In a world where the majority of individuals keep their phones within arm’s reach, getting in touch with customers is easier than ever. With a variety of ways to contact customers on their mobile phones (i.e. texting, email, social media, calling, etc.), understanding customers’ communication preferences can help businesses determine how they should contact their customers to improve the efficiency of campaigns.
For example, 82 percent of text messages are read within five minutes and 58 percent of consumers view businesses more positively if they offer messaging as a communication option. This insight can help businesses adjust communication strategies to provide experiences that will be most engaging for their customers.
In addition to ease of use and familiarity, there are a variety of reasons why texting might be the preferred communication channel for customers. Below are four unique benefits messaging offers to customers and businesses.
- Convenient. When the phone rings, consumers feel compelled to pick it up, answer and have a conversation right then, which deters many from answering calls from unknown numbers. However, when they receive a text message with context about the situation, these same consumers have the option to respond when it is most convenient for them, also knowing what they are going to be talking about.
- Fast. Texting can be a quick option for consumers on the go. For example, if a customer wants to know whether their order has shipped, texting is generally the fastest solution (i.e. they can bypass the dreaded call queue) and opt for real-time text updates on their order.
- Efficient. Text messages are typically more impersonal in nature than telephone calls. Texting is quick, to the point, and interchange requiring very little in the way of small talk or pleasantries. Because of these elements, customers often prefer to text so they can get support fast and keep it to the point.
- Documented. Customers might prefer text messages because they serve as a written reminder of the information they exchanged, which can come in handy later – especially for getting a tracking number, checking a balance, or making a payment arrangement. The ability to keep the history of texts with a business can aid in improving the overall experience.
Messaging capabilities deliver ROI to businesses looking to boost customer retention and satisfaction. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits afforded by messaging capabilities and providing customers with the flexibility to communicate in the ways they prefer, you might consider looking into the five messaging leaders outlined below. These leaders can help kickstart your messaging capabilities based on your individual needs.
As a business texting solution, MessageKite takes front desk efficiency to the next level and empowers staff to manage tasks and customer communications faster. MessageKite offers two-way text and picture messaging, group and mass texting, scheduling and reminders, after hour chatbot, templates and personalization, contact list management and autoresponder.
CallHub is a marketing platform that enables scalable, personalized communication for political campaigns, nonprofits, advocacy groups and businesses. CallHub offers voice and SMS software that connects campaigns to their target audiences through a cohesive mix of peer to peer texting, SMS broadcast, phone banking, SMS Opt-In and voice broadcasting software. With CallHub, customers can send texts to thousands of individuals at once with mass texting, collect phone numbers by letting people opt-in, or engage people in a two-way conversation.
ReferralMD is a leading patient engagement and provider management platform for healthcare providers. With ReferralMD, users can take advantage of referral management, e-consults, patient access and scheduling and provider CRM. ReferralMD helps reduce patient no-shows by allowing users to send targeted and time-sensitive messaging via text such as appointment reminders and confirmations. The company’s process is automated, which improves operational efficiencies by eliminating phone calls and manual processes that burden healthcare providers and staff members.
AlertFind is an emergency notification system that organizations can use to reach key stakeholders in the event of an emergency. Users can instantly send and receive critical information to any device during a crisis or IT system outage. Businesses can also use AlertFind’s geo-targeting capabilities to communicate with customers or team members in any area they choose. You can also create groups and assign multiple administrators for each group or location to ensure that critical alerts make it to your team.
Appointment Reminder eliminates the need to manually send reminders. In addition, customers can reply to the reminders and the business will receive a notification if they do. The software boasts a 90 percent open rate and 70 percent response rate.
SMS/MMS is a popular means of communication for consumers due to its ease of use and real-time relevance. By incorporating messaging into business communications, organizations can improve customer engagement, satisfaction and retention, ultimately adding value to their bottom line.
How Flowroute Can Help
Flowroute offers SMS and MMS capabilities to help businesses simply and reliably turn phone numbers into a more immediate, engaging customer experience. Flowroute’s SMS capabilities can easily be integrated into applications via an API to create seamless customer experiences that deliver intelligent, personalized text interactions.
