• Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 415 subscribers
  • Views 57 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Contacting constituents via SMS

Adam Santilli
$organization

Hi All,

I am interested to know if anyone out there currently uses SMS messaging software alongside Tessitura (or integrated with Tessitura) to contact customers who have been affected by cancelled performances, etc.

This technology is obviously very cheap, convenient and effective and I am interested in hearing how Tessitura users are making the most of the technology to contact a large number of constituents.

Cheers,

Adam.

Parents
  • $organization

    Hi Adam,

    We started using SMS 18 months ago for this purpose and it has been brilliant.  We subscribe to an external service and all we need to do is extract the data from tessitura and load it onto this web based service.  We get receipt and read confirmations so we know if the customer got the message.  At the same time we also started sending out cancellation notifications via email (just using the bcc field).

    In this way a task that took up to 6 people many hours to achieve via phone calls was done in about 30 minutes.  We still need to call those without an SMS (and we don't assume the emails will be read so we call them too), but for us this is now only about 20% of customers as we made a big deal of this new service to our subscribers in order to get their mobile numbers.

    Very recently (after having to cancel 6 performances due to storm damage) we created a custom process whereby an operator runs a report, nominating the performance and their email address, and this creates 3 seperate excel files for the performance which are emailed to them (one for email addresses, one for mobiles(SMS) and one for phone numbers).  The coding behind this does all sorts of neat stuff like pulling details from associated booker accounts (based on the order line item having a special request for that performance) and looks for mobile numbers in Phone 1 and Phone 2 fields. This new process now saves us using lists and extractions to get the data which previously required a fair bit of manipulation.  So now within a couple of minutes of knowing that a show is going to be cancelled, we can have an SMS and emails sent, leaving just a small proportion of the phone calls we used to make.

    The customer feedback has been fantastic; they really love it.

    Dale.

  • $organization in reply to Dale Bradbury

    Hi Dale

     

    What's the sort of costs associated with this system?  Is there an initial set up fee or is it just a per SMS fee?

     

    Thanks

     

    David.

Reply Children
  • $organization in reply to David Pearce

    Hi David,

     

    The company we use is Message Media.  It was under $100 to set up and we pay per message sent.  Too simple.

     

    Dale.

     

    From: Tessitura Customer Service Forum [mailto:forums-cust.serv@tessituranetwork.com] On Behalf Of David Pearce
    Sent: Thursday, 22 April 2010 7:07 PM
    To: Dale Bradbury
    Subject: Re: [Tessitura Customer Service Forum] Contacting constituents via SMS

     

    Hi Dale

     

    What's the sort of costs associated with this system?  Is there an initial set up fee or is it just a per SMS fee?

     

    Thanks

     

    David.

    From: Dale Bradbury <bounce-dalebradbury6800@tessituranetwork.com>
    Sent: 4/15/2010 11:10:14 PM

    Hi Adam,

    We started using SMS 18 months ago for this purpose and it has been brilliant.  We subscribe to an external service and all we need to do is extract the data from tessitura and load it onto this web based service.  We get receipt and read confirmations so we know if the customer got the message.  At the same time we also started sending out cancellation notifications via email (just using the bcc field).

    In this way a task that took up to 6 people many hours to achieve via phone calls was done in about 30 minutes.  We still need to call those without an SMS (and we don't assume the emails will be read so we call them too), but for us this is now only about 20% of customers as we made a big deal of this new service to our subscribers in order to get their mobile numbers.

    Very recently (after having to cancel 6 performances due to storm damage) we created a custom process whereby an operator runs a report, nominating the performance and their email address, and this creates 3 seperate excel files for the performance which are emailed to them (one for email addresses, one for mobiles(SMS) and one for phone numbers).  The coding behind this does all sorts of neat stuff like pulling details from associated booker accounts (based on the order line item having a special request for that performance) and looks for mobile numbers in Phone 1 and Phone 2 fields. This new process now saves us using lists and extractions to get the data which previously required a fair bit of manipulation.  So now within a couple of minutes of knowing that a show is going to be cancelled, we can have an SMS and emails sent, leaving just a small proportion of the phone calls we used to make.

    The customer feedback has been fantastic; they really love it.

    Dale.



    --
    View this message online at: http://www.tessituranetwork.com/COMMUNITY/forums/p/2392/8444.aspx#8444
    --
    This message was sent automatically to you by www.tessituranetwork.com because you subscribed to the Tessitura Customer Service Forum. You may reply to this message to post to the Customer Service forum or visit the site to search, read and post to the forums. In the interest of keeping the forum posts from becoming cluttered, we encourage you to delete previous message text from your reply before sending. Thank you!

    Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

    This e-mail and any attachments may contain personal information or information that is otherwise

    confidential or the subject of copyright. Any use, disclosure or copying of any part of it is prohibited.
    MTC does not warrant that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or defects. Please

    check any attachments for viruses and defects before opening them.  If this e-mail is received in error

    please notify the sender by return e-mail. MTC does not necessarily share or endorse the views expressed

    in this email.