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MESSAGING Business's text messaging up 15% during UK postal strikes

19 October 2007

A London-based text messaging company saw a 15 per cent rise in messages sent by businesses during the recent postal strikes. SMS gateway TM4B believes businesses turned to texts as an alternative, more reliable, way of communicating with their customers during the painful strikes.

The firm helps organisations send and receive text messages across the globe and found sales enquiries during the strikes turned into actual sales faster than usual. It also saw its message handling levels increase more than 15 per cent, peaking at a daily throughput of over 75,000 messages.

Its managing director Fahed Bizzari said: “As expected it was couriers and private mail firms that really benefited from the strikes. But it was pleasantly surprising for us to see a huge increase in demand for text messaging.

“Text messages are quick, easy and cost effective. And as you can track when the customer gets them, they are a reliable way for businesses to send important communications.”

Since the first set of postal strikes in June, TM4B’s monthly customer acquisition rates have also risen by 20 per cent. The strikes, over a pay rise offer, crippled the UK postal service on 4 and 5 October 4th, and again on the 8th and 9th. There continued to be wildcat strikes in Liverpool and London until the 11th October.

As of Friday 19 October, Royal Mail says the Communication Workers Union has called off official strike action planned for this week and the unofficial strike in Liverpool has ended.

Fahed added: “As more businesses discover the power of texting and begin using the technology, the impact on on traditional methods of communication is going to get bigger and bigger.”
PAUL SKELDON