Sunday, January 22, 2006

Using SMS in business

Shel Holtz has an interesting post in his blog wondering why more businesses aren't taking advantage of the SMS (that's short messaging services for wireless).

It's an interesting point, that gets even more interesting in the comments section. I really like Shel's analogy that leaving home without your mobile is like forgetting your pants! We can't get along without our phones!

I've been using a mobile in one form or another since 1991, when I took my first mobile on the road during a Saskatchewan election campaign. The silly thing was the size of an encylopedia, but what a treat to be able to contact the city desk during those never-ending bus rides. Of course, we ran up an amazing bill -- but all in all, I think it was worth it.

Now, as an independent communications professional (I really should come up with a shorter handle -- any ideas?) my mobile lets me always be available to clients, no matter where I am. It's a necessity, and I am rarely without it.

I think Shel's on to something here. And I expect to see businesses integrating the power of SMS into their business models more and more.

Question -- How many of you use SMS? I've been using it more often lately to communicate with my kids, since I discovered I can send messages free from Bell Canada's website (to other Bell wireless devices.) It's a great timesaver. What are your stories?

2 comments:

Paul said...

I'm so inundated with all the new technological advances that surround my life that I've decided to try to simplify things for a while -- see if I really need all the latest gadgets -- and you know how much I love gadgets!

I have very few friends and family who share my willingness to explore these technological advances so I don't read up on them to learn more. If more people I know get into it, I'll probably explore certain areas but for now, I'm in a technology stasis.

Dave said...

Paul, I know what you mean.

One technology item that's overlooked is the convenience of booking with an airline, getting an electronic ticket, getting a boarding pass on-line from home 12 hours prior to boarding (or using one of the kiosks at the airport) and then just dropping off the bags and walking on. I use the electronic ticketing all the time (and we've been flying a lot in the last year or so) and it works great.

I'm going to try something similar for movie tickets and see whether it works as well. At least then I don't need to depend on my other family members to go along with my little experiments.