Customer Relationship Management

The Internet 3.0 and SMS are a match made in digital heaven

Internet 3.0 & SMS

Internet 3.0 is upon us. With it comes the Internet of Things (IoT), the darling of the tech world. If Internet 2.0 was all about mobile, then the latest internet revolution is all about connections and mobile engagement. And, the ubiquity of SMS means that it remains an extremely valuable way to communicate in this day and age. It’s no surprise then that the IoT is leveraging the stability of SMS to ensure greater connectivity. They call it application-to-person (A2P) messaging. And here are just a few reasons why it makes sense in the age of Internet 3.0.

Devices will start communicating with you

According to Gartner, we may see up to 21 billion connected devices around the world by 2020. From washing machines to cars and irrigation systems, these devices will all be in close proximity with humans. It makes sense that sooner or later, they’re going to be geared towards communicating with us.

Imagine for a moment you’re sitting in your car and a strange light bleeps on your dashboard. You’re likely to be confused and perhaps even a little panicky. A quick Google search will tell you that it’s a tail light issue. Well, with Internet 3.0, we may just see a time where your vehicle sends you an SMS. It’ll be a simple to understand message informing you “your tail light is no longer working. Would you like me to schedule a repair appointment or find you the nearest motor spares store?”

SMS reduces dev costs and time to market

Internet 3.0 puts us at the beginning of the IoT revolution. Every service is developing and launching an app that keeps users informed with notifications, status updates, and alerts. You’ve heard the expression “There’s an app for that.”, and there just might be. Currently, every IoT device needs a corresponding application to be able to communicate.

And that’s pretty much the story of Internet 3.0 because there’s a major challenge: App fatigue. Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get users to discover, download and install their applications for the very reason that there are just too many available. We’ve mentioned the ubiquity and stability of the SMS. This, coupled with its minimal effect on the processing power of devices, makes it the perfect platform to take over from the app. As IoT gains momentum, there’s bound to be a marriage between IoT devices and SMS delivery. No more app downloads and no more having to develop apps for this purpose.

Let’s look at an example of a connected car making more services available to the car owner simply using SMS and no smartphone app. This shows the efficiency of the SMS over an app.

  1. A basic service where the car sends the owner a diagnostic SMS when there’s a breakdown or malfunction.

  2. The SMS could inform the car owner and offer an option to help with repairs as well as present them with choices as to where they’d like the car repaired.

  3. Still, with no need for an app, teams can easily add functionality that helps with repairs or offers to order new parts for the owner.

  4. SMS notifications can also be sent throughout the process to update the car owner on the progress of their repairs and inform them when their car is ready for collection.

SMS gives you a platform to build on

Every single phone – whether it’s the latest flagship smartphone or your grandmother’s 15-year old-Nokia –  supports SMS. The major advantage is that there is little in the way of software updates and no such thing as OS versions. The same software can be used for years without the need to change things up. No app can boast that sort of flexibility, making the SMS a far better option on which IoT device manufacturers can hedge their bets.

 

If you’d like to learn more about how SMS and A2P messaging is streamlining life as we know it, have a look at our infographic on the topic. It paints an easy-to-understand picture of the current state of IoT play in the A2P SMS market.

 

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