If you are like me and almost everyone else, you’ve been personally texting for years now. Text messages are fast, easy, effective, and unobtrusive. Many businesses, however, haven’t yet started using text messages for their business communications. Why? Is it because they think text messaging is inappropriate? Or difficult to implement? Or it might turn off customers?
Is it professional to send text messages for business?
Businesses that hold those old-fashioned notions about business text messaging services may want to rethink them. Text messages help you improve customer engagement by meeting customers where they are and how they want to be contacted.
- Universal Format – 97% of Americans have a phone that can receive text messages. 1
- Preferred by Customers – 70% of consumers opted to receive text messages from businesses in 2022. 2
- Used By The Majority Of Businesses – Over 50% of businesses use SMS messages to communicate with their customers. In 2022, text messaging for businesses grew by 27%.3
- Improved Responses – SMS text messages have a 98% open rate when used for business communication.4
While many enterprise-level companies have been using business texting services for a while, small businesses have been slower to adopt the use of SMS messages for customer relationships.
This article explains why SMS should be part of every company’s communications suite and how SMS business texting from TelNet makes it easy for businesses to start using text messages for their business communications quickly, easily, and securely
Real-life SMS Business Text Messaging Service Benefits
How can businesses benefit from texting?
Here’s one example from my own life. My wife takes her vehicle to the local dealership for oil changes and other regular maintenance. She has given the dealership permission to text her with reminders. Sure enough, every 5,000 miles, she gets a text message letting her know she is due for an oil change. Right on cue, she makes an appointment. She also takes her vehicle in for tire rotations and other dealership recommendations when prompted via text.
Contrast that with me. I do not use the dealership for service. I use a local independent repair shop. I love them. But they are old school. They do not use an SMS messaging service. Because I do not get regular reminders, I do not take my vehicle in for oil changes or other service as frequently as my wife.
The benefits business texting provides to the dealership in this scenario are obvious. The dealership generates more repeat business from my wife than my non-texting local mechanic does from me. The difference adds up, even if it’s just one additional oil change per year.
Multiply that small revenue increase by the total number of customers the dealership has, and the minor investment in texting makes a big impact on the bottom line.
SMS Messages for Business from TelNet
To help businesses take advantage of the power of texting, TelNet has introduced a new SMS module to our Webex platform. Our SMS text messaging enables businesses to communicate with their customers and partners.
TelNet’s SMS Business Text product provides the phone system integration and simplicity that system administrators need. Users can send and receive text messages from the same telephone numbers they make and take phone calls from.
Our SMS product uses the same credentials as our Webex users. End users will access the SMS app right within their Webex account. It is an optional add-on to our Meetings and Premium Meetings seat types.
For those concerned with compliance and security, our SMS texting complies with The Campaign Registry (TCR), which is an entity created by mobile network operators to make business SMS messaging more secure and trustworthy. It is also supported by one of the largest SMS API providers in the world, Bandwidth.com.
TelNet Worldwide SMS Business Texting Features and Benefits
Our SMS business texting offers the following capabilities:
- 1-to-1 SMS
- Group messaging
- Send/receive photos (MMS messages)
The benefits of SMS business texting include:
- Unifying your communications by adding SMS to your existing business numbers
- Improving response rates
- Giving customers the flexibility to respond without hold times
- Improving customer engagement and customer experience with appointment reminders, confirmations, support answers, and more
What can you do with SMS message services? The uses cases are many:
- Reminder Texts: Businesses like dentist or doctor’s offices can send messages for appointment reminders
- Customer Service Texts: Businesses text customers about their accounts. Examples include:
- Car dealerships can send service reminders
- Pharmacies can notify patients of prescription refills
- Accountants can inform their customers when tax returns are ready to be filed
- Billing alerts or past due messages
- Customer support responses
- Marketing Text Messages: Businesses of any kind can use SMS messages to advertise discounts or promotions. Examples include:
- Early access for existing customers to discounts
- Promotions for new customers
- Customer feedback
- Customer Experience Texts: Companies can keep customers updated on the progress of their accounts. Examples include:
- Updates on loyalty reward programs
- Shipping updates or service timeline updates
- Updates on unexpected closures, disruptions, or changes in business hours
- Thank you messages
Take Advantage of Text Message Marketing Opportunities from TelNet
TelNet SMS works with our Cloud PBX/unified communication products. It integrates with meeting and premium meeting seat types.
If you are a TelNet customer interested in taking advantage of SMS business texting services, contact your TelNet customer service rep today. If you are not a TelNet customer and want to get in on SMS business texting, contact our sales team today for a free quote.
