The efforts of public health workers, contact tracers and medical professionals has never more critical as it is today in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Tracking and notifying people who may have been exposed to the virus and getting them to quarantine is absolutely critical to containing any further spread of the disease.
Normally this done with a phone call.
But there are challenges in attempting to reach people this way...
- Today, many people ignore incoming voice calls. After all, the people in their immediate social circles send them text messages. Incoming calls often come from outsiders - often from telemarketers or scammers - and as a result they are viewed with suspicion.
- Not everyone has voice minutes on their phones. People struggling financially may only have a "texting only" package as its the most affordable option for communication.
- It's time consuming. Calling people over and over and leaving messages is a waste of time for staff who are already struggling with a massive workload.
The solution to struggling to reach people with phone calls is to send them a text or SMS message with Connect SMS, our specialized desktop texting software.
Text messages are not secure and should not be used for sending personal or sensitive information. What they are great for is making an initial connection so that the conversation can move to another, more secure channel. For example, use text to reach someone and ask them to call you, or set up a time to call them when they're expecting you.
There are 7 reasons why you'll want to consider using Connect SMS to reach your audience with simple text messages...
Reason #1: People Read Text Messages.
People read almost every text message they get, and they do so - on average - within a few minutes.
And it's not just the proximity to their phones that explains the allure of text messages. After all, most people can pick up their emails on the very same device, yet these go unseen for hours or days at a time. The difference is that 99.9% of text messages originate from a select group of very close contacts within your immediate social circle. Emails, on the other hand, can come from anyone.
When my phone alerts me of a new message for example, I know it's from my girlfriend, my mom or a handful of very close friends. Because these are the people I care the most about, it's rare that it takes me more than a few minutes to review that message. Your contacts, and very likely you yourself - are exactly the same.
Delivering your message via text puts you in this very elite company and gives your message the priority it deserves.
Reason #2: Connect SMS is Cloud Based
What does this mean to you?
It means the software can be accessed with a modern browser from anywhere with Internet access and there's no impact on your current IT systems (since there's no downloadable software).
More importantly during a global pandemic, it means it's ideal for working remotely.
Reason #3: Built In Oversight for Accountability
Connect SMS makes it easy to ensure your staff are adhering to your organization's established communication policies and protocols by allowing administrators the ability to oversee all the conversations on the platform.
Reason #4: Complete Record Keeping
With Connect SMS, it's easy to ensure that a complete record of all conversations - with date and times stamps of all message threads included - is maintained, if that is important you.
The ability of regular Connect SMS "Users" to delete conversations can be disabled and only users with administrator level access can delete active or archived conversations - thus preventing the inadvertent or deliberate deletion of data.
Reason #5: Save Money By Eliminating the Need for Multiple Hand Held Devices
Connect SMS can be used by dozens or even hundreds of people within the same organization, essentially providing them with access to a private cell phone number without the cost associated with one.
Reason #6: Easy to Use - No Long Learning Curve
The basics of using Connect SMS can be achieved in 2 minutes and 32 seconds. That's the length of the Quick Start video on the software's dashboard.
Reason #7: Affordable
Subscriptions for the Connect SMS desktop texting app start at just $24.99/month.
We offer a free, no obligation 30-day demo for qualifying businesses and organizations.
You can sign up for a demo here.
To learn more about Connect SMS, click here.
To send us an email with your questions, click here.
To reach us by voice, call 877 403 2402 (9-5, Monday to Friday EST).
Leave a Reply