Every few years, a new communication channel arrives with the promise of making SMS obsolete. Messaging apps, chatbots, social media — each has been touted as the technology that will finally kill text messaging as a customer communication channel.
And every few years, SMS defies the obituaries. Open rates for SMS remain extraordinarily high — consistently above 90%, compared to 20-30% for email. Response rates are similarly superior. And unlike many digital channels, SMS reaches customers where they are, on a device they check constantly.
Why SMS Persists
The persistence of SMS as an effective customer channel reflects some fundamental truths about how people use their phones:
SMS notifications feel urgent in a way that email notifications don’t. When your phone buzzes with a text, most people check it almost immediately. This makes SMS ideal for time-sensitive communications: appointment reminders, delivery notifications, security codes, outage alerts.
SMS requires no app installation, no account creation, and no data connection beyond basic cellular service. It works on every phone, regardless of age or sophistication.
SMS is direct — there’s no algorithm deciding whether to show your message, no inbox that might be ignored for days, no spam filter to navigate.
How Telnet Uses SMS
At Telnet, SMS is an important part of our omnichannel capability. We use it for outbound communications — appointment reminders, follow-up messages, survey invitations — as well as inbound handling where appropriate.
The key is integration: SMS interactions should be visible in the same customer record as phone calls, emails, and other channel interactions. A customer who received an SMS yesterday and calls today should be served by an agent who can see that SMS interaction and use it as context.
SMS isn’t a standalone channel — it’s a component of a connected customer experience. Used well, it’s as valuable today as it was when it first appeared.
