Communicating with customers is crucial to any business. Organizations must ascertain that their products and services meet customer demands and prompt support. Communicating directly with customers has never been easier in this golden age of multiple tools and platforms. Businesses can get feedback, advertise their products, provide updates, and even respond to customer queries through texting.
Business Text Messaging
For the majority of people today, communication is synonymous with text messaging. Companies that wish to speak to their clients directly have found this platform convenient and straightforward. Most companies have adopted mass texting, following their comprehensive understanding of the art of business text messaging and how to equip themselves for this communication initiative well. Mass texting is an apt communication method requiring businesses to use SMS to send messages to many people. Business text messaging falls into two main categories commonly used, Short Message Services (SMS) AND Multimedia Message Services (MMS).
What are SMS and MMS?
SMS is a text messaging service that relies mainly on mobile devices and mobile-ready systems. Data shows that mobile phone users send trillions of SMS messages annually. SMS specifically sends alphanumeric messages, limited to 160 characters. The common reasons for using SMS messaging include;
- Text alerts and reminders to customers
- Notifying customers about a product launch
- Confirmations or reminders on appointments
- Offer special codes for sales and promotional discounts
- Provide updates on the shipping status of customer purchases
- Conduct customer surveys
MMS is the avenue through which one sends multimedia information, such as images and videos. This process also allows senders to send text messages with more than 160 characters. Depending on the file size, the amount of content one sends varies. Most businesses prefer MMS over SMS due to its diverse nature and the ability to send images and videos, which betters the communication process. Some of the ways MMS is applicable include;
- Sending friendly greetings and invitations to customers
- Offering help through videos, such as troubleshooting tutorials
- Sharing product information with visual aids
- Offering general notifications such as weather alerts and traffic
Advantages of Business Texting Platforms
There is a guarantee that text messages will get read once sent. More than 83% of customers will open a text message sent in the first minute of receiving. In the United States, more than 92% of the population can send and receive text messages. These statistics further prove that, unlike other digital communication avenues, text messaging is not only common; most mobile phone holders prefer it. Therefore, business text messaging is the best approach in communicating with customers faster and easier.
The directness and immediacy of text messaging make it so much better. Other messaging platforms require users to download some unique applications to communicate. However, text messaging only requires users to message their recipients directly from their contact list. In this age, internet connection is necessary for almost everything. This requirement proves particularly challenging when communicating with people who are not connected or out of range. Texting does not require internet access, an advantage for an on-the-o business that instantly needs to access its customers.
Text messaging also promotes automation, especially for organizations that hope to raise operational efficiency. Business texting platforms are the best option for a business experiencing redundancy in its processes. They can instantly deliver reminders, confirmations, bills, and any other information a business shares. The autoresponders types of texts also help the support engage more with the customers by providing prompt responses. Lastly, there is no technical expertise necessary when sending a text. Many businesses ensure that the messages sent are straightforward, both in the message they carry and how to respond.
If you are looking for a convenient way of reaching customers, text messaging has proven the best channel to reach and constantly communicate. With the rising popularity of texting among business owners, your business must grow and catch up with the trend. There are various ways that the organization can maximize its strategies through texting. Considering that every company looks to achieve customer satisfaction, adopting the best platform for customers to keep in contact at any time is crucial. At all times, ensure your customers will get you whenever they need to.