Everyday people forget appointments, anniversaries and special events ? like birthdays ? which, unfortunately I do all the time. Wouldn?t it be good if someone sent me a reminder?

In fact it would be good for two reasons. The first reason is so that I am simply reminded to act, however the second is to ensure that the service providing company doesn?t miss out on a sale.

Think about it like this, a dentist, hairdresser, car mechanic has organised a meeting well in advance ? in fact you probably have a little business card living somewhere in your wallet with the date & time. How many times have you forgotten about the business card, sticky note - whatever ? and missed the appointment and, importantly the service centre lost a sale?

Instead, what if the receptionist at the service centre contacted me on the day of the appointment to remind me? The best ways to do this could be to phone me, email me, or SMS (text message) me on my mobile phone. Out of those, I'd suggest an SMS would be best, just to say, "Hi Brendon, don't forget your appointment at today at 4 pm. See you then. <Insert Business Name Here>." This solution is cheap, quick, can be sent via your computer automatically and non-intrusive.

Other examples include sending birthday wishes via email, no advertising needs to be included, just a message as a way of keeping in contact with your customers to let them know that they are being thought of.

Another obvious use would be for membership or contract renewal. An email message forwarded out automatically in advance of the renewal date as a reminder to renew membership of a club, organisation or annual contract.

These systems can be automated from a web-based system, at low cost, and yet maintain and increase sales and service levels.

Can your business use SMS or email to reduce contact costs, enhance communications and increase customer service?