A new report from IDC and enterprise mobile specialist Amdoc's OpenMarket reveals that taking an ad hoc approach to mobile messaging is harming return on investment.
The findings reveal that 62 percent of businesses have more than one messaging platform deployed and 78.5 percent have more than one instance of the same platform active across different departments.
This disjointed strategy is problematic for today's enterprises, as 75 percent of companies demand payback on these initiatives in less than a year. The results indicate the need to adopt a flexible mobile messaging platform that supports multiple use cases across business functions.
According to IDC, it will be critical for enterprises to implement a streamlined platform with global reach that can be used company-wide. To do this, 29.7 percent of enterprises are looking to partner with a mobile messaging specialist, and a majority are seeking a global provider.
"With mobile devices in the hands of employees and customers who show a preference for messaging-based communications, businesses should focus on proven mobile communication formats such as SMS and MMS," says Robert Parker, Group Vice President, IDC Insights. "Enterprises must avoid deploying single use case products, and should seek comprehensive solutions that improve customer and employee communications across the business. To do so, they should select providers that have domain expertise, service flexibility, optimal professional services, and a knowledgeable customer service staff to ensure they are getting the proper support for all their mobile messaging initiatives".
70 percent of enterprises use mobile messaging for internal communications. However, IDC sees the largest area for future growth in the adoption of SMS and MMS as in service-focused initiatives such as customer surveys, opening up SMS channels for customer support and providing valuable, time-sensitive alerts and reminders.
The summary report is available to download from the OpenMarket website.
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