For any business, there is nothing more important than customer engagement. Constant engagement or interaction with the customer is the key to driving sales and improving customer satisfaction. While there are different techniques available for customer engagement, the simplest and most effective is the use of SMS. Short message service or SMS involves the use of text message to reach out to the customer.
There are many benefits of using SMS for customer engagement.
• SMS is fast and reaches instantly. It does not require internet connectivity. People who don’t have a smartphone can also use SMS.
• 97% of text messages are read by the recipients. This makes it a powerful technique for customer engagement.
• SMS as a marketing strategy has a 46% response rate. This makes it more beneficial than email marketing and other strategies.
• More than 86% of customers in a study said they preferred receiving marketing messages through SMS since it is non-intrusive.
All these reasons explain why a business can use SMS to engage with customers. Having discussed why to use SMS,it is now time to understand how to use it.
Six effective SMS strategies for customer engagement
If your business wants to engage effectively with customers, you can start using SMS. The following are six strategies that can help you and produce good results.
1) Introduce and create awareness
SMS can be used to introduce yourself to the customer. This helps to create awareness among customers. Once you have a database of leads or prospective customers, you can send them an introductory message. The message can talk about your services in brief. You can provide a link to your website or other contact details. You can even have an attractive call to action by providing an introductory offer with a discount or a voucher to use while shopping
2) Run campaigns through SMS
You can run marketing campaigns through SMS. It is more cost-effective and helps you to reach out to more people. You can send a message with the details of your product or service. You can send details of new product launches or special packages. If you are running a promotional campaign, SMS Marketing can be very effective. You can send a message with details of the offer you are providing. The offer should sound attractive and it can have a call to action by saying the offer is only for a specific period.
If you have an online shopping store, give a link to your website so they can use the offer and shop. Else, ask them to show the SMS at the time of billing to avail of the offer. This kind of promotional campaign is a great way to make people visit your store.
3) Use SMS as an interactive communication tool
SMS is not one-way communication. You can use it for interactive communication. You can ask your customers to reply to your message. For example, you can use Reply CALL to have our executive call you to provide details. This will help your sales team know who to contact. You can even have a conversation over SMS with customers who want information. This is a great way of engagement, which customers prefer and is convenient.
4) Handle services through SMS
You can provide services through text messaging. If you offer maintenance services, you can allow customers to book a service through SMS. They can book appointments through SMS. In case of any problem with the product, you can ask them to send details through SMS, so your customer service team would reply.
5) Use SMS for updates and alerts
Customers should be aware of the status of their orders. You can send SMS with details of their order, so they can track it easily. Information about product arrival dates can be sent through SMS. Alerts for payment of subscription fees and other such details can be sent through SMS. This is an easy way of engaging with customers and keeping them informed
6) Handle feedback and complaints through SMS
You can receive complaints from customers through SMS. You can also take periodic feedback through text messages. You can send a question to the customer and ask them to reply with the answer. For example, you can ask them to rate your service from 1 to 10 and reply with the rating number. This is a good way to get feedback and helps you understand how satisfied customers are. It helps you minimize complaints and dissatisfaction.
The strategies explained above can help you effectively use SMS for customer engagement. It is very easy to use these strategies. All you need is a database of customers and Texting software. You can start using it to engage in a more productive way with your customers and help improve your business.
