Let’s explore in more detail how automated SMS workflows can transform and automate customer service operations. But, before we move forward, let’s clarify the meaning of automated SMS workflows.

What automated SMS workflow is?

Automated SMS workflows are pre-programmed sequences of actions that are triggered by specific events or conditions. In the context of customer service, these workflows are used to send automated SMS messages to customers based on their interactions with a business. For example, an automated SMS workflow could be triggered when a customer places an order, and it sends a confirmation message with the order details.

Main Components of Automated SMS Workflows

Main Benefits of Using SMS Workflows for Customer Service

SMS has become a popular and effective communication channel for customer service due to some unique benefits as outlined below:

• Instantaneous Communication: SMS is like sending a digital note. It reaches the recipient almost immediately, providing fast and efficient communication.
• Direct Reach: Unlike email, SMS bypasses spam trigger words and goes straight to the customer’s phone. This ensures a higher open rate and better engagement.
• Personal Touch: SMS feels more personal than email or phone calls. It allows for a direct conversation with the customer, building trust and loyalty.
• Cost-Effective: SMS is a relatively inexpensive communication channel, especially compared to phones, making it a viable option for businesses of all sizes.
• Multi-Channel Integration: SMS can be easily integrated with other communication channels, such as email and social media, to provide a seamless customer experience.

How to Implement Automated SMS Workflows for (Customer Services) Common Issues

Trigger: Incoming message

Workflow: Trigger on incoming message → Auto-reply acknowledging receipt → Provide estimated response time

Liya, a busy working professional from Michigan, USA, decided to purchase a new smartphone online. She visited an e-commerce website and selected a model that met her requirements. After placing the order, she didn’t receive an automated confirmation SMS with the order details and an estimated delivery time. So she sent the message:

Liya’s Message: “Hi, I ordered a smartphone on [date] and haven’t received a shipping confirmation yet. Can you please check the status?”

Automated Response: “Dear Liya, thank you for contacting us from Ahmedabad. We apologize for the delay in processing your smartphone order. Your order is currently being prepared for shipment. We will send you a shipping confirmation with tracking details as soon as it’s available. Please allow up to 24 hours.”

Trigger: Order Tracking

Workflow: Trigger on order status change → SMS notification with tracking details

A few days later, Liya received another automated SMS informing her that her smartphone had been shipped from the warehouse in Michigan. The message included a tracking number, allowing Liya to monitor the delivery progress.

Automated Response: “Dear Liya, thank you for your order. Your [mobile phone model] has been confirmed and is scheduled for shipment on October 20, 2024. You will receive a tracking number once it’s shipped from our Michigan warehouse.”

Trigger: Complaint Submission & Handling

Workflow: Trigger on complaint submission → SMS acknowledgment → Follow-up for additional information or resolution

When the smartphone arrived, Liya was excited to unbox it. However, she noticed that the camera was faulty. Disappointed, she contacted customer support through the website. An automated acknowledgment message was sent to her immediately, assuring her that her complaint had been received.

Liya’s Message: “Hi, I just unboxed my new smartphone and noticed the camera is faulty. I’ve submitted a complaint through the website. Please let me know how soon I can expect a resolution. Thank you!”

Automated Acknowledgment: “We apologize for the inconvenience. We have received your complaint regarding the faulty camera on your smartphone. Our team will investigate the issue and provide a resolution as soon as possible.”

A customer support representative from the Michigan-based team followed up with Liya to gather more details about the issue. They arranged for a technician to visit her home to inspect the device. After confirming the camera fault, the technician promised to replace the smartphone.

“Hi Liya, Our technician, Mr.Jezz, will be at your home on Thursday, October 24 at 3:00 PM to check your [mobile phone model]. Please be ready.”

Trigger: FAQs and Product Information

Workflow: Trigger on keyword detection → SMS response with FAQ or resource link

While waiting for the replacement, Liya had a question about the warranty coverage. She sent a message to customer support asking about the duration of the warranty and what it covered.

“Hi, I recently purchased a [mobile phone model] and would like to know more about the warranty coverage. Can you please provide information on the duration of the warranty and what it covers?”

An automated response was sent to her, providing a link to the warranty terms and conditions: “Hi Liya, Your [mobile phone model] comes with a 1-year warranty. For more details, check out [Link to warranty terms].”

A few days later, Liya received her replacement smartphone.

Automated Response: “Hi Liya, Your replacement [mobile phone model] is ready for pickup at our Michigan store. We’ve missed you! Enjoy your device. Thanks for choosing [Your Company Name].”

Trigger: Handling Complaints and Feedback

Workflow: complaint submission → SMS acknowledgment → Follow-up for additional information or resolution

She was satisfied with the prompt resolution of the issue and the excellent customer service provided. As a thank you, she shared her positive experience on social media: “Just wanted to give a shoutout to [Your Company Name] for their amazing customer service! They quickly fixed the issue with my [mobile phone model] and went above and beyond to ensure I was happy. Highly recommend them!”

Automated Response: “Hey Liya, Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you’re satisfied with the repair of your [mobile phone model]. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we’re committed to providing the best possible customer service. We hope you continue to enjoy your [mobile phone model]. Thank You!”

Throughout her smartphone journey, Liya benefited from the automated SMS workflows. The timely notifications, efficient complaint handling, and instant answers to her questions made her experience seamless and hassle-free.

Best Practices for Using Automated SMS Workflows

Implementing automated SMS workflows in customer service can significantly enhance the customer experience when executed with best practices in mind. Personalization of messages is crucial; customers appreciate receiving tailored content that addresses their specific needs and preferences. By leveraging customer data, businesses can craft messages that resonate with individuals, making them feel valued and understood.

Furthermore, it is essential to ensure compliance with regulations, such as opt-in requirements, which safeguard customer privacy and maintain trust. Customers should be given clear options to opt in for SMS communications, and businesses must respect their preferences at all times.

To maintain the effectiveness of automated workflows, organizations should regularly review and optimize their workflows and processes. This involves analyzing engagement metrics and customer feedback to identify areas for improvement, ensuring that the SMS communications remain relevant and effective over time.

Lastly, integrating SMS with other customer service channels, such as email and chat, can create a seamless experience for customers. By establishing a cohesive communication strategy, businesses can provide timely and consistent support.

Comidor Workflow Automation – SMS Component

Comidor allows seamless integration of SMS notifications within automated workflows, provided there is an SMS service provider. The SMS workflow component can be customized by adding the settings as described in the respective guide.

These SMS notifications can be dynamically connected to various workflow events, gateways, or activities using conditional flows, ensuring timely and automated communication within business processes.

Conclusion

In wrapping up our discussion on automated SMS workflows, it’s clear that the benefits are not just advantageous—they’re transformative. So, why wait? Take the leap and explore SMS automation solutions that can redefine how you connect with your customers. Let SMS be your secret weapon in the quest for customer satisfaction and loyalty!

Author Bio:
Philip Portman is the Founder and CEO of Textdrip, a business texting platform catering to industries such as Solar, Travel & Tourism, E-Commerce, Insurance, Hotels & Hospitality, Car Dealerships, Real Estate, and Healthcare. He has successfully launched several startups including landlineremover.com and argosautomation.com. With expertise in SMS marketing and digital automation, Philip is also an esteemed member of the Forbes Technology Council.

The post How to Use Automated SMS Workflows to Resolve Common Customer Service Issues appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

Comidor Notifications and Reminders (N&R) form the backbone of Comidor Communication. While Comidor offers many standard communication tools (Emails, internal messaging, instant messaging, video calling), the Comidor N&R system puts these all into effect by delivering instant notifications.

Notifications Bar

The Notifications Bar is where you will be notified of any update regarding:

• A specific task
• New messages
• New Emails
• Colleagues that are on absence

When an icon is orange you have a new notification.

	System Notifications (Notifications). These Notifications inform you when someone adds a new task/process, when a task/process is due to start when someone has shared a folder with you, or when an existing task/process has been completed. Reminders will also be displayed here. These Notifications are also displayed in the Workbench Activity Stream.
	Emails Notifications (Messages). When you receive a new Email, a Mailbox notification will appear here. Configure the type of Email Notifications you wish to receive in User Settings.
	Calendar. View your Tasks for the current day. There is a drop-down menu to filter tasks shown i.e. assigned by the user, assigned to the user, team tasks, all tasks.
	Absences. On this tab you can be informed about the employees that are on leave.

1. Click on the Notifications icon to view System Notifications. Choose a Notification and it will redirect you to the Comidor object’s page. Press ‘x’ to close the menu.
   You can also Dismiss all System Notifications by clicking the button at the bottom of the pop-up menu.

You can restore or see deleted Notifications from the Notifications unit: Workplace > Notifications

2. In Messages, you can see unread Emails and Messages

• • Click on Today to see Emails and messages which you have received today. Past shows Emails and messages received on previous days. Outbox is Emails which have been scheduled to be sent in the future
  • Click on an Email to read it and on the completion icon to set it as read and completed. This will remove the email notification from the infobox. It will still be available for you to read in your Mailbox. You also can Mark all as read and completed. You can undo this and mark them as unread or incomplete at a later date if you wish

By default, you only see notifications for the Messages and Emails that you have received in the Priority Inbox of your Mailbox. If you wish to receive notifications from the Inbox of your Mailbox as well you can configure this in User Settings.

3. Click on the Calendar icon to view your Calendar.

• • The Calendar gives a day by day, week by week or for the whole month view of your tasks, meetings, etc or . You can click on any task to see more information.
  • You can choose to view today’s tasks, overdue tasks or upcoming tasks. Click on the ‘√’ icon to set a task as complete.

4. Click on the Absences icon to see the colleagues that are on leave. You can choose to view the employees that are on absence today or any upcoming absences to delegate efficiently the tasks.

Sending & Receiving Notifications

1. You can create a Notification by selecting the menu option “Notify”. This option is available in almost all of the Comidor objects’ Actions Icon (Tasks, Opportunities, Projects, Processes, etc)
   

2. A pop-up window will appear
   • Add the Notification Message
   • Select the Users to notify from your Organizational Chart. You can also send the notification to a group of users
   • You can send the notification as an Email to people not using Comidor from any Email address you have connected to Comidor. Simply type in the recipient’s Email address
   • You also have the possibility to notify people by email. The system automatically sends an email to the email address that was registered in the system for the specific person.
   • 
     

1. Click on send to send the notification

2. Recipients will receive the notification in their Notifications Bar. 

Setting a Reminder

1. A Comidor Reminder can be created for Tasks and any type of Process.
   • For Tasks – while viewing a Task record, click on the Action Icon and select
     Schedule Notification. You can set the reminder when creating a new task
   • For all types of Processes, click on the Action Icon and select Notify
     

2. For Tasks, a pop-up window will appear. You can schedule the reminder to appear:
   • on Task Completion
   • On the scheduled task completion date
   • When a Task is a number of days/hours/minutes delayed
   • Any amount of Days/Hours/Minutes prior

You can select yourself and other users to be the recipient of the notification and choose between SMS or Email for how the notification will be sent.

For Processes, a pop-up window will appear. Choose for the reminder to appear either on the scheduled completion date or the number of days before/after the scheduled completion date. You can choose the recipient of the reminder and whether or not you want an Email to be sent also.

3. The recipients will receive the reminder notification in their Notifications Bar under System Notifications (Notifications). Email reminders can be sent provided that you have connected your Email account to your Comidor account.

Previous Notifications

1. From the User Apps Icon, go to Workplace > Notifications
2. All system and notes Notifications that have been received can be viewed here and are ordered chronologically
3. From the list view shown below, multiple notifications can be selected and have actions performed on them (such as delete or reactivate)
   

• Click on Link with to connect selected Notifications with another Comidor object. You can link a Process, Task, or File, etc
• You can also click on reactivate if you want to see Notifications again in your Notifications Bar
• You can search for or filter notifications

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