Even the best of SMS campaigns will end up with a little bit of wastage. Large amounts of texts will be sent out, and perhaps only a fraction of recipients respond in a meaningful way. It takes a lot of messages to produce the desired result, and this should be expected in any text-based campaign. However, there are ways to cut the costs and trim down the list, ensuring that only the most relevant customers are on the receiving end. SMSes are cheap, but not free, therefore you want them to be used as efficiently as possible. We live in an age where mobiles are about to outnumber PCs, making the mobile medium more important for communication than ever before. This is where Number Lookup (also known as HLR – Home Location Register) comes into play.
What’s Number Lookup?
So what exactly is Number Lookup services (also known as HLR)? Simply put, it’s a database of information that gives you instant access to all your clients’ details such as the phone number, carrier, validity and more. For a company employing an SMS campaign, this is of vital importance to make sure their messages get through.
If you send out bulk SMS without number lookup, it could cost you a great deal in the long run. As previously mentioned, sending an SMS isn’t free. By theory, thousands of messages are sent to the subscribers at the same time as it should be, but without a number discovery system, this is not certain.
For example, people will move between carriers, change their mobile numbers, moving overseas or no longer using their phone. Therefore there will be no recipient on the others end to read the messages. Some businesses can lose up to 30% on messages sent to unresponsive or old numbers. Again, not everyone will respond to a bulk SMS, but it’s crucial to the success of the campaign that every single text sent out is received.
How to use Number Lookup?
This is where number lookup can help, it gives you all the information you need for a successful SMS campaign. First and foremost, it gives up-to-date information on whether a subscriber’s number is still active, as well as their carrier. This will confirm that there has been activity on the phone and it is worth sending a text. Number lookup can also tell you if the phone is switched on or off; which may not seem incredibly useful unless you consider the fact that the phone may be constantly switched off, not in use and therefore not a viable option for contacting a customer.
Using a number-lookup system will also ensure the texts are directly reaching through the recipients, and cutting the significant costs as there is a far lesser risk of wasted messages. Moreover, the cost of the service is also minimal – often cases less than a quarter of sending a text – meaning that looking up a number is certainly worth the time and money to ensure your campaign reaches the right people.
Other Benefits of Number Lookup
Number Lookup isn’t simply for use in SMS campaigns, as many companies now rely on texts to relay important information. For example, if a bill is past due, the situation may warrant a reminder text. You can also use SMS to update a customer as to their billing situation, account details or any reminder that may be necessary. However, you’ll want to ensure that the text is getting through, particularly in the case of an important matter such as a bill. A number lookup system will let you know all the details so that no message is wasted.
Getting the Message Across
Sending out messages to unreachable clients is a waste of time, money and resources; it’s also completely avoidable, provided you have the right tools and know-how to use them. A good number lookup system should provide you with all the information you need for a successful SMS campaign, timely reminders and any other form of mobile communication. This includes current phone number, carrier, phone usage and more.
With this tool, you’ll save yourself from sending dud messages and make sure that the important information gets to the right people.
