There it is. Yet another update for an app I no longer need. I shake my head and delete the app I had been forced to download to pay for a parking spot in the UK two years ago. In a world of continual updates, the phrase “We’ve got an app for that” has become more of a curse.

Why send a link to an app when the work could be better served by a simple text message? A few weeks ago, I posted this question on LinkedIn: “Would you prefer to make a payment with a link to a website or pay via SMS?” Fifty seven percent of the respondents preferred making a payment via SMS!

Is it really frictionless if the app creates friction?

Dealers are constantly looking at ways to create a more frictionless process. A great example is mobility. Imagine you’re a customer who needs a ride. You receive an email that requires you to use a third-party mobility app. Next, you have to hop onto a Wi-Fi spot or use data to download the app. Then you likely have to set up an account for a service you may never use again. Finally, you have to validate your account and maybe even add credit card info. That’s a lot of work just for a free ride.

The good news is that there’s a better way to solve this problem. Hailer is currently being used by hundreds of dealers, providing a truly frictionless experience. Customers receive a simple text message and with just a few replies, their ride is on the way. No apps or heavy downloads — just a truly frictionless process.

The path of least resistance is the path to success!

Since its launch, Hailer has provided over 100,000 rides for dealers. The best part is that most of those rides happened via SMS with no app needed!

“Hailer is almost completely SMS based,” explained Abram Goldshtein, director of engineering at CDK Global. “The only exception is when a customer wants to use Hailer credits that are tied to their existing ride-share account.”

Goldshtein reported that less than five percent of all Hailer scheduled rides use ride-share service credits that require the use of a smartphone app.

Hailer has received many accolades for dealers using this tool. CDK dealers are using Hailer to improve customer satisfaction and accessibility by making it easy to offer free flexible vehicle pickup and drop-off for Service and Sales visits for customers.

Learn More About Hailer