Working with the RingCentral SDK for C#, Thompson created a simple web service to act as an internal interface to the RingCentral SMS service. The mobile developers could call that service with parameters, including the destination phone number and message body, and that message would be relayed through RingCentral using the company’s account. By architecting the RingCentral integration as a web service, he made it easier to add SMS functionality to other applications as needed.
The initial use was to authenticate new accounts. When a patient signs up through one of the mobile apps, an SMS confirmation message including a coded link is sent to the phone number the individual provided. This works very much like the email confirmation that would be sent for a signup on the website. Once the signup is completed, the service also sends a welcome message with a link to a web page with more information.
“We could use email, but less and less people are going that route anymore,” Thompson says.
Beyond the initial signup, the text messages Thompson expects to be the most beneficial are refill reminders. “That means we do not have to call them,” he says. “Getting people to reorder is important because we want to retain customers, and SMS saves us from having to try to get them on the phone, which is next to impossible.” These days, many people will not answer a call from an unfamiliar number, but they check their text messages faithfully, he says.
An additional service Rx Valet plans to offer is to send patients scheduled reminders when they are supposed to take their medicines. That service will be offered as an additional convenience to members, building loyalty to the service.
Thompson says he found the RingCentral API easy to work with and well documented. “I think I ran into a couple of problems, but I contacted tech support, and they were resolved right away. I wish a lot more companies had that level of help,” he says.
