Short Message Service (SMS) technology is not new. In fact, its been around for some years now on mobile phones and other handheld devices, however it is only fairly recently that weve been able to easily and effectively utilise such a technology via the web. Having an SMS-enabled website can bring a lot to the table. From user account verifications to marketing campaigns the possibilities are endless and with SMS providers making it so simple to implement, its really just a matter of jumping on the bandwagon.

To clarify things a little, web-based SMS technology is basically the means of utilising SMS messages via websites and other web-based applications. SMS messages can be sent automatically, manually or via alerts or triggers that have been put in place by the site administrator. The use of such an exceptional technology via the web brings a whole new dimension to how we do things online and can expose our online presence to a whole new audience on an entirely different platform.

In order to give you a better understanding of how web-based SMS technology can be applied to your website and overall business practice, take a look at some of the examples below.

- An SMS message can be sent to a websites owner whenever a new order is placed via their online store

- When a new user joins up to your website, a verification code can be sent to their mobile to ensure their details are correct

- SMS messages can be sent for marketing purposes during marketing campaigns, competitions, product releases and give aways

- For community websites, a Free SMS service can be set up to provide its users with a number of free SMS messages per month

- If an error occurs in your enterprise level web-based application, an SMS message can be sent to the site administrator to notify them that a problem has occurred

- When a user submits information via a Contact Us form or a Get a Quote form, this information can be sent via SMS to the site owner rather than via an email.

- The tables can also be turned in that users can SMS the website in order to update their details, submit a response to the website or post messages online

As you can see, there are a number of different uses for this technology on the World Wide Web and these suggestions merely scratch the surface of what is achievable. Applying such a technology to your online store or website can not only streamline your workflow but can make for a far more efficient, effective and user-friendly experience. After all, customer service is what being in business is all about.

Written by Jon Bergan - Jon is the owner of Bergan Blue, an Australian based creative design studio focused on bridging the gap between the online world of the Internet with the offline world of Marketing. Please visit http://www.berganblue.com.au/ for more information.

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