People are more likely to respond sooner to an SMS than to a voicemail message, according to a research study by Opinion Research Corporation.
“The survey confirms my views on the advantages of SMS over voicemail and how SMS messaging promotes efficient and effective communications in the business environment. It also points to the fact that this is a global and not simply a local trend,” says Dr Pieter Streicher, MD of global mobile messaging firm BulkSMS.com.
According to the survey, users under 30 are four times more likely to respond within minutes to an SMS than a voicemail, while 91% of this same age group respond within the hour to an SMS message. The survey also revealed that adults over 30 are twice as likely to reply within minutes to an SMS. The only people who tend not to reply to SMS messages are those above the age of 65.
Streicher believes these findings accurately reflect the South African situation. “The move to adopting SMS as a preferred messaging medium among South Africa cellphone users is becoming evident. While it is, indeed, easier to leave a voicemail when you call someone, more and more people are hanging up and SMSing instead. It seems the quicker response from an SMS is worth the effort,” comments Streicher.
The survey also revealed that while adults over 65 are less likely to send an SMS to a co-worker than to their children, the younger co-workers preferred responding to an SMS than a voicemail.
This, according to Streicher, is a sign that SMS habits are being carried into work-related communications. “SMS is even more compelling for businesses in the services sector that constantly deal with clients. Imagine someone working at the customer services desk, whose full-time job is to contact clients and update them on the progress of an order, when a vehicle can be collected, or to confirm an appointment. It is far more effective for them to use SMS to get hold of their clients.
“The increased use of application-to-person SMS messaging solutions is testament to the increased use of SMS for business communications more generally, and a possible reason why voicemail messages are not as popular as they used to be,” concludes Streicher.
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