Why a Text Message is Often Better Than an Email or Voice Call
I recently went on holiday in rural New Hampshire on the east coast of the United States. During the week my daughter had an important call scheduled. Unfortunately it turned out we were travelling in the car at the time on the way to a nature reserve.
When the mobile rang, my daughter answered. All was well for the first two or three minutes, but then she lost the call. The person called back shortly after and they were able to talk another couple of minutes. But the call was lost again.
New Hampshire is very mountainous. The people there are also very protective of their natural habitats, making it difficult for mobile carriers to put up towers in rural environments. As a result, the network coverage is patchy as you move away from the central part of the state.
When we arrived at our destination, we noticed that we had only limited mobile service – just one bar on an extended network which explained the dropped calls. Then we noticed there was a text message waiting. My daughter replied and continued having a text message conversation rather than a voice call.
Afterwards she tried to get email, but it wouldn’t load. The signal just wasn’t strong enough.
So why did the text messages make it through, but no calls or emails?
The reason gets a little complicated, but the short answer is a text message uses less bandwidth than a voice call. Email can use less bandwidth than a voice call too, but it depends on how many you have, what format, and if there are images.
So in areas with limited service, it’s more likely that the lower bandwidth text message would get through. That’s great news for emergency services using text messaging or anyone that is looking to have a high real-time delivery rate regardless of location.
Of course there are all sorts of places where mobile coverage isn’t great. There are also situations where mobile communications are stressed and voice calls can’t be completed. Natural or man made disasters are guaranteed to overload mobile networks that may also be damaged. If you want to read an interesting account of such an example, take a look at this blog on Crackberry.com. The author recounts what is was like to be in New York City on 9/11 when the twin towers were attacked. He goes into a bit of detail about the technology used on mobile networks and why text messages (especially on the Blackberry network) were able to get through that day when voice calls failed to connect.
We have our own version of that story here at fastsms too. On the morning of the 7/7 bombings in London back in 2005 we were contacted by certain emergency services within minutes of the terrible event. We were informed that “an emergency” was taking place and that the conventional mobile network in the capital was overwhelmed. So it was the fastsms network that was used throughout the day to coordinate rescue services. A most poignant underlining of the resilience of the network.
Is there any particular place where you have issues with voice calls but not texts?
Related Articles
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.
Hotels Use SMS Messaging to Head Off Bad Reviews
Online travel and review sites are great for travellers. They are good for hotels too, but they offer a double edged sword. User reviews are unfiltered – that is the travellers can say whatever they like both good and bad. And managing a bad review can be difficult, but how can SMS help?
Drive Up Attendance During Festival Season with SMS Messaging – Part 1
People love live music. Ticket sales worldwide are expected to reach $20.5 Billion (~£14.2B). The UK alone has around 900 festivals each year. There just aren’t enough headliners to go around. What else can you do to draw people to your event (whether you have a headliner or not)? The answer: Make your event an experience rather than just a destination.
SMS Marketing for Independent Art Galleries
5 SMS Marketing Ideas For Volunteers Week [Infographic]
How Estate Agents are Using SMS Messaging
SMS Marketing For The Equestrian Sector
The British Equestrian Trade Association’s findings from their National Equestrian Survey 2015 put the economic value of the equestrian sector at £4.3 billion of consumer spending across a wide range of goods and services, with the average spend per horse during the same year at £3600. It is an incredibly varied industry encompassing all types of businesses from sole traders making a living in remote areas to multinational companies. Their customer base typically tends to be busy people who lead largely outdoor lifestyles so the obvious and most effective means of communicating with them is by mobile phone, yet very few equestrian businesses appear to be utilising SMS text messaging marketing. So how could businesses in this sector benefit from this method of marketing?
SMS Marketing for Instructors and Personal Trainers
A lot of the time, personal training can be one of the most rewarding jobs you could possibly pursue. Yet at other times, it can be dispiriting. Naturally, this is all part and parcel of the industry, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t changes you can make to your everyday work habits that will boost the benefits and mitigate the downsides. And top of the list of those changes are SMS marketing strategies.
Estate Agents: Sell More Properties with SMS Marketing
If you're an estate agent who isn't using SMS to increase their database of buyers and sellers, then you're an estate agent who isn't maximising their clients' phone numbers. A mobile number is something your purchasers and sellers are quite happy to share with you, and this voluntary opt-in can be invaluable when it comes to getting an edge in a competitive market. Using this information, you can create effective and affordable marketing campaigns, whether you’re alerting your clients to a change of price or promoting a particular property.
SMS Marketing for Sports Teams
An effective use of SMS campaigns is for support of sports teams and leagues. Using automated messages to communicate with supporters ensures that your teams have the chance to play to full stadiums throughout each and every game. This, in turn, motivates them, providing support.