May 29, 2025 - 5 min read

The new mobile messaging channels: the infographic

Introduction

Mobile messaging is constantly evolving. Many new channels have appeared recently: RCSTTS, WhatsApp Business, VMS, push notifications... This multiplication of ways to reach customers is obviously an opportunity, but each channel has its own characteristics and advantages. So it's a good idea to be familiar with these channels to exploit their full potential.

Computer graphics

smsmode^©️ wanted to find out more about marketing professionals' vision and knowledge of these new channels. Our platform therefore surveyed its customers during the period from July 9 to September 7, 2021.

The new mobile messaging channels

Among all the newcomers, the channel that stands out is WhatsApp Business (known by 73% of those surveyed). Its popularity is obviously helped by the fact that it is the "Customer Care" version of WhatsApp, the world's most popular instant messaging application, with 2 billion monthly users.

Behind the "star" of our survey the gap widens, with TTS at 34% and push notifications (31%) closing the podium.

While the relative anonymity of VMS (voice messaging system) comes as no great surprise (27% of those questioned said they were familiar with it), the fact that RCS was only known by 12% of participants is more surprising, given that this protocol is designated as the successor to SMS, with already 16 million compatible mobiles in France and 30 million by 2023.

Little-known channels, but seen in a very positive light

The novelty of these new channels in no way diminishes the willingness of professionals to integrate them into their marketing strategy. Nearly half of those questioned believe that the new channels enable better customer retention. Just as many believe that these new channels should reach the level of SMS within 2 years, and that it is now essential to develop an omnichannel strategy.

Similarly, although the RCS is little known among professionals, it is nonetheless highly appreciated by those who know about it or have received it, offering a genuine alternative to the MMS for sending media. 90% of those who have received this type of message are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the experience.

In essence, while the new mobile messaging channels have moderate awareness overall, they are highly valued by those who know about them.

It is certain that their arrival in the middle of a pandemic did not help to make them known, but the need for interactivity in customer relations and the democratisation of chatbots should allow these new channels, RCS and WhatsApp Business in particular, to become essential in the years to come.

Discovering new channels

Want to know all about the new mobile messaging channels?

Download our dedicated white paper.

Want to find out more about RCS and discover this revolutionary channel?

Access our PDF presentation.

Do you want a masterful Customer Care tool?

Find out how to implement WhatsApp with smsmode^©

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January 09, 2025 - 3 min read

SMS A2P trends in 2021 infographic

Romain Didelot

Introduction

Each French person receives an average of 10 SMS A2P (Application To Person) per month. These messages sent by companies to their customers are a key element in strategies to digitalize customer relations. The health crisis has accelerated the digital shift in companies. How has the use of SMS communication been affected? To answer this question, our services analyzed more than 170 million SMS messages sent via our mobile messaging routing platform between December 1 and December 31.^er September 2020 and January 31, 2021.

We offer you our study on the use of SMS A2P by companies in 2021.

See also the infographic below, summarising the main points of our study.

The full study is available here

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A crisis that disrupts habits

In 2021, the health crisis has suddenly accelerated the digitalization of companies. How to communicate? SMS, a direct and immediate means of establishing contact, has made the daily lives of many French people easier, not least the Government, since it played an essential role in the fight against COVID. French med-tech players are more than ever in demand, demonstrating theeffectiveness of SMS in crisis situations.

With outlets closed and the population confined, businesses were gearing up for an unprecedentedly difficult period (Black Fridaywinter sales, etc.). Stripped of their highlights, they had to find a solution.

SMS, the ideal tool for digitalizing retail outlets

Faced with the imperative of physical distance, the digitization of retail outlets has intensified. To counter the closure of physical outlets, it was necessary to find analternative that would maintain contact with customers.

The SMS and MMS became the ideal tool. Easy-to-implement campaigns via our platform, very attractive costs, high open rates compared to other means of communication... Many have taken the plunge. Why shouldn't you?

Create your free account

Try out our SMS platform and benefit from 20 free test credits, with no obligation.

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We look forward to hearing from you.

Optimize the delivery experience with notifications SMS

FoodChéri and Seazon offer high-quality meals
delivered to companies (in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux,
etc.) or to clients throughout France. It’s also a
challenge to innovate in the food sector by refining the customer experience. Mobile messaging helps them to meet this challenge.

60 000

MEALS DELIVERED
PER WEEK

20 min

MAXIMUM TIME BETWEEN ORDER AND DELIVERY

ABOUT

FoodChéri’s mission is to be a virtuous and committed player in food delivery, offering meals that are better for your health and for the planet.
This mission is achieved through 2 brands:

Foodchéri, which delivers fresh, home-cooked lunches in Paris & Ile-de-France, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg and Toulouse,
Seazon, which offers weekly subscription boxes of home-cooked ready meals made with fresh products and healthy ingredients throughout France.

SECTOR OF ACTIVITY

Food delivery

COMPANY SIZE

230 employees

CREATION DATE

2015

LOCATION

France

CHANNELS

- SMS
- SMS voice

INTEGRATION

- API

USE CASES

- order tracking
- delivery notification
- onboarding

Download the Foodchéri & Seazon success story

You may also, for legitimate reasons, object to the processing of your personal data. If you wish to exercise these rights, please send an e-mail to dpo(at)smsmode.com.

instant notification order taking and tracking

SMS, an essential channel for improving customer relations

As soon as the delivery business was launched, SMS was set up to confirm orders, alert on impending deliveries and transmit customer service information.

SMS messages are sent to:

notify about the arrival of an order (if placed on the same day),
track delivery with a link to the site,
notify about an anomaly (e.g. unavailable product, failed payment),
carry out proactive customer service actions (to ensure, for example, that information sent by email has been taken into account),
reactivate opt-in customers with promotional and awareness offers.

It's a channel that's quite effective and naturally used by people, regardless of their age.

Laurent Partouche, Chief Product Officer & Chief Customer Officer FoodChéri & Seazon

The main challenge for FoodChéri and Seazon is to keep customers informed in real-time, via SMS, at every stage of their orders.

What is the aim of the 2 brands? To meet the logistical challenge of these lunch and dinner orders, to ensure and secure the correct delivery — to the home or office — of these fresh products on a date and at a time agreed in advance with the customer.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SMS

the perception of SMS (judged as non-intrusive and “facilitating” life)
the attention paid to the SMS by the customer
very good delivery rate

WEAKNESSES OF SMS

restrictions on the size (in terms of number of characters) and format of content that can be circumvented by using the RCS

opt for SMS, a zero friction solution for express delivery

Optimise digital food delivery processes using SMS text messaging

For FoodChéri, SMS was the obvious choice back in 2015/2016, when digital journeys were in their infancy - particularly during delivery, a key moment and a major friction point in this journey. The need for delivery tracking and notification of the courier's arrival at the bottom of the building was quite new and innovative at the time; and there were no other notification channels!

SMS has the advantage of being more direct than email, especially for people who are in the office at lunchtime. So it was quite natural to choose SMS.

Laurent Partouche, Chief Product Officer & Chief Customer Officer FoodChéri & Seazon

The future has confirmed that SMS is a precious and indispensable ally for those involved in last-mile delivery. The result is a high level of visibility for the customer, in real time, on the progress of his express delivery and on the restricted time slot allocated, anticipation of his presence at the point of delivery and... an increase in customer satisfaction.

This integration of the SMS channel has also been extended to other points of contact: customer service and marketing. Integrated into the FoodChéri and Seazon applications, it creates a unified, attractive digital customer experience.
Technically, this involves integration into the application layer via API; a back-end integration that was quick and easy to achieve. Coupled with the management of differentiated "marketing", "notification automation" & "customer service notification" channels, they benefit from all the power and efficiency of the SMS channel for their processes.

stand out from the crowd by making the onboarding experience interactive and memorable

When SMS comes to lunch

The use of SMS is part of a mix of channels including email, call, chat, onsite or push notifications. Channels that are activated according to the type of contact and communication point, the effectiveness of that channel, and so on. The aim is always to choose the perfect channel for each communication situation, and create the best customer journey to make FoodChéri and Seazon simple and innovative digital catering services.

Another innovative and original mobile messaging initiative implemented by FoodChéri and Seazon is the sending of a welcome voice message. This welcome message for the week's new customers, sent directly to their voicemail, replaces a one-to-one call made by the FoodChéri and Seazon teams. This personalized onboarding is rarely used by brands, and has proved highly successful.

Conversational and voice formats are part of trend where brands want to be able to establish a discussion with their customers very easily.

Fabien Andraud, head of sales smsmode^©

Beyond originality and performance, this use of voice in brand/customer interaction aims to humanize the brand, to establish a personalized, friendly and memorable digital experience. This use of voice marketing ultimately enables FoodChéri and Seazon to build engaged communities and surf the age of conversation!