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In today’s global marketplace, businesses are expected to be efficient. Clients and investors do not want to deal with a company known for wasting money. This is why more businesses are moving towards texting. Think about it: answering a single phone call takes about two minutes. Initially, that doesn’t seem like much. Yet, what if you have employees answering 50 calls per day?
All of a sudden, they’re spending more time on the phone than anything else. On average, a receptions spend at least eight hours per week answering the phone. Sure, this is what they’re paid to do, but you can see how distracting it can become. The good news is there is a better way to handle it through texting.
Lighting speed
The average phone call can last around two minutes. On the other hand, it can take about four seconds to send a text. As a result, in the same times it takes for the average phone call, you could have sent two-to-four text messages. You can now see that texting is 10 times more efficient than phone calls. What could your company do with all of this extra time on your hands?
Distracting
If you’re employees are working on reports or typing of a presentation, it would be best to allow them some quiet time to complete their work. But, if a phone call comes in, this can easily take them off track and distract them. Soon, they’re thinking about the phone call and not their current project.
Or, if the phone call came with a request, they may get busy fulfilling the inquiry rather than completing their presentation. If it was a text, they can send a response immediately. Not to mention, it won’t take but just a few seconds to read. When the phone continues to ring, you have to deal with consistent and elongated interruption. This inevitably leads to less production.
Texting gives businesses an edge
Contrary to some critics, texting is actually quite personal. If you think of all the people you text, they are usually close friends and personal. So, how does this give your business an edge? When you text a prospect or client, you stand out from the crowd. Plus, your customers get to experience personal engagement. Just make sure to only text messages relevant and valuable to your intended recipient.
You need to satisfy today’s client
Since most people use texting as a form of communication, you can be sure your customers would rather receive a text as opposed to speaking with you. Building brand loyalty means offering the best experience. The company that provides the best experience will get the most loyal clients.
Texting is one way to do just that. You are reaching out to your clients and prospects in a way they can all understand. No one has to worry about waiting on hold or wondering if an email was sent properly. Texting provides instant and immediate gratification.
Your texts will be read instantly
According to the New York Times Small-Business Guide, 97 percent of all text marketing messages are opened and read. That is the type of open rate all companies want. The average open rates for email marketing is around 10 percent. As stated earlier, your customers are already texting. Not to mention, around 90 percent of texts are read within three minutes of receiving them. Think of how you can use these open rates in your marketing strategy.
Texting saves money
Some businesses have completely eradicated voicemail. Around 66 percent of employees at JPMorgan Chase who don’t have direct contact with clients have eliminated their voicemail. As a result, the company has saved $3 million annually.
Similarly, Coca-Cola has taken the same actions. In addition, Bank of America and Citigroup are considering doing the same thing. Since many phone plans offer unlimited texting, such as Zintel’s 1300 numbers, it is quite efficient in terms of portals for communication.
Texts take care of repetitive tasks
You probably already receive opt-in text messages from your favorite companies. Aren’t they convenient? To illustrate, RedBox provides DVD and game rentals at their kiosks. Yet, no one really has time to go to a kiosk to see what’s new. So, RedBox is keeping their name alive by sending text messages for coupons and new releases.
Otherwise, how would you have known when there is streaming video. Still, it’s nice to rent a DVD when your Internet can sometimes be unreliable. And, the RedBox texts are informative and with their coupons, also helps you to save money. This is what your business can do as well: send coupons and new information. Although, quantity is critical. Here are tips to help you write for short attention span readers.
You should not send more than two-to-four texts per month. Otherwise, you will make the client feel overwhelmed and possibly unsubscribe. Just because they agreed to hear from you, doesn’t mean they want to hear from you every single day. Once in a while though, is a highlight.