Text Messaging for Business – Connecting with Customers Directly
When you’re trying to stay ahead of the competition, fulfilling orders and keeping tabs on your customers’ satisfaction is always a great place to start. The companies that survive in the long run are those who put the customer first, regardless of whether they’re providing a service or product.
While most business owners will reach out to their customers via email, many of them are turning towards text messaging for business – and this isn’t just a random occurrence.
The Era of Emailing Clients is Passing
Emails have been the most effective way to reach your customers, but the new text messaging for business movement cannot be ignored. While many major companies still rely on email newsletters and updates to find (and retain) clients, some of them are choosing to swap over to a more personal approach.
Personalized approaches allow you to run a business without worry, as being innovative and adapting to the times is a critical component. When you can change the way people approach shopping for your products or services, you’re bound to make more money in the process.
Emails are great because they allow you to mass message customers, but there are going to be situations where a “one-on-one” approach is going to suit you better.
Why Would I Text My Customers?
Texting your customers will help you build a rapport with them, as you’ll be doing more than just selling them products/services and forgetting that they exist. Following up with customers and seeing if they were happy with their results is important, as it will allow you to improve upon anything they may have considered “lackluster”.
Texting your customers is a direct line of communication to the people who keep your business afloat, so why wouldn’t you use it? Regardless of whether you’re stuck in the “old school mentality” or not, texting your customers is always going to be beneficial.
Build a Relationship
Building a relationship with some of your most dedicated customers is a breeze when you’ve got a secondary number for your business. Texting customers with your mobile number is never a good idea, as you’ll be exposing your “outside life” to the business world.
By keeping track of orders and checking on satisfaction through text messaging, customers will realize that you’re serious about providing a high-quality service/product. This translates into them becoming more willing to share your brand with friends and family, or even just come back to buy more stuff.
Understand Their Experience
Understanding how your customers approach their shopping experience will allow you to improve upon it in the future. Text messages let you converse with customers one at a time, allowing business owners to pick their brains and understand how their experience went. Some of the things I would suggest asking them would be:
- How was customer support?
- Did you find all of the products you were looking for?
- How would you rate our variety of products or services?
- Would you recommend my brand to a friend?
These are just a few questions you can use to gauge whether they had a good time with your business, or if there is something that needs work.
Would They Recommend Your Brand to a Friend?
This is something that I feel is truly the most important since word of mouth can go a long way when you’re running a business. The best way to find new clients would be through the likes of marketing campaigns, but when you keep customers satisfied they’re going to naturally roll in.
Offering a more personal approach to your customer support will help people understand that you’re trying to run a reliable business through and through. If you pair that with quality products or services, it’s only a matter of time before word starts to spread and your list of customers begins to grow.
Innovation is Key
If you aren’t constantly innovating as a business owner, you’re going to get left behind at some point. That’s why so many entrepreneurs are doing everything possible to gain an advantage over the competition, and sometimes it can be something as “small” as introducing text messaging for business into your routine.
It might be a bit strange to do at first, but it’s especially important if you’re running the likes of an eCommerce business. If your customers can’t rely on you to keep them in good spirits, why else would they come back for more business?
How Do I Get a Mobile Number for My Business?
There are several services out there that will provide you with a secondary number that can be used strictly for interacting with customers. As I said before, you don’t want to be sending these messages with your phone number exposed – if you already run a major company and do this, you’re setting yourself up to be dealing with potential issues in the future.
Avoid spam messages and shady characters by purchasing a secondary mobile number from the likes of Chalkboard! Run your business with peace of mind and get customers the kind of support that they deserve in this day and age.
Conclusion: Text Messages Are the Way of the Future
If you want to interact and converse with your clients on a personal level, but want to remain professional while doing so, text messaging for business is the best way to go. While other companies are hiring entire teams to handle their email support efforts, you can rely on a few secondary phone numbers to keep track of customers yourself.
Of course, if you’re running a massive international company, you may want to consider using both email and text messages. For the most part, only smaller companies will get away with using nothing but text messages to keep their customers updated with new products or services.
As long as you have a healthy mix of the many different marketing/customer support methods at your disposal, chances are you’ll be set up for success.
