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TIMP SMS: infallible for reminders and welcome messages

TIMP SMS: infallible for reminders and welcome messages

SMS is a basic but solid communication channel like few others.
Take advantage of it in your center.

admin timp · Reading time: 5 min.
13 January 2021
TIMP’ s booking app is an exceptional tool for your business: with it your clients book without contacting the center, pay for your services even before their appointment and find out about your latest news from their smartphone.

Normally this information is sent by email and push notifications directly to the mobile device.
The latter way is even better, as customers receive your latest news on their phone in rich text format.
This makes your communications much more attractive.

But what if you have customers who have not yet downloaded the app or verified their email address ?

It is in these cases when the legendary SMS comes to save the day.
Want to know how it does it?

We explain it to you below.
And not only that: we also give you some simple tips to make your SMS notifications as effective as possible.

SMS notifications: maximum effectiveness in the 21st century

When you get a new customer and you want them to download the TIMP booking app, you usually send them a welcome email.
From there they can download the app and start managing their bookings conveniently from their smartphone.

From then on, you can also send them appointment reminders so that they don’t forget to attend the sessions they have booked.
These reminders are sent in push notification format, which means that your client must have the app installed on their mobile device to receive them.

But what if he hasn’t downloaded it yet?
What if he hasn’t even verified his email address for you to send him the welcome email?

“My customer has not downloaded the app and does not have verified mail…. what do I do?”

You may wonder if this is common… or if it’s even possible for it to happen today.
Customers who don’t download the booking app or don’t even have email?

Well, although this is a rare situation, the truth is that there are customers who, due to their advanced age and/or low use of technology, are reluctant to use mobile applications or create an email account.
There are also those who, due to specific circumstances, do not have access to one or the other.

That’s why more basic technology is sometimes necessary, and SMS rarely disappoints in this respect: you don’t have to install anything to receive them, they don’t need email to reach their recipient, and they have been around for so many years that even people who are now very old were in their second youth when SMS became popular, so they are totally familiar with it.

Who doesn’t have a cell phone?

No one.
Consequently, everyone can receive these short messages as long as you have their phone number.

For that reason, when the other ways of contact are not available TIMP uses SMS to welcome your customers to the center and remind them when they have a reservation there (whether you created the reservation manually because you don’t have the app or if they created it from the app but don’t have a phone these days for any reason).

How to have SMS in your TIMP panel?

Relax: you don’t have to manually send an SMS to every customer who doesn’t have an app or email.

TIMP offers you different SMS packages so that the system can send them automatically if necessary.
Each of them includes a different number of SMS so that you can choose the one that best suits the needs of your center.

For example, for a small center where the majority of users use smartphones, an initial pack of 100 SMS might be sufficient for unforeseen events.
If, on the other hand, you manage a large sports center with a considerable percentage of users without smartphones or who do not use applications, it would be a good idea to opt for a 2000 SMS pack.

See this article to learn about the different SMS vouchers available and how to purchase them:

TIMP SMS Bonus

Our support team can help you decide which number of messages is ideal for your center based on its characteristics.
And remember that, in any case, TIMP will only send its infallible SMS messages when the customer is not using the other communication options, so these message packages usually last quite a long time.

However, just because it is a foolproof means of communication doesn’t mean that you can’t follow a few simple steps to make it even more effective.

We tell you about them.

How to further increase the effectiveness of your SMS notifications

These short, no-frills messages reach any phone, but you must take into account a number of specific circumstances and follow certain steps for them to be one hundred percent effective.

These are:

Keep an eye on its size

An SMS can be up to 160 characters long.
Therefore, be specific and do not use accents, since they reduce its length to 70 characters.

Check the configuration of your center

The SMS messages are adjusted to the general configuration of your center regarding the Silent Mode and night time slots.
Keep this in mind because in this mode and at those times TIMP will not send the message.

Don’t forget: SMS is the last alternative

Since our software uses SMS as a last resort for communication with your customer, if you try to send it to a customer who does have an app or email it will not be launched.
See in detail our protocol for sending notifications.

Off or out of coverage

Although this is no longer up to you, if your user has his phone turned off, he will not receive the SMS until he turns it on.
You must take this into account.

Who knew that in rare cases the old text message would never go out of style?

Contact our support team and purchase the right SMS package for your center now.
Don’t let any circumstance prevent your communications from reaching your customers!

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