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The Internet has changed the way millions of people conduct their day-to-day activities. Nowadays, we use technology such as computers, smart phones and tablets to pay bills, purchase merchandise and communicate with friends and family online throughout the day. More importantly, we can use these advanced communication devices to accomplish almost any task at any time from any location. Included in the plethora of data applications available through the Internet, Short Messaging Service (SMS) allows people to send text messages from one cell phone to another cell phone or from the Internet to a cell phone. Because SMS is the most widely used data application in the world, businesses, including 24-hour answering service providers, have started using this tool to communicate with employees and customers. For call centers and 24-hour answering service providers, SMS has become a highly effective method of communication because it provides direct communication with the client or customer without the need to actually speak to the individual. In many instances, the message can be delivered and read without delay because people tend to have their cell phones on all the time and most read every text they receive within a few minutes. Sending a text message also takes less time for the call center agent and the client, which translates into cost savings. Time is money as they say. In addition to allowing instantaneous one-on-one communication, SMS can be used to send a message to multiple recipients at the same time. This becomes extremely important in a crisis situation when information needs to get to a large group of people quickly. SMS messages have an advantage over digital pages too. When your answering service phone center receives a request for “call out” that needs to be forwarded to you, they can send it through digital page or SMS. If you are outside the phone service area, an SMS message is retained by your carrier and delivered once you get back into the service range. Digital pages, however, are not retained, and those messages are lost if you are outside of the phone service area when the page is sent. For businesses and call centers alike, using SMS is a cost-saving measure. However, beyond the money saved, SMS is a convenient tool for call center personnel because they can communicate using SMS directly on their computers through a common Web browser. SMS will never replace the main benefit of using an answering service phone center, which is that customers can call at any time of day and talk to a live person instead of an answering machine. As an additional source of communication, however, SMS is a valuable, timely and convenient method of relaying information.
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