Engaging Your Customers Through SMS Messaging
“I’ll text you”. It’s becoming a very popular saying among your customers. However, do they have the opportunity to engage with your business just as they do with their other contacts? That depends. For example, car dealerships are beginning to adopt this technology to communicate with their customers during vehicle appointments. Similarly, it’s also used when deals are being closed or reviews are being made. This is just one example of how features in Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) tech can serve as viable business solutions.
Early Adoption
Cloud-based SMS messaging may not emerge as the most exciting feature in your phone solution’s repertoire. Despite this, SMS messaging is exactly what’s going to set your company apart from the rest. It’s time your business capitalizes on this technique before others do. As we move into the age of fast service delivery and effective customer success, cloud-based SMS communication forges a connection with your customers at all stages of their journey. The idea of having near-complete control over your communications systems is not as far-fetched as you might think, using the right tools.
Add Touchpoints & Reduce Pain Points
Engaging with customers through cloud-based SMS can provide an increase in productivity for your Customer Success teams. Not only does providing an SMS option enable your clients to communicate at any time of their choosing, but it also adds extra avenues to instill reliability.No business needs to lose contact with leads over inconsistent communication, lack of trust, and inconvenient hours of operation. In addition to this, passing on a feature like cloud-based SMS shrinks your ability to communicate effectively should a problem arise with your primary communication method. Eliminate the days where your customers are facing issues with your calls at their lunch hour, after work, or have to play the dreaded game of phone tag. Having multiple touchpoints can display transparency and the willingness to foster communication with your leads. Working towards a fail-proof communications system with SMS generates more opportunities for your business to thrive.
Avoid Too Many Numbers
Introducing unnecessary information just confuses your customers. Using too many phone numbers can wreak havoc on tracking your communications both internally and externally. Furthermore, few of your team members want to communicate using their personal phone numbers. When introducing a one-number system through a cloud-based service, you will notice that your clients, prospects, and colleagues take part in better communication that resonates throughout the entire user journey. Focus on responding effectively to your client base by keeping things as unified as possible. Meanwhile, have your support teams adopt this technique for seamless communication across the entire user journey. Providing your clients with direct contact when they experience a challenge is critical in providing quality customer service. Present yourselves in a way that promotes simple communication when needed. Position yourselves similar to the way customers think of reaching their family and friends.
Keep It Short, Keep It Brief
No one wants to read a novel through their phone screen. Adding too much text all of a sudden creates this burden that SMS messaging requires too much effort on the customer's end. Engage with your customers using a short, brief SMS message, but that is still personalized to the user. Most of the time this can include inquiry updates, closed-ended questions, or something as simple as a greeting. Don’t forget, phone service is almost always an option to handle complex issues. Make SMS messaging come into play at every other step of the journey. Let this compliment your phone service as opposed to replacing it. This all culminates in a well-organized communications system for your business.
Having the ability to communicate to your leads, customers in need of small requests, or those who aren’t available to return a phone call should not be limited to voice interactions. It’s time to start thinking about how short message service (SMS) messaging is what your customers are consistently using outside of business, and how to engage with them through this medium when they need you most.
Click below to find out what Versature has to offer with SONAR SMS, Versature's cloud-based VoIP business phone SMS feature included in all packages.
