6 Problems Small Businesses Solve With Texting
Every business owner knows that the place to reach their customers is on their mobiles. But did you know that sending and reading text messages are the number one and two functions mobile users make use of? Reading emails and surfing the internet come in at three and four, respectively.
With the popularity of mobile and texting, small businesses can make use of this powerful tool to solve business challenges quickly, affordably and effectively. From texting for customer support to communicating with staff members to improving service to automating marketing campaigns, texting is a small business owner’s best friend.
Here’s how to use text to solve your small business issues:
- Solve customer support issues
It’s important to give customers a choice when it comes to communication channels. And 52 percent of customers say they prefer to text with a business about a customer support issue than use another communication platform.
Customers may not be able to talk on a voice call for a number of reasons like being at work or on the go. Texting allows them to respond when it’s convenient to them, earning you a big win for customer service.
- Communicate delivery status
People can get a little obsessive when it comes to delivery status and text is a great way to keep them updated. Instead of having to access a website and punch in a long tracking code, getting a text is a much more convenient way for them to find out when their package will arrive.
If there’s been a delay in delivery or another problem, letting your customers know by text can help them stay on top of the issue until it’s solved. In any case, customers will greatly appreciate receiving the updates about the status of their purchase.
- Remind about appointments
No-shows can be a big cost to small businesses. Keeping high-paid staff members waiting around for nothing isn’t good for any business. Text can be an effective way to remind customers of an appointment since text messages have high open rates and since most texts are read within minutes of being sent. Help your staff members keep their appointments filled and customers coming back with a simple text reminder.
Texts can also be handy when there’s a last-minute cancellation. People are used to reading texts immediately, that’s why it’s the perfect way to try to fill a slot that’s just opened with a customer who wants that appointment.
- Deliver promotions instantly
Have a special promotion that you have to share? Do it with a text. When a customer signs up for your SMS loyalty club, make it worth their while by sending promotions that they can’t get through any other channel (like email or social media).
Texts are perfect for advertising flash salesand other time-sensitive promotions. Sending targeted and personalized messages and making your customers feel like VIPs are great ways to promote your business and increase conversions.
- Decrease internal communication delays
With less and less people listening to voice mail, including your staff members, text is a great alternative to phone calls. Changing a staff meeting date or time or letting staff members in the field know about important changes in service orders can save you a lot of time and improve your service overall.
MaidPro, a residential cleaning service, used texting for their internal business communication and improved their business:
“We feel our office is able to better stay in touch with our field employees as they move from customer to customer. When we have to change their schedule in the middle of the day a text is more useful to them than a phone call, especially if they are already in the middle of a job.”
By eliminating delays in communication, you can increase your business’ efficiency and avoid wasting time unnecessarily.
- Reduce time-consuming marketing tasks
Business text services allow you to put your promotional texts on a drip campaign so that you don’t have to manually send messages to all your customers from your phone. Marketing texts can also be coordinated with other campaigns such as email and social media.
This can save you a lot of precious time and money, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business. Keep in mind that most customers prefer an average of two marketing texts per month, so make them count by segmenting your lists to make sure the right customer gets the right message.
Small businesses can make great use of text to solve day-to-day problems whether they are marketing tasks, customer service issues, or staff communication problems. Text delivers the messages you need to send quickly and effectively, making it a must-have communication tool for small business owners.
Tracy Blanchard is the seasoned writer with main interests in business and communication. She is always looking for the best practices and innovative ideas that can help small businesses improve their daily processes and grow revenue.