There’s disagreement about the numbers – will it be 25 billion or 40 billion devices? And the timeframe – within five years, or seven? But there is no doubt that the “internet of things” will revolutionise how we currently do business – and live our lives.

The internet of things – “IoT” – is a network of intelligent devices connected by digital technology. By devices, we are talking everything from roads, cars and cities – right down to your toaster and fridge.

Just how revolutionary will it be? Paul McNamara, Ericsson’s vice president of cloud strategy, says “It will be the largest and most transformational phase we have yet encountered.” He adds “It’s difficult to overestimate the scope of change that IoT will bring about as devices of all sorts become connected into a global network. It will certainly be the largest technology revolution of our lifetimes.”

Largest revolution of our lifetime? Strong words. But, if it works as it should, our lives should be cleaner, simpler and more streamlined because of it. The first time your fridge knows you’re nearly out of milk, so adds it unprompted to your Ocado order, that will be wonderful feeling! But when machines are making intelligent decisions, seemingly without our input or notification, well – that’s the stuff of dystopian science fiction.

We’ll need to be kept informed, because we will want to be kept informed. Psychologically, we wish to be the master, rather than slaves to technology. Clearly, we will need to be notified.

Given the technologies involved, perhaps push notifications would seem the obvious medium. However, we’re already swamped by push notifications. No doubt you’re already clearing your phone of them every hour – often without looking at what they are or who they come from. Like email, it’s already mere clutter (and if you think email may be the solution, see our earlier Email Uncertainty blog post).

If you absolutely need to be seen – if it is necessary to cut through this white noise – perhaps SMS is the answer? A medium that isn’t ignored, is beautifully succinct, and offers click-thrus and binary decision making. In fact, all features that your business could be taking advantage of right now.

Consider the stats: 99% of all text messages are read. More than this, 95% are read within 5 minutes of sending. And average response time for SMS? 90 seconds. That’s real time feedback, friction-free.

Are you a business looking to the future? Talk to VoodooSMS to learn how integrating SMS into your customer’s journey could pay long-term dividends.