The current global pandemic is forcing companies to rethink the way they communicate with customers and employees, and to devise new ways to convey the latest news to key stakeholders. Some of these changes may be temporary—they will last as long as public health experts recommend social distancing—but we suspect the majority will remain in place as a best practice for communications in general or as a fallback method for crisis communications.
Why mobile messaging during a crisis?
In most cases, organizations already have messaging channels in place; for employees, customers, and prospects. And unlike email, mobile messaging is always-on and much more likely to be seen/read by your audience.
However, it's not just about one message achieving its goal, which is just as important during a crisis. Mobile messaging also offers AI-powered intelligence; a crucial capability for organizations needing to inform the public about a complex and rapidly changing situation. Whether it's deploying chatbots that answer specific questions your audience might have, or using personalization to deliver the most relevant messaging to each individual in your audience, AI can help you ensure a tsunami of information is properly narrowed and targeted to those who need it most.
The video also opens up new ways to interact and serve
In addition to mobile messaging, companies are leveraging video to keep their customer base engaged and updated with the latest information. During the coronavirus pandemic, video has become a key way to quickly send messages. And many in-person meetings, services, and events are being replaced by on-demand or live video; from live conferences to telemedicine, virtual offices, and remote learning.
Organizations that manage the crisis with SMS / messaging and video
How are organizations, from global corporations to government agencies and even smaller organizations, using messaging and video? Here's a look at some examples we've seen recently:
Public health communications
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched a WhatsApp chatbot to disseminate information about COVID-19. The chatbot shares current infection rates and answers to questions about the coronavirus. Country-specific WhatsApp chatbots are also currently being developed.
The advantage of using chatbots in this way is that they don't have to limit the information available. Consumers have a wide range of questions about the situation unfolding before them, from what symptoms to look for and how to treat coronavirus at home, to the impact on businesses and public testing locations. Using a chatbot, consumers can choose the topics they're most interested in and create their own "paths" for gathering information.
Virtual healthcare formats
Eligible healthcare visits are moving to a telemedicine model to reduce in-person interactions. Using secure APIs and software development kits, providers can use video calls to continue to care for patients (and bill for services) while protecting patients, providers and staff from infection.
In addition to video calls in Directly, providers can also record and send short videos to their patient population, conveying news about the coronavirus and steps to stay healthy.
Health surveillance
Where local laws allow, some public health organizations are monitoring people diagnosed with coronavirus to keep local residents aware of emerging outbreaks. In Israel, for example, neighbors of any resident diagnosed with coronavirus are alerted by text message and are advised to shelter in place.1 Other surveillance programs emerging from the ground are voluntary, asking residents to self-report to provide people in their region with more granular information on the location of coronavirus cases.
Virtual tools for the workforce
Most global companies have been forced to send at least part of their workforce home, and the rapid shift from office to telecommuting has prompted many to adopt new tools and ways of working. Video conferencing and voice technologies are easy to implement for remote workers (though companies must be vigilant about whether the tools they choose use encryption to prevent abuse, a major concern for rapidly dispersed workforces).
Video conferencing, once used by a small portion of the workforce, has now become mainstream. Sales calls, college lectures, job interviews, and even exercise classes are now easily conducted via videoconference. The question arises as to whether organizations will fully return to in-person meetings, especially those that require travel.
Crisis communications
SMS/text messaging is an excellent way to deliver real-time information. Local and national governments are increasingly using messaging to alert the public about local outbreaks, public resources, and live press conferences. Keep in mind that these messages can include photos, videos, and even online assessments—formats that can help deliver complex information in a more digestible way.
Cancellation / rescheduling of appointments
Sinch research shows that consumers were already open to doing more with providers and healthcare companies (e.g., pharmacies) via messaging, from receiving notifications about upcoming appointments to rescheduling appointments and refilling prescriptions. The current public health crisis is accelerating the adoption of these types of services. For example, many hospitals are canceling elective surgeries and other non-urgent appointments to free up space for critically ill patients. Eliminating mass appointment cancellations via messaging (and receiving immediate confirmation from consumers that they've received the message) frees medical practices from having to make lengthy phone calls.
For organizations transitioning to mobile communications, Sinch research shows that consumers prefer the default messaging app on their mobile phone over other messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp) or dedicated healthcare apps. The 47% prefers TXT/SMS, compared to the 31% prefers dedicated healthcare apps, and the 22% prefers messaging apps.
Travel updates in real time
The current crisis is wreaking havoc on the travel industry, with flights being canceled at a moment's notice and customers rescheduling planned trips en masse. Messaging offers airlines a quick and efficient way to reschedule flights and convey critical travel updates. When a flight is canceled, for example, an airline sends a mobile notification: "Flight 6548 to Paris has been canceled. The next available flight to Paris (CDG) from your location departs tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Can we reserve a seat for you?" The traveler replies "Yes," and the exchange is complete. (Sinch research shows that most consumers find travel notifications useful: 67% said they were "very useful," and another 27% found them "somewhat useful.")
Spotlight on good works
Many companies are finding ways to support frontline workers most at risk from COVID-19. Fashion brands are adapting production lines to make masks, chemical manufacturers are producing hand sanitizer, and dozens of global brands like JetBlue, Starbucks, Hertz, and Four Seasons are donating goods and services to healthcare workers. Brands can highlight this good work with short videos from the field shared via social media and messaging apps. Be careful, however, that the videos focus on why it's crucial to support frontline workers (and how others can do so) rather than encouraging the brand's efforts.
Community engagement
The Red Cross has long relied on SMS and app-based messaging to engage its blood donor community. During the current crisis, these communications are more important than ever. The Red Cross is experiencing severe shortages because many blood drives at workplaces and schools have been canceled. It is using its existing mobile messaging network to raise awareness about blood donation locations and to send urgent appeals for donations to people with rare blood types.
Broadcast difficult news
Some communications are better conveyed via video than plain text. Text messages can be easy to misinterpret, but videos convey not just words, but tone, warmth, and posture, making them much more appropriate for communicating sensitive news. Companies are using short, video-based communications to stay in touch with employees during the pandemic and convey sensitive information, such as news about short-term closures and new safety procedures in place to protect employees.
Transport / delivery notifications
Many companies are introducing new policies and procedures to protect their delivery drivers, which requires careful communication with customers. For example, in the United States, pizza giant Domino's has introduced "contactless delivery" (and, in a sign of the company's optimism for the future, is hiring 10,000 workers to meet expected demand). The new system requires customers to pay online (cash payments are not accepted) and ensures that deliveries are made in compliance with social distancing guidelines. Tips can also be made electronically, an important feature at a time when people want to recognize (and reward) the dangerous work of delivery drivers.
Choose a multi-channel approach
For companies rapidly implementing new messaging or video formats, the key is to find consumers where and how they prefer to interact. While some consumers will want to receive messages via their default phone app, others are much more accustomed to using dedicated messaging platforms like WhatsApp (and services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have the added benefit of including advanced messaging formats, which are not yet available from some carriers).
If you need ideas on how messaging is being used by different generations and countries, or ideas on what types of messaging consumers welcome from businesses, check out here the Mobile Consumer Engagement Report 2020.
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