Simple and effective – How SMS in public authorities enable additional service

How SMS in public authorities are used to simplify processes and expand the range of services

Authorities of all kinds deal with many people, who could not be more diverse, on a daily basis. SMS can help to optimize both processes and communication between authorities and their customers. The benefits are obvious: not every person can install an app, SMS messages can be pre-scheduled, they’re more flexible than phone calls, and they attract more attention than emails. If you add a reply option, you can also use SMS as a full-fledged alternative communication channel. If you aim to do this, all you need is your own inbound number.

Let’s take a look at the purposes for which SMS are most commonly used in government agencies as a service to citizens. 

Callback option

There’s no question that during telephone consultation hours, your team has its hands full. To prevent frustration caused by waiting on hold and to offer your citizens an additional service, you can offer a callback option. Citizens send an SMS to your number, in which they briefly describe their concerns or requests. This way, employees know what the call is about before they call back and can make it as effective as possible. Here, too, SMS create another service for your customers, which at the same time helps you to optimize internal processes.

SMS for accessibility and inclusion

Another benefit of SMS is that it can contribute to accessible communication when used wisely. For example, offer people with limited hearing, or speech, the ability to contact you via SMS. This makes it possible to answer short questions in a very productive way.

Perhaps you would also like to send back a link to a sign language video that explains the solution to the question? In addition, for many reasons, it may be easier for different groups of people to contact you via text message. So offer an SMS hotline to make it more convenient for everyone to access your services.

SMS in public authorities – a win-win situation

With SMS you can implement services that not only offer advantages for your citizens, but can also make your own processes more effective.

For example, appointment confirmations and reminders as well as a callback option after an incoming SMS optimize internal processes and offer an additional service at the same time.

SMS can also create direct added value for citizens in public authorities if they are used to adapt existing service offerings to the living environments of citizens. This includes, for example, barrier-free services such as SMS hotlines, but also other ways of making citizen services more flexible, as shown by the example of the document terminal.

The use of SMS in departments with long waiting times does not make time go faster, but it communicates waiting times more transparently and precisely, so that people waiting can pursue other activities during this time without your processes suffering.

So using SMS in public authorities can be useful in many different ways. SMS can help you communicate with your customers as effectively as possible without making it impersonal. Just give it a try.

Do you have any questions? Write us a message – we look forward to hearing from you.

Header picture by scholty1970 via pixabay.com