Let’s face it. Messaging isn’t going anywhere. If you communicate with anyone personally below the age of 30, chances are you mainly text with them. And that’s okay! Did you know that Americans check their phones nearly 96 times a day? The perks of business text messaging are that it’s less disruptive, leads to quick replies, and encourages more frequent communication. But how can you utilize this strong communication as a business? Luckily, it’s easier to do so now more than ever before! We’re here to discuss how you can employ texting to your advantage, and open even more doorways of communication for your business.
How to Start Messaging
The first, and maybe most obvious thing you need to start business text messaging is a phone number. However, for messaging to work, it needs to be a text-enabled number so that you can send and receive SMS/MMS messages. It is possible to text-enable a number retroactively, but it’s always good to start with one that already has that capability.
Beyond a number, there are some additional options to be on the lookout for that can really elevate your experience with business messaging. Choose a provider that lets you text enable numbers immediately, especially if you have businesses that are constantly growing and acquiring new offices and new office numbers. This will ensure you aren’t always in a “state of wait” with your provider.
It helps to have MMS and toll-free capabilities worked into your messaging, so you have more options on what you can send – GIFs, images, etc. – and how you can send messages – through landlines, or your vanity toll-free number. Also, good APIs are a must – they make messaging possible and are what support more integrations and applications. APIs mean more features and capabilities are available and fewer limitations will hold you back.
Did you know that about 40% of businesses use messaging to communicate with their customers in some way? If you’re ready to join that 40%, your next step is finding the right provider. Then, once you’ve found a provider who ticks all the boxes that are important to you, you’re well on your way to enjoying all the advantages business messaging has to offer!
Advantages of Business Text Messaging
Text messaging is currently the fastest-growing communication method. It’s a great way to quickly reach lots of customers, it’s easy to use, and it’s highly reliable! People don’t feel interrupted by messaging as they may with emails and calls. This means they are more likely to respond to your messages, which leads to higher response rates overall.
Improved Engagement
Text messaging is a great business generator for your company. As previously mentioned, it improves engagement via response rates. A great example of this would be reaching out to customers via text message to verify appointments. If presented with the opportunity to simply respond with a yes or no, versus placing a callback and having to walk through the entire receptionist process, which choice do you think your customers would make?
Improved Customer Service
Messaging is also great for improving customer service by enabling faster response times. Solutions are reached in less time and with less frustration because your customers no longer have to wade through a maze of automated messages. Generally speaking, messaging is great for improving interactions and building that sticky customer relationship businesses are looking for. Additionally, it’s a great marketing tool for getting information out to larger audiences in a way they are receptive to!
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Messaging can also improve customer satisfaction. Let’s say you’re a local grocery store that just started offering a grocery pickup service. Your employees collect items for your customer’s orders quickly and efficiently. However, what happens if a certain item is out of stock? Chances are your employees don’t have company cell phones and landlines are only at the cash registers and in the office. So how does your employee remedy the situation? Contacting the customer for a replacement item, in this situation, adds a lot of downtime to your employee’s hour. But with a business messaging solution, your employee can securely text the customer to update the order.
You can even integrate business messaging into your grocery pickup app with the right messaging APIs! Plus, you can quickly notify the customer when their order is ready for pickup and your customer can easily notify you when they have arrived at the store. The order is brought to their vehicle and you have a happy customer and a completed order. That’s just one example, the benefits of messaging are bountiful in this world of communication!
NUSO Means Business
With NUSO, you receive business text messaging designed to go above and beyond. Of course, we enable your numbers to not only send and receive SMS/MMS messages. That’s a given. But we also make sure the text-enablement process is easy, reliable, and most importantly, secure. And this applies whether you’re routing A2P or P2P (application to person, or peer to peer).
Not only are we a top provider with an unbeatable platform, but we can also enable your current numbers for messaging even if they’re from another service provider. This means you get to keep the familiarity and credibility of your current numbers, while still utilizing this great communication option. Plus, you’ll be powering your messaging with our global network that delivers billions of messages every year! You’ll also have the ability to customize your integrations further with messaging APIs available in our CPaaS platform.
As younger generations move in, and technology continues to grow, messaging is the future of communication. If you’re ready to get your business moving forward, NUSO is here to help! Check out our Business Messaging page for more information, or give us a call at 1-844-438-NUSO. We can’t wait to help your business grow!
