Short message service (SMS) alerts can help you play a vital and vibrant role in your clients' lives. Similar to text messages, these short, cell phone transmissions can provide weather alerts, evacuation notices, post-disaster claims information, and other crucial bulletins to clients on an opt-in basis. SMS memos often carry links to websites where clients can find further useful content. You can also use them for appointment reminders, important policy notifications, and other business communications. Since cell phone systems consider a number finished" when the caller hits send, SMS uses a short series of numbers as your contact code, according to WiseGeek. Your SMS provider will assign you a number, and you can schedule your messages from there. There is typically no programming required. Capterra has reviewed a large swath of SMS software providers so you can compare provider quality, pricing, and options.

ALSO, through their TCPA ruling, the FCC requires businesses to have a customer texting agreement that provides 'Opt-In/Opt-Out' capabilities. ACT & the Big 'I' General Counsel have created a texting agreement template for Big 'I' agents & brokers Click here to access (requires Big 'I' member login.)