“Celebrate Eid before Eid! Get 4 eggs only on Tk40 and save Tk5 instantly!”
How does it feel when you see multiple SMS (Short Message Service) carrying the same message in the middle of the night or when you are seeking an urgent OTP code? Inappropriate promotional SMS starts when we purchase a product from a company or take any services, and it never ends. Most companies ask customers’ contact numbers for home delivery services and never stop sending promotional messages. A large portion of Bangladesh’s 179.9 million mobile phone users frequently get this kind of disturbing SMS on their mobile phones.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) launched a DND (Do Not Disturb) service in 2021 to ease the displeasing SMS from telco companies, which is moving in the right direction. However, even if you subscribe to the DND service, there is no guarantee that you will stop receiving promotional text messages (SMS) from sources other than the telco company. As a result, customers’ SMS inboxes remain a trash can.
From birth certificates to passport verification, a contact number has more sensitive official governmental segments than its unique combination of 11 digits to use for any citizen’s lifetime. Even when you are admitted to the hospital, the help desk will ask for your contact number before your name, as most of them record their patient’s history with it so that they can trace the patient easily in terms of urgency. From the banking transactional confirmation to the notice of the absence of school children, every urgent notice comes through SMS. Some unethical companies don’t feel the requisite for consent to use your contact number for their promotional purposes, which carries almost all your digital footprints. Is it not hilarious that our brain never uses a single cell for this minacious practice?
According to the Cyber Security Act 2023, formerly known as the Digital Security Act 2018, “illegal access” means accessing any digital device, digital network, or digital information system without the permission of the concerned authorized person or authority. Initially, a contact number seems like data, but when data is refined or processed, it transforms into information and becomes useful. In view of the law, using contact numbers for promotional purposes without prior permission should be unjustified. Indeed, some unethical private companies disobey government policy, which was made thoroughly for citizens.
From birth certificates to passport verification, a contact number has more sensitive official governmental segments than its unique combination of 11 digits to use for any citizen’s lifetime
Survey says
We arranged a survey and asked people to share their perspectives regarding promotional SMS. Out of 252 participants, more than 50% said that they get promotional messages multiple times a day, and 69.8% of people think that these promotional SMS are intrusive to them. Moreover, 52% of participants considered those promotional messages irrelevant. Besides, 67% of people preferred stricter regulations on promotional SMS. Subsequently, we asked them whether they prefer more stringent regulations on SMS marketing to understand the depth of their concern. One of our participants said, “Sometimes we miss out on essential communications because of irrelevant mobile marketing messaging.” Another participant said, “It feels like a breach of privacy.” Our survey sample does not represent 179.9 million mobile phone users’ aspects. Still, it shows at least a glimpse of their situation, which is unanticipated and a matter of concern.
SMS is still one of the necessary tools in every mobile phone because it does not require any internet connection like email, WhatsApp, Messenger, and so on. Whether your phone is smart or a feature phone, you will get a message without any delay. SMS is a wizarding broomstick for marketing analysts only when used wisely. While inquiring about the outdated, trivial perception of many Bangladeshi marketers, it reminded me of a saying of Dharmesh Shah (co-founder of HubSpot): “Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just the marketing, sales, or service. To win in the modern age, you must solve for humans.”
Promotional SMS can be an excellent solution for customers when they consider a particular company as part of their lives. Sorting customer data based on their preferences is always fruitful for company owners and customers. Because instead of searching for suitable products and offers, getting this information in your SMS inbox makes our daily life easier. Promotional messages can only be considered in one’s SMS inbox when the customer authorizes a tangible agreement notice while the company asks for their contact number.
Faizur Rahman Khandaker is an Associate Editor of the NSU Journal of Student Research at North South University.
