SMS Alerts! SMS Messaging for The IT Industry
The life of an IT administrator or manager is a constant battle with the equipment and software they manage. Something always fails, usually at the most inopportune moment. If the issue isn’t fixed in a reasonable time, there are usually consequences in one form or another.
So how can you use SMS alerts to make sure your IT team is always aware of issues and the need to fix them quickly?
Use SMS messaging to notify staff immediately when a problem occurs.
Here are a few examples of how you can use it to improve response times, reduce costs, and impacts of downtime:
- Hardware failures – When a storage device, network router, or server fails no one is happy. Even when you’re running management software that will immediately re-provision the downed resource, someone still needs to come in and fix the broken one. If the repair isn’t made quickly, the remaining systems could become stressed.
- Security breaches – If there’s one issue that needs to be addressed immediately it’s security. Whether it is a new vulnerability that needs to be patched or an active hacking attempt, your system can notify the appropriate person via SMS alerts.
- Client technical issues or changes – IT service providers work hard to keep their infrastructure up and running for their client bases. Since they are providing a service it’s important to be responsive to client requests and issues. SMS messaging can be a great way to contact support for immediate assistance, especially after hours.
- Power outages or disasters – A loss of power or disaster is probably one of the most stressful times for IT staff. Depending on the types of disaster recovery options in place, there could be a whirlwind of activity to get the systems back up in a new location. The faster the staff gets the message, the faster the recovery can be.
- Staff rostering – If you have a rota on “on call” engineers or technicians on standby to deal with problems you can use SMS to bring problems to their attention, even if they are not sat at their computer. you can also create groups of numbers so teams can be informed as well as individuals.
IT departments can easily set up message services for all these situations and any other that requires immediate notification. You have a person or call centre send the messages, or integrate directly into applications using an SMS API.
We have many customers using our SMS API for IT support and monitoring. To find out more, contact us via email, chat, phone or by using the contact form below. If you have an interesting use for SMS alerts please share it with us.
Related Articles
Help Patients Stay Healthy with SMS Reminders to Take Their Prescriptions
Last year, over 1 billion prescription items were dispensed in England. There were, on average, 19 prescription items per person in England, almost half the population is taking prescription medications. It's safe to assume some people are finding it hard to keep track, enter SMS.
Recruitment Industry Grows With Technology – And SMS Messaging
Recruiters today don’t need to wait for people to find and apply for jobs on the internet. They can simply send a text message out to their database with a new opening and watch the applications stream in. They can save time too, by sending updates to prospects via text message letting them know when their applications are received or processed.
3 Ways Travel Agencies Can Take Full Advantage of SMS Messaging
The recent weather likely has many people thinking about their summer holiday. It's great news for travel agents looking to book ahead for the coming months. If you're a travel agent, SMS messaging is fast becoming a primary way to communicate with your clients.
Promoting Your App Using Your Website and SMS Messaging
By 2017 there will be 270 billion app downloads worldwide. And the Google Marketplace and the Apple App Store each have over 1.3 million apps available. You need to help people find your app if you’re to break through all that noise. Your website is a great place to start promoting your app, but maybe not in the way you might think.
Using SMS Messaging For a Cause is Catching On
As old as SMS messaging is (going on 25), is it surprising to know that for non-profits and political campaigns it’s just now catching on? It might be, but if you think about it maybe it isn’t surprising. Until the last few years, people have been very reticent to hand out their personal mobile number. Now though, they’re more willing – if they care about the source of the messages.
In Store SMS Service Could Improve Sales
Have you ever been inside a Walmart or ASDA Supercentre? If you have, you’ll appreciate the possibility of what I’ll share in a moment. If you haven’t, try imagining walking into a store so big you can barely see one end from the other, where the shelves are packed with everything you might ever need, and staff who are often less than helpful (not everywhere mind you, but often). The point is you can get lost or frustrated if you’re trying to find a certain item that you need, or is on sale. Finding the right section is sometimes challenging, and even if you think you’re in the right spot you might not be.
Sending “Just in Time” Messages Using our SMS API
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about using SMS messaging to contact your list after some sort of trigger - they made a purchase, had a birthday, or some other event or date. I’m going to build on that concept a little bit more in this post and share how you can really offer just-in-time SMS messages by integrating with your existing systems.
SMS and Two Factor Authentication
The benefit of using SMS messaging for authentication is that people have their mobiles with them all the time. It’s convenient for them to receive the passcodes quickly so they can get logged in and do their business, whatever that may be. At its simplest, the procedure goes something like this...
SMS Alerts! SMS Messaging for The IT Industry
The life of an IT administrator or manager is a constant battle with the equipment and software they manage. If an issue isn’t fixed in a reasonable time, there are usually consequences in one form or another. So how can you use SMS alerts to make sure your IT team is always aware of issues and the need to fix them quickly?
Have a Mobile App? Promote it With SMS Messages
So you've got a great new mobile app, or an existing one without many downloads. With well over a million apps in both the Apple store and the Google Marketplace, it's no wonder you have trouble getting people to download it. How do you let people know about it, and make it easy for them to download?