About Connect 98
About Connect 98
OUR NAME
Why Connect98?
The second part of our name has a different story. Research has consistently shown that around 98% of text messages are opened and read, often within just a few minutes. In a world of crowded inboxes, changing social media algorithms and endless digital noise, SMS remains one of the most reliable ways of reaching people when timing really matters.
When we decided to move beyond our original name, Text My Deal, we wanted something that reflected more than a single type of message. By then, we were helping businesses send appointment reminders, booking confirmations, dispatch notifications, service updates and marketing campaigns. More importantly, we were helping them build stronger relationships with their customers. The name Connect98 captured that broader purpose.
To us, Connect98 represents more than a communication platform. It reflects our belief that businesses shouldn’t lose touch with the customers they’ve already worked so hard to attract. The technology may evolve over time, but that principle remains at the heart of everything we do.
“Connect98 isn’t named after a statistic. It’s named after a belief that every customer relationship deserves the chance to continue.”
WHY WE EXIST
We Didn’t Build Connect98 to Send More Messages
We saw the same challenge repeated across hospitality, retail, leisure and other customer-facing industries. Businesses usually knew the person who made the booking or completed the payment, but everyone else who shared that experience often remained anonymous. They enjoyed the meal, visited the attraction, attended the appointment or made the purchase, yet there was no practical way to stay in touch with them afterwards.
That isn’t simply a marketing challenge. It’s a missed opportunity to build loyalty, encourage repeat visits and create stronger customer relationships.
Connect98 was created to help solve that problem. Rather than building another platform focused solely on sending SMS messages, we built one that helps businesses recognise, remember and reconnect with more of the customers they serve. SMS is simply the most effective way to make those conversations happen when timing matters.
They have a booking database.
Connect98 helps bridge that gap by making it easier to capture, communicate with and build relationships with more of the people who experience your business.
OUR APPROACH
What We Believe About Customer Communication
Businesses should be able to communicate with confidence. That’s why compliance, opt-outs and industry best practice are built into everything we do.
When timing matters, SMS is the channel your customers are most likely to see.
Connect98 helps you reach the people you’d otherwise miss – instantly.
Used by businesses to fill last-minute availability, reduce no-shows, and drive repeat visits.
The Future of Customer Communication
Our ambition is to continue helping organisations build stronger customer relationships through simple, effective technology that makes staying connected easier than ever.
Whether you’re welcoming customers through your doors, confirming appointments, filling last-minute availability or keeping people informed, our focus remains the same.
Helping businesses stay connected.
Experience You Can Trust
Connect98 is backed by a team with more than twenty years’ experience in the communications industry. Over that time we’ve helped businesses communicate more effectively with their customers, adapting as technology, customer expectations and the way people engage with businesses have continued to evolve.
Today, that experience is reflected in a platform designed to make customer communication simple, reliable and compliant, supported by people who understand that choosing a communications partner is about more than software alone.
Helping Businesses Stay Connected
From hospitality and retail to leisure and health & beauty, Connect98 helps businesses reach customers quickly, capture more of the people they serve, and bring them back again.
“We have been customers of Connect98 across the group for several years now and consider them to be a valued business partner. Their service allows us to create a very valuable database of customers mobile numbers.
A short message with a little incentive always generates more business. Text marketing also helped us enormously when we came out of lockdown. It was the quickest and easiest way to let our customers know we were open again.”
Vinay Bhudia, General Manager,
Tiger Bay International
“One of the most useful features of the Connect98 system is that we can send messages out from Head Office to all our customers, or just locally from any location. We also run competitions using different keywords and always get a great response from that.
Because the response to text is almost immediate, we can send out announcements relating to real-time weather conditions, eg ‘Come and bowl when it is too hot, too cold, too wet...’”
Ana Pinto, Head of Marketing,
Namco Funscape (10-pin bowling)
“Vaping manufacturers are continually adding new products and different, updated vaping devices to their range. Rather than waiting for customers to come into any of our shops to see what is new and available, we often send a text message. We can include in this a link to our website where they can explore the entire range.
I would recommend Connect98 to any retailer that wants to encourage repeat business. It is a great way to stay in touch.”
David Carmichael, Owner,
Carmichaels Vaping
“We started using Connect98 a few months before lockdown and thank goodness we did. Coming out of lockdown it seemed like the whole country needed a haircut and every hairdresser was trying to greet them. We got in first, sent a message out as soon as Boris made his announcement and within 24 hours nearly 20% of our database had made appointments. It is all about getting there first. You know what they say, ‘if you snooze – you lose’.”
Lisa Harris, Owner,
Colour By Lisa
“The course was flooded a few years back and we had to let all our members know that it was unplayable. There was no point in sending an email as that may not be read for days. We ended up phoning all our most likely effected members. Following that incident, we decided to look at SMS as a medium for communicating quickly, mainly because of its instant impact and high open-rate.
The Connect98 platform suited all our requirements and even allowed us to capture the numbers of our ‘Pay & Play’ visitors. We now use it on a regular basis to advise of spare Tee times and Clubhouse events. We are very happy with the service they provide.”
Andrew Killing, General Manager,
Thorney Park Golf Club
“Connect98 has been extremely useful to us in keeping all my therapists busy throughout the day. We can determine when our advance bookings have dropped, and send out incentives to fill those slots. We also use the loyalty scheme rather than printing and stamping cards.”
Rumana Merali, Owner,
Rumiz Beauty Studio
“At Santa Pod we have been using texting and Connect98 for a long time. We are able to grow the size of our customer database when we interact with them on event days.
Between races we ask visitors to text us using ‘POD’ to 60163, followed by a record they would like to hear, or a Birthday/Anniversary they would like read out. With Connect98’s real-time monitoring our PA announcer is able to see these requests as they come in. We are also able to capture the mobile number and adding it to our database, we then have more people to market to for future events.”
Caroline Holden, Commercial Manager,
Santa Pod Drag Racing