One of the interesting things about being a martech practitioner is the tendency to constantly evaluate and critique how organizations use marketing technology to engage with customers and prospects.
Recently, I had an experience that perfectly illustrated this — an interaction with a company through its SMS channel. While it was more of a customer experience (CX) issue than a pure marketing one, the implications for martech were undeniable.
How a simple reschedule turned into a messaging mess
Recently, I needed to reschedule a dentist appointment. The office communicates with patients via text messaging, which is convenient — until we crossed wires.
Here’s the thing: the office uses two different phone numbers for texting. One is the number patients call to speak with the office, which seems logical. Why introduce a separate number just for texting? We’re not talking about faxes!
The other number goes to their scheduling system. It sends automated appointment reminders via text and email about a week in advance, asking for confirmation. That setup also makes sense.
Until I needed to reschedule again. I sent another text request and heard nothing for hours. It was a weekday during business hours. I followed up. Still crickets. The next day, I called and left a voicemail.
A few business hours later, I finally got a text back — this time from the office’s main phone number, not the scheduling system. They said they hadn’t received my voicemail and were still expecting me at the original time.
That’s when I realized what had happened. My initial request had gone to the scheduling system, and I suspect an automated feature processed my rescheduling request without a human ever seeing it. But when I texted again, my messages disappeared into a void. When I shared screenshots of my requests, the scheduler confirmed they hadn’t seen them.
Luckily, we caught the miscommunication in time and properly rescheduled my appointment. But this mix-up got me thinking — if a small dentist’s office can have these issues with messaging, imagine the complexity at larger organizations.
Dig deeper: A CX reality check — When good intentions meet clunky execution
Not an uncommon occurrence
We’ve all been there — implementing a system without fully accounting for every scenario. Maybe the dentist’s office didn’t realize the scheduling system can automate rescheduling requests. Or perhaps they once knew, but as staff changed, no one passed the knowledge along.
There are plenty of understandable reasons for this confusion, and likely valid reasons why the office uses different phone numbers for texting.
Even organizations with dedicated marketing technology and operations teams can have overly complicated or confusing setups. If a small dentist’s office has multiple systems sending messages through SMS with different long codes, imagine the complexity of a larger organization.
Causes of confusion
There are several potential reasons why miscommunications like this happen. Here are a few key culprits.
Multiple platforms
In my experience, having multiple systems communicating with customers is a major source of confusion. Each system often requires a phone number or short code to track interactions correctly. While this makes sense from an operational perspective, it can create a disjointed customer experience.
Journey configuration
Another possible factor is how the customer journey is structured. Maybe the system was only set up to handle one rescheduling request per appointment. Perhaps I worded my first request just right, triggering the automation, while my second confused the system. Small differences in wording or unexpected customer behavior can easily disrupt automated workflows.
Dig deeper: How to plan for problems with proactive customer service
Business models that add complexity
Franchises
Franchise-based businesses introduce multiple layers of communication. On one side, the corporate brand manages overall marketing and customer outreach. On the other, individual franchisees often maintain local marketing channels, such as vanity websites, social media accounts and contact lists.
Since corporate and franchisee systems aren’t always linked, messages can overlap or conflict. A customer might receive multiple promotions from different sources in quick succession — sometimes for the same offer.
Should customers be responsible for knowing whether they need to contact corporate or their local franchisee for a loyalty program question? Should they have to track which phone number, short code, email, or social media account belongs to which entity?
B2B
A similar issue arises in B2B. Business development representatives, account executives, customer success managers and other team members often have one-on-one client relationships. However, those same clients may also receive broad, company-wide marketing campaigns.
Now, there is another layer of confusion. If a customer gets a personalized message that seems like it’s from their main point of contact, how do they know if that person actually sent it? And if they reply, will the right person see their response?
When multiple teams and platforms are involved, the potential for miscommunication is high.
The importance of awareness and coordination
While channel confusion is difficult to eliminate entirely, businesses can take steps to minimize it.
Martech documentation
It’s essential to ensure stakeholders have a clear understanding of the landscape. Providing martech documentation outlining the active communication channels, platforms in use and who manages each can help avoid overlap.
Campaign calendars
Stakeholders should have access to campaign calendars that specify when messaging will go out, who requested it and which channels will be involved. This can help coordinate messaging efforts and prevent conflicting communication.
Transparency in personalization
If a personalized campaign looks like it’s coming from an individual, it’s important to inform that person. This way, they’ll know to expect responses and can handle them appropriately.
User enablement
A clear enablement strategy for teams using communication platforms can help reduce confusion. Ensuring everyone understands how systems work together and where messages originate helps improve coordination.
The value of martech in preventing confusion
Inadvertently creating confusing experiences is commonplace, so no one should feel shame. However, it is important to recognize when confusion occurs and have a plan to provide clarity.
Fixing this sounds like a job for martech teams. It is one of many ways martech practitioners can prove their value.
Dig deeper: 5 simple ways to improve customer experience
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