SMS services have presented an opportunity to enhance public health practices and outcomes for consumers in general, and have emerged as a valuable communication tool suitable for all age groups and widely accepted by consumers, where Studies have shown that 90% of people read text messages within 30 minutes of receiving them, and 83% of millennials open SMS messages within 90 seconds of receipt, One of the most important of them the healthcare consumers who rely on technology and mobile devices to manage their healthcare needs and communicate with healthcare providers.

SMS services and health marketing in Saudi Arabia

SMS messaging has gained increasing attention in healthcare marketing, especially in the Saudi market, this is because many healthcare institutions have more mobile phone numbers than patient email addresses on files, allowing them to reach a larger number of patients via short messages SMS than through any other digital channel, Consequently, the use of SMS in patient communication and engagement programs is leading to an increase in the reach and effectiveness of healthcare institutions' campaigns to motivate patients to take action based on the content of the messages, meet their expectations, build patient loyalty to healthcare institutions, and achieve better outcomes.

What are the benefits of using short messages (SMS) in the healthcare sector?

The healthcare sector has been particularly affected by COVID-19, as it has had to implement special crisis care standards to help healthcare providers prioritize treatment, communicate efficiently and effectively with patients, and ensure that healthcare is provided as before to the largest possible number of people in the shortest possible time, There has also been a need for a very specific way of communicating with certain groups, such as the elderly, These new data sets shed light on healthcare consumption which blurring the lines between patient and consumer, and many other benefits that contribute to improving the quality of healthcare:

1. Providing mechanisms and techniques for effective communication in multiple directions includes:

• Between patients and healthcare institutions
• Between the patient and the healthcare provider
• Between healthcare providers themselves
• Between the healthcare sector and other institutions and sectors

2. SMS services can be used in various fields of the healthcare sector, such as hospitals, clinics, primary healthcare centers, health insurance companies, health awareness associations, and others.

3. Improve appointment and resource management, and appointment reminders, and reduce reliance on paper appointment and review cards, these messages can include information of interest to patients, such as the patient's name, appointment time and date, clinic number, medical record number, and others.

4. Patients can use these tools to book, cancel, or reschedule appointments with doctors through notifications and alerts.

5. Sending medical test and analysis results via WhatsApp messages in a secure and protected manner for patients.

6. Sending advertising messages, including informing patients and other sectors about new health services.

7. Providing telemedicine services by providing medical consultations and guidance, prescribing necessary medications for patients, and sending important information and medical advice through these means.

8. Increasing the efficiency of managing healthcare institutions by providing services for sending important health information and advice via SMS and WhatsApp messages to educate patients about chronic diseases, preventive measures, and the correct approach to managing health conditions.

9. Reducing healthcare costs and patient experience, and providing healthcare services to remote areas.

10. Using the technical services provided in various fields and healthcare institutions such as hospitals, clinics, primary healthcare centers, health insurance companies, health awareness associations, and others.

11. Reduce congestion in healthcare institutions.

12. An official way to communicate with targeted audiences without compromising privacy.

13. Communicate with patients in ways that have immediate results and cost less than other traditional methods.

14. Healthcare institutions can send daily tips via SMS and WhatsApp messages on healthy nutrition, physical fitness, healthy sleep, ways to deal with psychological stress, and many other health tips to educate patients about chronic diseases, preventive measures, and the correct approach to managing health conditions.

What are the most important conditions for using SMS in healthcare?

Harnessing the full power of SMS for healthcare as a communication tool requires more than just sending generic messages, it requires a deep understanding of best practices for communicating effectively with targeted audiences to achieve positive results in the healthcare sector, this is why Taqnyat platform, one of the best SMS service providers in Saudi Arabia, provides a set of conditions that must be met for services directed to the healthcare sector, The most important of these include:

• The platform that provides you with SMS messages must have a dedicated compliance team, The tasks of this team include ensuring that SMS messages for the healthcare sector meet all the necessary guidelines to meet the needs of patients, in addition, the response rates and responses of the recipient to these messages are periodically measured to determine the specific needs of each healthcare institution for SMS messages and related details.
• One of the most important conditions that must be met in SMS services is that it offers the recipient the option to subscribe to receive messages and provides them with a way to refuse to receive text messages, such as by including an unsubscribe option at the end of the SMS message, this is part of the restrictions on how SMS messages can be used after registration .
• Care must also be taken to use SMS and email appropriately for communication according to the contact lists available to the healthcare institution, On the other hand, healthcare systems and users of this service must ensure that all patients receive accurate health information promptly and that it is relevant to their health needs, they must also think beyond patient engagement and reach patient motivation by focusing on how they can encourage them to take action to achieve greater and more efficient use of the service lines provided.

SMS text messaging in healthcare

How to get started with SMS services in the healthcare sector:

• Work with an SMS service provider to identify the services that should be prioritized.
• Plan the content of the messages and campaigns related to the healthcare sector.
• Create concise and engaging messages to drive patient action, to get started, you can register and follow the instructions on the following link, Click Here .
• When deciding to use SMS versus other useful communication tools such as email or sending it through the WhatsApp platform, consider the type of message being sent, the length of the content to be included, and the results you are trying to achieve.
• Create your campaign audience list using segmentation based on the target audience, after reviewing your data to understand the number of mobile phone numbers and patient email information you have access to, it’s another way to evaluate communication strategies in the health institution.
• Send the required messages in the name of a pre-determined sender with the SMS service provider.
• Ensure that there is technical support available at any time to resolve any sending issues.
• Ensure that the message arrives correctly and at the required time to the target audience regularly.

Benefits of using SMS services through the Taqnyat platform for the healthcare sector

• Ability to send messages and activate the automated chat system 24 hours a day without interruption.
• The ability to provide technical services to a large number of beneficiaries at the same time.
• Instant, fast, and highly accurate communication.
• Use of text, images, videos, and links.
• 24/7 technical support.

Taqnyat communication channels in the health sector

The uses of SMS in the healthcare sector have focused on achieving the goal of transitioning from dedicated messages to maximizing call-to-action completion rates among patients and target groups, This is because mastering SMS best practices is essential for any healthcare plan that seeks to improve member engagement and deliver effective healthcare outcomes, Join Taqnyat Aljawal platform and we will find solutions to the complexities of SMS best practices in healthcare communication, we will delve into the best key SMS strategies for healthcare, including enhancing SMS engagement in Saudi Arabia, improving user interactions, and thus driving better healthcare outcomes