Let us suppose you run a business or non-profit and accept payments/donations via Safaricom M-pesa Till/Paybill. Maybe you run a petrol station, a general shop, a spares store, a church, an events company, a salon, a barber shop, a bar, a restaurant, a juice stand, a car wash etc. When someone makes a payment to your business/organisation for the first time, it could be the only interaction you ever get to have with them. How do you make the most of it?
Every time someone makes a payment to your business/organisation via M-pesa, Safaricom shares with you their name and a verified working phone number as part of the payment acknowledgement. Use this information to get in touch with the person after that initial contact by sending them a payment acknowledgement via SMS. Don’t you just feel re-assured when you make a payment and the organisation sends you a message letting you know they’ve seen your payment? It takes away the urge to call and confirm if your payment was received, doesn’t it? It’s especially meaningfull if the message is personalised.
Hi Mumbi! We’ve received your payment of Ksh2,500. Thanks for dropping by; we hope you enjoyed our service!
Or something like this:
Hi Mumbi! Thanks for your payment of Ksh2,500. We’ll be dispatching your order very soon. We’ll give you a call as soon as it’s on the way.
In that payment acknowledgement, you could let them know a little more about you and increase the chance that they’ll engage you again. How about including your social media handle or website in the message?
Thanks Mumbi for shopping with us; we hope you enjoy your purchase. Follow @simplesellable on Instagram for all our deals and offers!
Or how about getting your customers to work for you?
Hi Mumbi! Thanks for dining with us. Did you love our food? Help us to keep making delicious meals by telling a friend about us. We would be very grateful for a referral.
Maybe you have an event coming up or are opening a new branch? An SMS would be a great way of inviting your customers and partners.
Thanks Mumbi for fuelling with us. We will be opening a new petrol station in Rongai on 5th March. Visit us for a discount of Ksh3 per litre of petrol.
If you are in ministry, you can also use this channel to encourage more attendance:
Thanks Mumbi for your giving. We have 3 Sunday services and a prayer service every Friday from 6pm. You are welcome!
These are just some of the creative ways you can use M-pesa and SMS payment acknowledgements to drive business, increase engagement and build your brand. With the right tools, you are limited only by your imagination.
But where do you start, and where do you find the right tools?
Fortunately for you, we have already created the tools you need for building engagement in this way. SimpleSell SMS, our SMS marketing platform, allows you to link your M-pesa Till or Paybill so that anyone who makes a payment is automatically sent a payment acknowledgement. You can customise the message to suit your needs through our easy to use dashboard. Furthermore, the name and number of the person paying is automatically added to your contacts list so that you can message them in future SMS campaigns.
Visit https://sms.simplesellable.com or get in touch with us to learn more.
By Victor Murage - Published 13th Feb 2021, 11:16pm