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How to Use SMS for Business Communications

Having a personal connection to your customers is the most important part of any business. You need to be certain that they are happy with your services and you provide good customer support. In the era of multiple social media platforms, it is now very easy to have a direct line of communication with your customers. Ask them for feedback, notify them about updates to your products or services, and respond to inquiries.

With SMS texting, you can give your customers much-needed confidence in your business by letting them know exactly what to expect from your brand, keeping them updated in real-time, and making sure everything is handled.

What Is Business Text Messaging?

Business text messaging is simply a mass SMS service that allows conversations between a business and its customers. Once active, the instant messaging service for the business feature gives your customers and prospects a way to easily reach you or respond to a promo text right from their text-message-enabled phone.

How Does It Work? 

Your customers can send a message through a short code or your company’s direct phone number. All incoming communications are then compiled into the company phone system to track responses and update logs in the customer management software (CMS). For outbound communications, your employees can send text messages to customers who opt-in to receive text messages through your company system. 

Business SMS messaging can be used to automate text messages and send out enterprise bulk SMS messages to clients. It is also an effective channel to quickly solve customer issues and send personalized texts to provide important information.

Benefits of Business Text Messaging

If you intend to reach existing and potential customers quickly, business text messaging is the way. Business text messages help you to effectively capture the attention of recipients and engage them in your offers or general content.

Business SMS messaging gives you a communication channel to engage with customers personally and provide support. Not only does SMS minimize troubleshooting time and improve the customer experience, but it also saves you money by stamping out phone tag and cutting back on missed calls. A lot of people carry their phones all day and text messaging can be an effective means of sending out time-sensitive alerts to customers when necessary.

Using SMS for business communication offers a lot of benefits, including

  • Promote healthy communication between your business, your employees, and your customers. 
  • Response rates that exceed email messaging
  • Easier integration with CRM tools and marketing tools.
  • Message automation
  • Cost-effectiveness when you find a cell phone carrier that helps keep costs down.

Using a business texting service with the right marketing automation software for small businesses for SMS texting gives you the ability to communicate effectively with your existing and prospective customers, without worrying about getting lost in their email inboxes.

Different Ways to Use SMS for Business Communication

SMS can be used for a variety of promotional and transactional business messaging. We’ve gone ahead to list a few below:

1. Customer service 

If you have a service provider that has a two-way SMS setup via their SMS text messaging for small businesses plan, you can open up a dialogue with customers. Having a conversation by text feels personal and is more direct than going back and forth in an email thread. Conversing by text is often quicker for customer service reps too. You can use SMS to set up new account registrations, send PIN codes, troubleshoot technical issues, request feedback, confirm refunds, and more.

2. Order and delivery confirmations

SMS is perfect if you have an online business and need to send out order confirmations and delivery updates. These types of notifications provide assurance to customers and can ward off unnecessary inquiries. Remember, SMS has a much higher open rate than email, which increases the chances of your message getting read.

3. Sales promotions

Whether you’re taking pre-orders on a new product, or offering free delivery, you can send discount codes and sales promotions to your subscribers through SMS. Since 90% of people read texts within three minutes, SMS is a great channel for time-sensitive messages. Text messages can convince customers to buy quickly.

4. Engage customers with SMS

You can build strong relationships with your customers and also initiate two-way communication for new and existing customers using text message marketing. All while boosting your revenue and keeping operating costs down.

5. Internal communications

Usually, internal communications are sent via email, phone calls, or word of mouth. These methods each have their merits, but they also have downsides. For instance, emails can often get ignored, while phone calls may be missed. Using SMS for things like meeting reminders, shift scheduling, and security alerts are very effective.

6. SMS marketing

One great use of business SMS is sending text marketing blasts to many subscribers simultaneously. There’s no faster way to send special offers, flash sale notifications, or new product/service launches than SMS.

You only have 160 characters in which to get your message across, so coming up with the creative copy doesn’t take long at all. Then it’s a matter of choosing which customers to send to, clicking a button to send, and hey presto — it’s done!

7. Brand building

You can use SMS to engage with your customers directly, or entertain them, improving their overall brand experience, and getting them to feel the human side of your brand. You can also create custom links for your promotional SMS that would give you brand visibility.

In addition, these are some key areas you can deploy SMS messaging:

  • Customer interaction
  • Nurture customer loyalty
  • Internal messaging
  • Crisis communications
  • Build purchase intent
  • Promote timely offers

Things You Need to Keep In Mind When Writing Your Business Text Messages:

  • make it clear who the message is from by branding your message
  • Make sure you have a good reason for sending the text so that you’re taken seriously
  • the information is clear and concise
  • Make sure the call to action is clearly stated
  • you aren’t being too informal; avoid abbreviations
  • the message doesn’t come across as spam or a sales pitch
  • you don’t send the same message multiple times across multiple platforms
  • Ensure there is an option to opt-out of receiving your texts

How do you start?SMS marketing and businesses go well together, and while a lot of marketing methods may exist, few are as effective as the SMS method when you use it for your business. You can try out your first SMS messaging for your business with the BSG communication platform and you do not have to be a marketing guru to begin.

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