer additional, or wrap-around services, that can help optimize your mobile messaging campaigns. Examples include short code or long code provisioning in the setup stages, or support designing opt-in flows. Choosing a mobile messaging provider that offers these additional services can strengthen your business operations and enhance your mobile strategy. Additionally, it can eliminate the need to contract several vendors for similar efforts. Compared to , SMS is a far more powerful tool for reactivating customers, with SMS response times on average 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for . Source: The Mobile Marketer 10 Some of the most popular mobile add-on services are those that help enterprises increase customer engagement. Mobile engagement helps brands understand their customers both what they want to know and how they want to receive that information. Brands using services that enhance mobile engagement can empower their customers by giving them the option to select their preferred channel of communication and frequency with which they receive notifications. If your mobile messaging provider offers mobile engagement services, such as a campaign management or provisioning platform, you can centralize your campaigns through a single provider, which will streamline processes and reduce costs. 5

6 Another add-on service a vendor can supply is number identity. Number identity enables the identification of customer s number as either a mobile number, landline number or invalid number. People check their phones 150 times a day. People check their phones an average of 23 times a day for messaging. Source: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers 13 This validation can be done in real time and helps ensure database accuracy to increase the effectiveness of your mobile messaging campaigns. There is a whole list of services that can enhance the execution of your mobile strategy, so be sure to choose a vendor that provides more than just mobile messaging. Offers additional mobile services such as number identity to determine number type (mobile, landline or invalid) Offers services that enhance mobile engagement such as campaign management Eliminates the need to contract several vendors for my mobile marketing efforts 5. What is included in the providers onboarding and customer support process? Wireless carriers' commitment to interoperability among devices and networks propelled SMS to its position as the primary non-voice service that consumers use Source: Forrester 3 Mobile messaging is complex. When integrating mobile as a channel of communication with your customers, it is critical that you choose a mobile messaging provider that has a comprehensive onboarding and customer support program to assist you with any questions you may have. In fact, you should choose a vendor that provides 24/7 support and a dedicated account management team that can commit the time necessary to ensure your mobile messaging campaign success. You don t want to negotiate pricing for additional customer support that should come as standard once you ve already signed the contract, so be sure to ask whether the potential vendor provides onboarding and customer support at the beginning of discussions. Provides 24/7 support Assigns a dedicated account management team Includes customer support as a part of my contract 6

7 6. Does the provider have the mobile and industry-focused expertise to meet your messaging needs? Average minutes a day adults spend using mobile devices: 141. Source: Ad Age 12 84% of people surveyed worldwide say they couldn t go a single day without their mobile device in their hand Source: TIME Magazine 15 SMS So far we ve discussed the mechanics of mobile messaging. While ensuring your mobile messaging provider has the technical service and platform capabilities you need, it is equally important to understand the more intangible aspects of the selection process. Mobile messaging is not an insignificant investment, so how do you know if you are choosing the right partner for your business? As we stated earlier, not all mobile messaging providers are created equal. While there are many providers out there, not all have the industry or mobile experience you need, let alone the scalability or reliability explained previously. So what should you be looking for? Some questions to consider include the following: Is the mobile messaging provider well-established? How long has the company been in the mobile messaging business? How many mobile messaging customers does it have? What is its industry reputation? What direct relationships does it have with the mobile operators in your country? Globally? Understanding the answers to questions like these is as important as understanding technical capabilities. The right mobile messaging partner is one that has the mobile and industry experience needed to future-proof your investment and to support you in every aspect of your mobile messaging journey. The top three priorities for enterprise mobile communication strategies are to increase customer engagement, improve customer satisfaction and acquire new customers all of which SMS can help to achieve. Source: Forrester 2 Has current enterprise customers within my industry vertical Has been in business for a significant amount of time (20+ years) and has a good industry reputation Has established, direct relationships with many mobile operators globally 7

8 About Syniverse Syniverse enables enterprises and social networks to reach nearly every customer, anywhere, anytime, on more than six billion connected devices worldwide. Our innovative, cloud-based solutions help companies optimize mobile engagement and improve business processes through the delivery of timely, relevant information that personalizes the mobile user experience, increases customer loyalty and promotes brand loyalty. For more than 25 years, Syniverse has been simplifying complexity to deliver the promise of mobility. Syniverse makes mobile work for eight of the top banks in the U.S., the top five credit card issuers in the U.S., and some of the world s largest retailers, airlines, and hotels. Summary The mobile messaging providers responses to these six questions will give you the information you need to make an informed decision on selecting your mobile messaging partner. Add these six questions to your proposal process to ensure you choose the right mobile messaging provider for your business. To summarize the most important factors to look for in a mobile messaging partner: Does the provider use white routes, or direct connects? Does the provider s service have the reach necessary to communicate with customers in different markets globally? Can the provider s service scale in line with your requirements to send potentially billions of messages on a daily basis? Does the vendor offer the services you will require in the areas of onboarding, reporting tools, and dedicated account support and training? Does the provider have the mobile and industry-focused expertise to meet your messaging needs? As a mobile messaging provider, Syniverse ensures that messages are being delivered to the right customer at the right time. We have the expertise necessary to deliver large volumes of messages to enterprise customers, and we work directly with operators to guarantee message delivery. Contact us to learn more about our mobile messaging offerings. For more company information, go to com, follow Syniverse on Twitter or visit our page on LinkedIn. 1 The Power of Text Message Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC], Mashable, July SMS is Best: Your Mobile Priorities Might Be Overrated, Underperforming, Wired, March Mobile Messaging Update: Pervasive Consumer Use Offers Unique Engagement Opportunities, July 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. 4 The Future of Mobile Social Could Spell the End for Social Networks, Tech Crunch, May SMS Usage Remains Strong in the US: 6 Billion SMS Messages Are Sent Each Day, Forrester Blog, June GSMA Intelligence Global Data, September Worldometer: Current World Population, August Five Reasons you Should Be Using SMS Based Marketing, Venture Beat, May Syniverse Technologies Study, Different Uses for SMS & MMS Beyond Mobile Marketing, The Mobile Marketer, May Mobile Outlook 2014, February 2014, Mobile Marketer, Page All The Facts You Need to Know About Mobile Marketing, Advertising Age, August Cellphone Users Check Phones 150x/Day and Other Internet Fun Facts, ABC, May Portio Research, Mobile Messaging Futures : Analysis and Growth Forecasts for Mobile Messaging Markets Worldwide: SMS, MMS, OTT and , 7th Edition, 2013, Page Your Life is Fully Mobile, TIME Magazine, August Syniverse Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved under U.S. and international copyright laws. Rev