SMS For Customer Service Is A Winner For Small Business

Providing customer service using SMS is a win for your business and your customers. Texting saves everyone time and gets to desired outcomes faster.

The value of text messaging extends beyond connecting with new prospects. While we place a lot of focus on SMS for leads and sales at Leadferno, using SMS for customer service is incredibly valuable to your business and customer.

Texting allows small businesses to provide better customer service through their preferred communication channel. SMS customer service support is effective, fast, and saves time for your team and your customer.

This win-win is exactly why you should be offering 2-way texting to help your customers and increase your team’s productivity.

The 5 big reasons SMS customer service support rules

Texting as a customer service channel allows you to do more in less time. Let’s look at five of the bigger reasons your business should be using SMS to help your customers.

1- Texting over calls and emails

It’s no secret that people don’t look forward to calling most businesses. No one looks forward to being put on hold or sent to voicemail. And trading voicemails back and forth might be the worst experience with a business anyone can have.

Hubspot shared that around 33% of consumers feel the most frustrated when they are on a customer service phone call and placed on hold. Another 60% say that being put on hold is the most annoying aspect of the customer service experience.

SMS is the preferred channel to communicate over phone calls and email as our survey of 2,000 consumers reports. Text messaging is the channel we spend the most time in, and it’s fast and easy to communicate.

If your customer has a problem or needs help, 2-way texting is the route to go.

2- SMS customer service is convenient for your customers

Being easy to work with is exactly what your customers are seeking in their service or product provider. Making customer service accessible by text to ask questions, get updates, make special requests, confirm details or other needs makes you easy to work with.

We’re all busy. Reading and responding to text messages is the least invasive communication in our day. You’re not making your customer learn your customer service process, you are just making connecting with you easy.

Even live chat on your website isn’t as easy as texting with a web-to-text widget on your website for your customer. SMS is better than live chat as texting is more familiar, portable, and manageable.

3- It saves your team time

Most small businesses are strapped for time. Having one or more of your team tied up on service phone calls can really lower productivity. Stats show that most reps can handle 6 to 10 text threads in the same time as one phone call, greatly boosting your output and the volume of customers you can help.

Using a business text messaging app gives your team business-grade SMS features to turbo boost their communication. Taking advantage of texting automation for auto-replies and scheduled messages, and shortcuts to saved replies allows you to solve problems fast.

4- SMS customer service is affordable

A business text messaging app is affordable and within reach for any small business. Allowing your team of 1, 5, 10, or 20 be able to text with customers that need help, all from one central app, empowers your team.

It allows you to connect with your customers via simple and straightforward SMS communication without the need for a call center of bulky, hard-to-learn software. No bots, no AI, and nothing getting in the way of direct help from your team.

Your business also profits from the time saved in texting over managing phone calls as outlined previously. Texting is familiar to your team, so you can have more of your staff using the app to help customers.

5- It builds a positive brand and customer experience

Being easy to work and communicate with will always pay off. When a customer needs help or has an issue they need to be heard out on or resolved, making that process easy is key. Being able to reach out and provide feedback on a situation allows you to correct or solve it before they head off to write a bad review. If it’s easier for the customer to write a bad review than to reach out to you for help, you’re doing it wrong.

Providing great customer service and support throughout the process leads to 5-star reviews and customer referrals. Using text messaging to support your great communication and service helps make these great experiences happen and builds your reputation and brand.

Additionally, solving a problem or helping a customer out is a great time to ask for a Google review. You just gave that customer a positive experience and sending a text to ask for a review after your interaction is easy.

SMS is the right tool for great customer service

While exceptional customer service can spread across many communication channels, texting is a tool you should have in your small business toolbox. Its efficiency, convenience for you and your customers, and affordability, makes it a leader for clear and prompt communication that builds your brand.