The union executives should first and foremost have a dedicated GSM line for getting feedbacks from the workers belonging to the union. This phone number would be made public to all union members as where their messages should be forwarded to. How will they get this?

• At intervals, the union executives will send targeted bulk SMS to all members of the union. This message will ask each union member to provide opinion or answers on a particular thing of concern. It might be asking for their general opinion on a particular area of the organization’s treatment of workers, or asking them to mention one thing about the current company’s policy that they are not satisfied with and why.

Since the SMS will be customized with the sender ID being one chosen by the union, it will be important to add the GSM number where the response should be forwarded to in the content of the message.

Responses sent to this number will then be reviewed by the union’s executives as this serves as an honest appraisal from the union members on what is bordering them and they need attended to. This will be a way of getting to serve them better and in the process earning their trust.

• Another way bulk SMS can be used for this purpose is to get feedbacks on assignments delegated to members of the union. At union meetings, which can be organized using bulk SMS, most times some tasks are assigned to members of the union towards satisfaction for all. Bulk SMS can be used to get real time updates on how the task assigned is being carried out. The executive ask for the report, and the person in question responds through an SMS.

•  Sometimes, bulk SMS can even be used for voting within the trade union. On matters where a decision has to be taken, and there are likely to be differing opinions while it is not convenient to hold a meeting, SMS can be used to get the general resolution. A message will be sent, telling the members to respond with a keyword that matches what they vote for, something like “If yes, reply 1, if no, reply 2”. With this, everybody doesn’t have to meet but the decision will still be taken with the majority. Members can equally be informed of this decision using SMS.

All in all, the bottom line is; a good trade union thrives on effective communication between the executives and the members of the union. With bulk SMS, this need is as good as solved and dusted.

Sign up your bulk SMS account if you’ve not yet done so, get free SMS units to test the service, save your members phone number in your phonebook and start enjoying the bulk SMS experience in managing a labor union that serves others well.

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