Customer Story
How RACV built SMS into both member service and marketing
Overview
Challenge: RACV needed faster, more effective ways to communicate with members across both service and marketing use cases — from reducing roadside assistance callbacks and booking no-shows to driving uptake of new promotions.
Solution: Sinch Engage helped RACV use SMS across multiple business units, including roadside assistance updates, club and resort booking confirmations, drive school reminders, accessibility support and multi-channel promotional campaigns.
Results: A 16% reduction in roadside assistance callbacks, estimated resource savings of AU$46,000–53,000, reduced booking no-shows, lower call-centre workload and an 8% conversion rate in a targeted Emergency Home Assist promotion.
“Among a number of new applications, we have introduced SMS for online booking confirmation for RACV clubs and resorts. We use it for all restaurant, gym and accommodation bookings, and we’ve found that it really helps to reduce ‘no-shows’ and latecomers.“
For RACV, SMS did not stay confined to one department or one use case. What began as a practical way to keep roadside assistance members informed grew into a broader communication channel used across bookings, driving lessons, accessibility services and targeted member promotions.
RACV first worked with MessageMedia in 2013 through a statewide trial for emergency roadside assistance. Members who called for help received an SMS letting them know their service vehicle was on the way. The trial reduced overall callbacks by 16%, delivered an estimated AU$46,000–53,000 in resource savings and improved customer satisfaction, leading RACV to roll SMS out more broadly for roadside assistance.
As RACV expanded its use of Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia), SMS became part of a wider operational communications strategy. The organisation introduced SMS for club and resort booking confirmations, restaurant, gym and accommodation reminders, and driving school lesson notifications for both instructors and students. RACV also provided SMS access for deaf and hearing- or speech-impaired members in the event of a breakdown. Across these use cases, Sherman Ho said SMS helped reduce no-shows, cut late arrivals and lower the number of calls coming into call centres.
Improving service communication across the member journey
The operational value of SMS at RACV came down to clarity and speed. By giving members timely updates and reference numbers by text, the organisation reduced the need for follow-up calls and made it easier for members to reconnect with the right context when they did need help. Ho said the business process worked better because members were kept updated on the latest status of their booking or request, and RACV’s web portal setup also made it easier for departments to manage their own SMS applications with basic training.
That same communication model also supported more effective booking and service coordination. RACV found SMS especially useful for online booking confirmations across clubs and resorts, where it helped reduce no-shows and latecomers. In driving school, automated reminders helped keep lessons on time and made it less likely that bookings would be missed by either the instructor or the customer.
Extending SMS into targeted member promotions
RACV also proved that SMS could work beyond service updates. In a later campaign for Emergency Home Assist, RACV used Taguchi to run a multi-channel promotion across direct mail, eDM, web forms and SMS, targeting active members with a free six-month trial offer. The goal was to find the easiest “one click” activation path and generate a daily flow of leads through a more automated sign-up process.
By adding SMS into that campaign mix, RACV generated sign-ups that may not otherwise have been captured through eDM or direct mail alone. The campaign delivered an 8% conversion rate, which RACV described as exceeding expectations. The result reinforced the role of SMS not just as a service channel, but as a practical way to promote relevant offers to members through the communication method most likely to prompt action.
