Does your business need SMS support for your clientele

In 1992, the first text message was sent out revolutionizing the way people communicate. The basic structure of SMS has remained the same for many decades except that its use has increased over time. Businesses have also leveraged the use of text messaging to reach their customers and offer support to clients. Over time, SMS support has overtaken e-mailing as a quick and cost-effective way of marketing.

What is SMS text support?

Simply put, SMS customer support is any assistance provided to customers by a business using text messages. The interaction is purely through SMS with no verbal or face-to-face contact. It is a popular option for most businesses that want to reach more people, with the percentage of messages opened standing at 98%.

Text support offers lots of benefits to companies that want to connect with many customers effectively. Some of the pros of using SMS support when compared to other forms of communication to customers are highlighted below.

• SMS support is cost-effective in the long run because the costs involved in sending texts are much lower than making phone calls. You can also have fewer customer service staff responding to several texts at once, which reduces the cost of hiring more staff. 
• Text messages are a preferred channel of communication for most people, making it the best way to engage with customers. Getting feedback after sending a text to a company’s support team and receiving feedback is likely to result in a sale or a positive perception of a company by a customer.
• The popularity of SMS is on the rise making it the best channel to reach customers and offer support. Sending texts makes it easier to find solutions faster for a customer’s problems because the feedback is immediate.

How do you write a message to customers?

Texting customers is one of the best ways to engage with them and get a response. But, writing a professional message is different from a regular SMS and should be drafted in a way that will get the required response. Some of the things to include when crafting a message to customers are:

• Keep within character count.  Regular text messages allow for 160 characters which form one message. It is advisable to draft a message that fits within the available characters or less so that it remains concise.
• Be pleasant. Your messages should sound friendly and be expressive so that they sound human. Let the messages sent out have a tone that encourages engagement from the receiver.
• Include all the required information. Although you only have 160 characters or even less, craft texts that provide all the information needed by the customer. Aim to reduce the amount of back and forth messages between you and the customer.
• Use text signature.  Signing off your text with your name and business makes it easier for customers to identify who they are dealing with. The signature should be minimal and aim to make a good impression.
• Proofread the text.  Ensure that you read through the text before sending it out to check on grammar and spelling. If possible have another person look at it with fresh eyes so that any changes suggested are implemented before it is sent out.

But, there are also some things to avoid when text messaging customers to get the right impact. They include:

• Using capital letters (CAPS) makes it sound like you are shouting at the customer. You can use CAPS to emphasize a maximum of one or two words.
• Using too many special characters may distort the message resulting in the loss of a client.
• Writing in an inhuman voice makes it hard to connect with clients because they perceive you as indifferent.
• Sending back-to-back texts without waiting for a response may overwhelm a client.
• Including irrelevant information

Why your business needs SMS support for customers

If you are considering incorporating text messaging support to engage with your clientele, you are on the right track. SMS support is a popular tool used by many business owners due to its many benefits. Some of these benefits include:

• It is convenient. Many companies are opting to use text messages as one of the options customers can use to contact them. Customers just need to send a text with an inquiry and get feedback through the same channel. Besides the convenience, they allow for better or longer explanations while sorting out a client.
• It is affordable. If you are looking for a low-cost yet effective support channel for customers, text messaging is the best option. Sending single texts or in bulk is still far much cheaper than making phone calls or sending an email.
• It is user-friendly. The majority of people can easily draft a text message when in need of support from a company. Writing an SMS doesn’t require special skills, which makes it the best option to reach out to different types of clientele.
• It is time-efficient. Sending out support texts to clients or responding to those sent in, can be done within the shortest time. It is possible to respond to several messages at one go, saving on time and energy spent engaging with customers.
• It requires minimal equipment. Setting up an SMS support system only needs a smartphone to start and a hotline number. You don’t need a high-end phone but one that can receive messages and send them out promptly without any delays.
• It is a preferred communication channel. Many people use texts to communicate with friends and family. To reach them you need to provide a platform that they prefer such as SMS support, which they can easily engage with often.

Overall, SMS support is a “must-do” for businesses that want to meet the needs of their customer within the shortest time. Implementation of mass texting for customer support helps meet clients on their smartphones, allowing them to engage with businesses better. The response from customers through the support channel is likely to be delightful and satisfied whenever they reach out on SMS.