7 WAYS TEXTING WILL HELP YOUR BUSINESS

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1 7 WAYS TEXTING WILL HELP YOUR BUSINESS Texting is changing the way businesses and customers talk with each other. Over the next few pages, we ve put together 7 ways texting can have a material positive impact on your business. Adding texting as a key customer communication channel can make the difference between ongoing success and going the way of the dinosaurs.

2 1 INSTANTLY CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMER 90% of texts are read within 3 minutes of being received. Compared to s, which have an average open rate of less than 28%, text messaging makes a world of difference when it comes to grabbing the attention of your customer. These days spam makes up over 66% of all s sent. Not only does your need to stand out from all the garbage people receive, but it needs to get past the army of spam filters the majority of us have in place. Texting ensures customers actually see your offers and they aren t languishing in purgatory. Text messaging has become the most common form of communication among American adults, and as of 2015, mobile-only users have overtaken desktop users. Because text messages are seen in a mere instant, your business has the ability to connect with customers faster, leading to quicker conversion rates. The law requires a person to opt-in prior to receiving text solicitations from any business. So if you have customers signing up to receive promos, coupons, or information, there s already a known interest.

3 2 SPAN ACROSS GENERATIONS Millennials now make up over 34% of the work force, and for the first time, have surpassed the Baby Boomer generation in the office. This means you re now more likely to hear about how many shots your cubemate threw back this past weekend than hear about a son s high school graduation. What better way to connect with this generation than by reaching them via their preferred method of communication? 60% of Millennials say they would like to be able to text message their favorite businesses. Millennials are also more likely to buy something from their smart phones, and as of 2014, have an estimated purchasing power of over $170 billion per year. Every business should want to be on the receiving end of this windfall.

4 3 JUGGLE SIMULTANEOUS CONVERSATIONS Life is not orderly. Unfortunately people don t calmly wait in some single-file line to engage with you. Conversations can start and stop. Sometimes we converse in real-time while other times we delay before responding. Most people realize that to maximize efficiency, multitasking is the way to go. Text messaging allows employees to assist multiple customers at the same time. In the book Naked Economics, Charles Wheelan writes, Time is one of our most scarce resources. Not only is text messaging the most convenient means of communication, it saves your customers the hassle of sitting on hold or standing in line. It also saves your employees some precious minutes (and their sanity), too. Plus it allows them to engage immediately or respond back when it s most convenient for them to do so. Texting is a natural fit to how we live our lives. So, let Sam know his appointment has been pushed back from 4:30 to 5, while telling Katie her Manhattan will be ready for her at the bar, all while letting Tom know that clean towels are on the way to his room.

5 4 REDUCE THE WAITING GAME THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF WAITING; ACTIVE WAITING AND PASSIVE WAITING. ACTIVE WAITING is like Tim Burton s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ; it s what nightmares are made of. Say you call your insurance company and they put you on hold. There may be a song reminiscent of an elevator ride playing on the other line or an automated voice that keeps thanking you for holding. Maybe there s just silence, so you pray you don t get disconnected. Active waiting can throw a wrench into your plans. You may have wanted to go to lunch at Panera with your daughter, but now you re sitting on hold for the next 75 minutes. Either way, you are very aware of each minute as it passes. Then there s PASSIVE WAITING. While it s still waiting, it s far more tolerable. Kind of like taking someone to the dentist. You may be slightly inconvenienced for the time being, but you re still not the one stuck in the chair, in a small room, listening to sound of tartar being drilled off an unsuspecting molar. Text messaging involves passive waiting. Just like when texting with friends: you send a message, wait for a response, and continue living your life. No sitting on hold, waiting for a call back, or checking your for a response.

6 5 HAVE AN AUTOMATED 24/7 EMPLOYEE Ever wondered what it would be like to have an employee who could interact with your customers and guests 24/7? Customers no longer care that a business is closed for a holiday or that business hours are only from 8:30 to 5 (I m looking at you, USPS). If a customer needs or wants something from you, they re going to attempt to contact you. And if you re not there to answer, your competitor will be. Setting up automated responses is essentially like having that 24/7 employee for all those off-hours. When a customer texts your business with specific keywords such as menu, an automated message gets sent to their phone with a link to your menu. Utilizing automated responses saves your company from losing business to your competitors by responding to your customers even when your entire team is out of the office. 6 INCREASE EMPLOYEE EFFICIENCY Technology continues to challenge how we think about our business operations. We live in an age where our packages are delivered by drones and our cars are on the way to driving themselves. Employees no longer need to be chained to their desks. Utilizing text messaging as a customer service tool gives everyone the ability to work from anywhere at any time. Whether that entails telecommuting or having an employee respond to customers while they re performing another task, text messaging grants them freedom. The average phone call lasts about three minutes. Compare that to the 10 seconds it takes to send a text message. When you have 30 customers who have questions or requests, employees can save hours by communicating via two-way text messaging. There s folks who may argue that text messaging diminishes personalization unlike that of a phone call. But when done correctly, businesses who text message can offer a superior customer experience. Texting requires everyone to be concise, getting straight to the point.

7 7 KEEP IT PERSONAL There s no longer room for impersonal, cookie-cutter, or generic marketing. If you want to create a loyal customer base who spreads how awesome your business is via word-of-mouth, provide them with superior, personable service. Can I have more towels? Hello, Mrs. Smith! We will be right up to room 102 with those for you. Great, thank you! One way of doing this is to create a persona for your business. Businesses that create brand personas humanize themselves, establishing a sense of trust with their customers. People are more likely to become repeat customers once they ve develop a personal connection with a business or brand. The art of humanizing your business should build upon empathy, awareness, and relatability; traits that naturally drive customers to feel a personal connection. Being responsive is another way of establishing a personal connection with customers. Have you ever contacted a business just to receive an automated, unrelated response? What a great way to lose a customer. Text messaging is the easy and simple way to stay in touch with your customers. Just like when messaging a friend, texting is a relaxed, informal, and quick way to communicate. Your business s ability to respond quickly in a personable tone is the superior customer experience we all dream of. Get rid of the nagging phone calls and s that go unread and your business won t just create repeat customers, it ll create brand enthusiasts. REAL CONNECTIONS, REAL RESULTS