Adopting an efficient method of communication with the customer base is necessary for thriving businesses as it helps them expand and grow. In modernity, businesses rely more and more on technology as an aid in this expansion. One of the many tools of technology is SMS application, which is essentially business text messaging and is one of the easiest, quickest and cost-efficient ways to build up a consumer base. As of 2018, SMS marketing is increasingly getting picked up by businesses to enhance their influence. But what exactly is it, why should it be used and how can it be used by businesses?
SMS application makes use of mass text messaging to contact a huge number of people simultaneously. Businesses set up automated communication channels in order to make two-way communication between themselves and the customers easier to handle.
The use of SMS marketing applications is encouraged by statistics. First, an estimated 98% of text messages are opened within 3 minutes of being received. Second, statistics gathered in 2016 state that 82.1% of the respondents in the survey conducted opened every single text message they got. Moreover, according to Market Strategies international, up to 70% of consumers like using text messages for troubleshooting, reservations and purchase information.
SMS application can be used by businesses in a number of ways. People have come to prefer text messages over calls and waiting on hold, thus call centers can use messages instead which is far more cost effective and increases customer satisfaction. One thing to remember SMS is an opt-in service, where customers can choose to receive updates from companies for things such as upcoming deals, events and new releases. Businesses can generate a highly targeted mobile subscriber list and messages for participation on a big scale.
Another use for businesses can be an appointment text reminder. This will effectively lower the number of no-shows for scheduled appointments and can also ensure that cancellations are made on time and empty slots are filled up in order to save time and money. SMS application can also be an effective way to get customer feedback. Businesses can opt for text message surveys. Customers can review and rate products in a shorter amount of time, making these surveys quicker and more efficient in comparison to manual or digital forms which require time and patience and often have lower participation rates. Text messages can also be used as a means for tracking packages. Updates on shipping status sent from the company satisfy the customer far more than the tedious job of having to log on to the website or making a call to the company in order to track packages.
Furthermore, SMS emergency text alerts are useful in emergency situations. It provides a quick communication channel to alert coworkers of bad weather conditions, security breaches, down servers, last-minute meeting or any other type of emergency. Mass text messages can get this information across swiftly. In addition, it does not require the use of Wi-Fi which means that people who are out of range can get the texts too.