Communication with your customers is paramount, but have you added business texting to your methods of reaching your client base?
Text Request surveyed over 1,000 professionals across all ages and industries and gathered some interesting data.
According to Text Request’s survey, 54% of people say text message is the most effective channel for getting a response.
Benefits of Business Texting
For the companies already using business texting, some of the main benefits include the elimination of repeated tasks, getting twice as much done and improved communication.
Rather than playing phone tag or sending countless emails to clients, texting has a better response rate. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they read every text they get, and 46% said they respond to texts within a few minutes.
Business texting can also save time, with 35% of companies saying they save two to five hours a week. Rather than having to call customers individually, you can send out texts en masse. It can also prevent delays on projects by getting near-instant responses.
When people are seeing and responding to your messages, you can close the loop and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Best Uses for Business Texting
Of the businesses that text, 75% use it for customer service. This could include everything from customer check-ins, support and customer questions. Once consumers understand texting is an option, this is their preferred communication channel. Thirty percent of respondents say customer service is their most effective use case.
Another use for business texting is collecting online reviews and feedback. Currently, only 21% of businesses use texting to request online reviews and feedback.
Unlike email inboxes that are overflowing with numerous messages from various brands, 66% of people receive fewer than 20 texts per day. After working with a client, you can send them a thank you text that includes a link to your review page and ask them to share their experience. They are far more likely to see and respond to these requests via text than other channels.
Business texting is also commonly used for appointment scheduling; 68% of companies use texting for this purpose. Meanwhile, 87% of consumers say they want to receive appointment and scheduling text notifications.
Another 63% of respondents said they want payment reminders via text. However you decide to use business texting, it’s important to select one or two metrics to track so you can see the ROI of adding texting to your communication channels.
Some suggested metrics to monitor include time saved, responses and the rate at which people respond after you message them, revenue earned, appointments kept and stress reduced.
Text Request’s Predictions
Text Request expects the usage of texting for reviews to become commonplace as more businesses catch on to the untapped opportunity there. It is a natural extension of review management software.
As business texting becomes more prevalent, regulations will become stricter as governing bodies have begun scrutinizing which organizations are texting, for what purposes, and whether it’s legitimate or spam.
Just like email lists, Text Request anticipates you’ll need to prove that the contacts you are texting have opted into receiving the messages. Organizations who register their business, earn approval before texting and build a strong sender reputation early on will have an advantage.
Text Request also predicts that texting will become the default for most businesses, overtaking phone calls and maybe even email as more organizations implement texting. It’s important to keep in mind that while more people prefer to receive business texts, there are those who still desire a phone call, so texting should be used as an additional communication tool rather than an outright replacement for other contact methods.
