Customer Story
RSPCA ACT strengthens service levels with SMS and Salesforce
Overview
Challenge: RSPCA ACT needed a more effective way to communicate with customers across its animal welfare and community services, especially when phone calls were missed and timely follow-up was important.
Solution: Sinch Engage integrated with Salesforce to enable SMS communication directly within service workflows, making it easier for staff to follow up quickly and keep records of those interactions.
Results: Faster response times, stronger customer service, less missed communication and a more efficient way for staff to manage enquiries and follow-up.
“The customer wants a response straight away, and SMS allows us to communicate faster and more effectively with our customers.“
For RSPCA ACT, better communication was not just about convenience. It was a practical way to improve service levels for clients, support staff more effectively and keep day-to-day operations running smoothly. The organisation, based in Canberra, supports animal welfare across its local community through services including a veterinary clinic, a dog and puppy training school, and animal care operations backed by a workforce of about 300 voluntary, permanent and casual staff.
Before SMS became part of the workflow, RSPCA ACT relied on traditional contact methods like phone calls and email to communicate with clients and staff. The team wanted a more streamlined and effective way to reduce appointment no-shows, keep customers informed and manage communication costs at the same time.
That led RSPCA ACT to adopt Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia) through a web-based SMS system. The platform gave the organisation a simple way to send and receive messages from a browser, with features like two-way messaging, bulk sending and reporting built in. Over time, SMS became part of a wider communication approach rather than a standalone tool.
Faster follow-up, stronger service levels
RSPCA ACT now uses Sinch Engage across a range of customer and staff communications. On the client side, that includes dog training school notifications, veterinary clinic reminders, appointment confirmations and follow-up messages when phone calls go to voicemail. Sarah McIntosh said that while people may not always be able to answer a call, they can often read and reply to a text, making SMS a more reliable way to keep communication moving.
The platform also plays an important role internally. RSPCA ACT uses SMS for staff communication and emergency evacuation procedures, including bulk alerts to all staff and individual messages when specific assistance is needed to evacuate animals. In those situations, the speed and immediacy of SMS are especially valuable.
The operational benefits have been clear. McIntosh said bulk messaging saves significant time because the same update can be sent to a large group in just a few minutes. SMS has also proved highly effective for appointment confirmations, with over 80% of clients responding to reminders for veterinary and training school appointments such as vaccinations. Over time, RSPCA ACT found that SMS improved procedural efficiency, reduced telephone use and helped keep phone lines open for incoming client calls, which in turn supported better customer service levels.
