Marketing isn’t just about one-way communication with your customers. Most businesses push ads at their customers through email, texting, billboards, and even on-site marketing. However, not a lot of businesses consider how important it is for your customer to be able to communicate back with your company. Two-way business texting is one of the best ways to market to your customers because it allows you to send them marketing messages and allows them to ask questions in return.
Americans prefer texting
According to a Pew study reviewing smartphone usage in 2015, 97% of smartphone owners use texting, and texting is the first place many customers enter into the digital world. Smartphone users are using their phones to look up information and research companies, but often, this starts with a text from a customer. On top of that, new studies have shown that Millennials prefer text communication from businesses over phone calls and emails. Being able to communicate in a fast and efficient manner is important to Millennials who are often keeping themselves very busy but always seem to have time to see and respond to texts.
Ensuring two-way communication
One of the ways your business can be unique from others in your use of text marketing is through two-way communication. Most businesses have set up text marketing in some way where they typically send offers and promotions through texting to their customers. However, the ability to have a customer text to ask questions is very valuable because it allows your customers to text clear questions and for clear answers to come back in a text format rather than trying to understand the person on the other end of the line with an accent or trying to hear over kids screaming in the background.
While a customer service agent should always be available to call, it is valuable if your customer service can also text your customers. Training reps to be able to answer and respond to texts quickly is one way to do it. If you also have automated texting services using artificial intelligence, then you can easily answer repetitive questions from customers rather than wasting their time on a phone call. Not only is this something your customers want since it makes it easier for them to get fast answers to their questions, but it also saves you time and money because you don’t have to hire as many customer service reps and you are able to quickly answer all questions.
No more misunderstandings
One of the things that the customer service industry has struggled with is the ability to understand each other when having phone conversations. A customer who calls in and is already upset can get even angrier if they have to repeat themselves multiple times, whether this is due to an accent from either party or a bad phone connection. If you simply text your customers the information they need, you will have a permanent transcript of the information and you can be sure that the right things are being passed between parties.
