Cell phones have been around so long that there is an entire generation that doesn't remember life without them. Obviously, cell phones will be around for quite some more time, and because of this, it’s important to consider how they may compliment your business. If you don’t think that SMS can benefit how you are running your company, you might think about these ways on how to utilize SMS to your advantage.
Reminders
If you frequently book appointments with your client base you’re able to send them reminders via SMS. People are generally more inclined to check their text messages than their emails, and they might not answer a call. The reasons they may not answer a reminder call can vary, for instance, they may be busy with work. However, by texting your customers, you give them the opportunity to check their messages at a time that’s convenient for them. They will be able to see what the intention of your text message was without feeling the stress of checking their voicemail.
Two-Factor Authentication
If you have an online account system, you can set up a two-factor authentication system to help keep your customers secure. Some customers are going to highly value this added level of protection, and we are seeing it being used on tons of platforms. The professionals of Messente mention that two-factor authentication can be time-based and are single-use codes that can help your customers secure their data. If you’re offering two-factor authentication and your competitor isn’t, your clients will realize that you might be better at keeping their best interests in mind.
Advertising
You can run promotional sales to your current clients in order to keep in touch with them. Customers who sign up to be contacted whenever you are running a promotion are going to want to be notified of these messages. After all, they signed up to be alerted to any sales, and it will be easier to convert these customers to a sale. Research has shown it’s far easier to get a previous customer to purchase a product or service than a new one. Why not reward your customers for their loyalty and let them know when you have sales?
Customer Service
I’m sure by now we have all seen the chat bubbles that pop up in the bottom-right corner of every site that’s offering a service. Despite how convenient this might be, customers seem to prefer communicating with businesses via text message. The hotel industry seems to have picked up on this slightly better than other industries, and it seems to be working for them. If you are offering services online where customers can speak to a representative, you might want to think about transferring this over to an SMS platform.
Collecting Data
It’s extremely easy to offer feedback services through an SMS platform. You can ask customers how their overall experience was on a scale of 1-5 with surveys. This lets you narrow down what part of the customer experience needs to be improved. It is not always easy to see everything from the customer's perspective, but this allows you to collect data. You can narrow where you should be focusing your efforts, whether that be the product itself, or some point in the chain of customer service. Tatango can help you with all of your data needs.
Transaction Confirmation
Anytime one of your clients or customers makes an online purchase you can confirm their order via SMS. You can also send receipts or let them know if a product has been shipped to their address. You’re essentially keeping the customers in the loop of what’s going on with their purchase. You don’t want to be overbearing with this information, keep it short, informative, and concise, this way they won’t become annoyed with excessive SMS messages. The best part about this option is that it can be entirely automated without any kind of effort or cost on labor.
You’re not going to want to do all these texts manually if you are running a medium to a large operation. Even some smaller businesses might be better off using a professional platform that integrates automatic SMS. While you might start off doing things manually, you will quickly realize the need for software that can take care of all of this for you. A big part of creating more sales is catering to the customer’s needs, and modern customers are looking for businesses that use modern means of communication. Utilizing SMS in these ways can heavily contribute to the overall effectiveness of various processes in your business.
