Emilia Gette serves as a marketing associate at Workast, specializing in crafting innovative strategies to engage with the audience. With a focus on creativity and attention to detail, she contributes to driving impactful results across various marketing channels.
Today we lead a hectic lifestyle where effective communication plays a vital role in our personal and professional lives. In fact, it is the most crucial strategy companies should include to improve internal communication and streamline project management. Nowadays, various communication channels are available, although SMS – a short messaging service is a versatile channel or, we can say, a communication mode that lets you enjoy clear, concise, and swift message exchange.
When you integrate SMS into the existing project management system, it can facilitate quick and efficient communication among project teams. This article will shed light on the best practices for using SMS in project management and its benefits. So, you can understand how effectively SMS can streamline the project workflow and improve ROI.
Before diving deep into the best practices, let us first understand what benefits SMS integration into project management tools can bring.
We don’t think SMS needs any introduction! It is a short text messaging service through which one can send messages directly to the target person’s mobile phone. Let us understand it better in the context of project management tools.
Integrating SMS into a project management tool simplifies internal communication within different teams. Whenever the project manager wants to convey anything important, they can send a message to the specific team/person.
According to the study, SMS has a 98% open rate and a 45% response rate. Besides, 90% of people open the text message within 3 minutes. In short, SMS has a personal nature, which is why integrating it into a project management tool can be more beneficial.
Let’s check it out in the next section.
SMS is a widely used communication tool for businesses across the world. It is effective and easy to use. In every smartphone device, text messaging comes pre-installed.
In addition, integrating it with your existing project management tools offers various benefits. That's why it is crucial for communication, promotion, and business strategies globally.
In this section, let's check out how beneficial integrating SMS into project management is.
SMS offers real-time communication. It lets each project team convey important information instantly from anywhere. So, using SMS in project management tools provides your team with location-independent and real-time communication.
As SMS has a high open rate compared to emails or other communication mediums, it ensures that the recipients read your text message promptly.
SMS offers direct and concise communication, so various team members can easily coordinate with each other. Therefore, there is a low-to-no chance of misunderstandings and delays.
SMS is easy to access on a wide range of mobile devices. It ensures that team members can stay connected even when they are on the go.
Any business can easily integrate SMS with its existing project management tools and platforms. It will help them to improve employees' and organization's efficiency and productivity.
You can easily send important and time-sensitive information via SMS. It is highly reliable.
You can use SMS analytics to get valuable insights regarding communication patterns and engagement. For that, you need to measure metrics like click-through, response, and open rates, which will help you optimize future communication strategies.
You must employ the following best practices to get the most out of text messaging.
First, you need to establish clear protocols and guidelines for using SMS for communication within the project team, incorporating response time, preferred language, and proper use cases. Establishing protocols regarding when and how SMS should be used within the project management framework ensures consistency and helps avoid misuse.
“Team, we have a shift opening on [date] at [time]. Please reply with YES to accept or NO to decline within 45 minutes. Thanks.”
Ensure the team uses SMS to send only urgent messages. These messages should be regarding project deadlines, task updates, important announcements, etc. Therefore, the team can take the proper action on time.
“Exciting News! We have a guest speaker [name] this Saturday at [time]. You will learn a lot! Don’t miss it!“
Although SMS is informal in nature, ensure you maintain professionalism in SMS communication by using proper formatting, tone, and language.
“Team! This is a quick reminder about the company-wide meeting today at [time]. Be present on time. Your insights matter! See you all!”
Make sure the people in the various project teams respect each other's boundaries. SMS is highly personal in nature, but that does not mean sending messages during non-working hours unless it is urgent.
“Hi Team, Mr. [client name] is not available from [date] to [date]. Please reach out to his manager if you need any urgent information. Thank you! “
You can use the automation tools to schedule SMS reminders, follow-ups, and notifications. It will reduce your burden and efforts while improving efficiency and manual effort.
For example, you can send a birthday wish to each employee through SMS automation tools. Here is the SMS template that you can use:
“Happy birthday, [employee name]. We wish you a year full of happiness and success. Thank you for being a valued team member. Have a blast!”
It would be best if you prioritize data security. So you can protect critical and sensitive project information.
“Team, we have received payment from [client name] for [invoice number]. Any questions? Reply to this message.”
You should leverage the integration capabilities that will seamlessly integrate SMS into project management tools like Workast. It will help streamline the communication and task management processes.
“Hey, team! Whenever you have a moment today, please fill out this survey on [link]. Thank you!”
Ensure that SMS messages sent by the project teams convey the relevant information and actionable tasks. It will avoid unnecessary clutter and let you maintain focus on project objectives.
“Hi [client name], We have revamped our social media strategy. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate our strategy? Reply with your thoughts.”
Ensure to get constant feedback regarding the effectiveness of the SMS communication from the various teams. Once you get the feedback, adjust your strategies and optimize the outcome based on it.
Here is how you can request feedback from the client:
“Hey! This is [name] from [company name]. Thank you for your valuable time today! Please take a moment and complete this feedback form[ link]. Thank you!”
Now that you know integrating SMS into the project management tools can improve productivity and streamline the communication workflow, let us brief you about a few use cases and examples of SMS usage.
The project managers can utilize SMS and quickly assign tasks to the other team members, provide crystal-clear instructions, and inform about deadlines so that the team completes the task on time.
Check out this simple template as a project manager you can use to inform your team about a task allocation:
“Hello Team, New task assigned! Please review the attached document and get ready with the report by EOD. Let me know if you have any questions about it. Thank you!”
Do you want all stakeholders and team members to be on time during meetings? If yes, you can use the SMS to send reminders for upcoming meetings by ensuring everyone is present and prepared for the forthcoming meeting.
Here is an example of an SMS template about meeting reminders for the team:
“Reminder: On [date, time] We have scheduled a meeting to discuss [agenda]. We hope to see you there! Thank you!”
The project team members can utilize SMS to offer real-time updates on the progress of the task. Therefore, project managers can monitor the project status efficiently.
“Hi Team, we have fixed all the bugs in the module-1. You can start testing module 2. Thanks!”
SMS is an affordable and convenient communication channel to update clients about project milestones, deliverables, and any other related changes.
“ Hey [client name], we have resolved [issue] and are ready with the final draft. Let us know when to schedule a review meeting. Thanks!”
Whenever any unforeseen situation arises, you can use SMS to share important information with the clients and project team members. It will help you get an instant response and mitigate risk.
“Hi Team, the next board meeting is postponed to [date] and [time]. See you on [date, time]. Thank you!”
Here are some real-world examples that show a practical application of SMS.
In agile software development, the project manager can use SMS to notify team members about meetings and planning sessions. For that, a project manager can send concise SMS reminders so that all the team members remain prepared and punctual for collaborative discussions. Besides, whenever any urgent requirement for bug fixing or any other vital update that requires instant attention, a project manager can use it to get a quick response and solution.
“Hi Team, This is a gentle reminder of our scheduled meeting on [date, time]. Please be present on time. For any further information, you can contact me. Thanks!”
In a construction project, the project manager can use SMS to share information regarding site updates, worker schedule changes, safety protocols, etc. Even the manager can send notifications to the worker about weather delays, safety, equipment deliveries, etc. In short, by taking advantage of the SMS, the project manager can maintain seamless communication with the workforce by reducing downtime. It will ultimately lead to improved productivity.
“ Hey [worker name], We have updated your shift schedule for next week. Please check the website for more details. For any concerns or questions, contact your manager at [phone number]. Thanks!”
In summary, SMS is a valuable communication tool for project managers wanting to streamline workflows, improve project results, and enhance internal communication. By following the above-discussed best practices, project teams can take full advantage of SMS to bring success and efficiency. SMS has a prompt nature and global accessibility. That's why it enables various project teams to overcome communication challenges and achieve their business goals effectively.
SMS can be used as a communication medium by integrating it with project management tools like Workast. This will help streamline project workflow.
Workast is a robust project management tool that provides seamless integration with SMS. So, it will help you enhance productivity and streamline workflow. Besides integrating SMS with task assignments, project updates, and deadlines, this project management tool ensures that the team members stay informed about the project and drive accountability and collaboration.
So, what are you waiting for? Let's get in touch with us and discuss your requirements. Our project management tool can easily integrate with SMS and help you to achieve goals with agility and efficiency.
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