Slimbot
SMS or WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is the better channel for almost everything: cheaper, richer and your customer replies more easily. But there are a few moments when SMS wins — and those are precisely the moments that matter.
When SMS wins
- The recipient doesn't have WhatsApp. With an older target group or a business landline, that's not an exception.
- There's no internet. In a basement, a car park or on the road, an SMS still gets through.
- It must be read now. An engineer arriving in ten minutes, a changed time, an urgent notification.
- A code or confirmation. Short, one-off, no conversation needed.
When WhatsApp wins
- A conversation develops. Questions, photos of the situation, a quote going back and forth.
- You want to show something. Photos, a PDF, a location or a button to confirm.
- It's about volume. Per message, WhatsApp is almost always cheaper than SMS.
- You want to find the conversation back. The entire history is together in one chat.
The practical combination
Most businesses are best off with WhatsApp as the main channel and SMS as a safety net: if a message doesn't arrive or someone doesn't have WhatsApp, the same notification goes out as an SMS. You only pay for this when it's actually needed.
For appointment reminders, that sequence works well: WhatsApp a day in advance, SMS an hour in advance.
Connect your own SMS provider
SMS runs via your own account with an SMS provider, so you determine your own tariff and sender name yourself and there's no mark-up. You enter your key once and you're done.
What SMS is not
SMS is not a marketing channel. An unsolicited offer by SMS is perceived as intrusive and falls under the same rules as other unsolicited messages: you need permission and the recipient must be able to unsubscribe. Use it for messages the recipient expects.