When customers seek support, they want immediate options to solve their challenges. In fact, research suggests that 60 percent of customers expect a response within just 10 minutes after they reach out to a company for customer service support.
Given that time is of the utmost importance— nearly 76 percent of customers will switch their service to a competitor if they receive multiple bad customer service experiences—dialing into a phone support line to then be placed in an hours-long customer service queue is far from an ideal experience. But at least there’s hold music, right?
Customers want quick and convenient answers to their questions, which is why self-service information hubs and direct communication lines have risen in popularity, including traditional short message service (SMS) customer service.
In this post, we’ll explain why sending SMS messages to customers is an ideal element of your company’s omnichannel support offerings. We’ll also provide tips for you to evolve and drive the most value from your SMS-based customer support strategy.
What is SMS customer service?
Sending an SMS to customers is a great way to quickly address a variety of their support needs—whether you’re sending an automated reminder of an upcoming appointment, sharing troubleshooting advice, or confirming they’ve opted in to access a helpful piece of content. Text-based support capabilities require no face-to-face or live audio communication via business phone apps, and rely entirely on customers’ access to a phone.
In the most advanced—and ideal—setup, SMS customer support also enables a two-way dialogue with your customers and allows them to message your company proactively to receive help. This means that your company can send text messages to your customers, and they can send text messages to your company to enter your customer support queue.
SMS marketing is just another effective way to attend to your customer experience needs. To help you get started, we’ll explore eight different types of ecommerce SMS campaigns to illustrate the potential ways to approach a text-based strategy.
Sending an SMS to customers is not a new concept, but the ability to send text messages to customers is now one of the fastest and most convenient ways for customers to receive the support they need. And given the significant advancements in cost-effective AI solutions and chatbots, many customer support needs can now be handled through text messaging.
5 benefits of SMS customer cupport
Where to begin? There are many benefits of SMS customer support and reasons why businesses should invest in SMS customer service capabilities. These efforts will only fuel a more robust customer retention plan.
Reaching customers is easier through SMS
Given that most customers have access to a mobile device with SMS capabilities—which can also be accessed through a variety of global free messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook—SMS-to-SMS customer support is a natural way for customers to seek and receive support.
Email is another natural option, but inboxes these days are more crowded than ever, and it’s natural for support emails to be overlooked. These messages can also get lost in spam folders if support teams and marketers fail to monitor their email deliverability.
SMS support is cost-effective
Large-scale SMS solutions can be incredibly cost-effective for small businesses and large enterprises alike, with each individual SMS to customers often costing between one and five cents to send. Compared to customer call center soultions that can cost between one to two dollars per minute, text messages are significantly more affordable and scale far more easily as demand grows.
Customers prefer SMS support options
When asked about what would improve the customer service experience, 72 percent of consumers agree that being able to text with an agent in real time would improve their experience. And given that every generation is comfortable with receiving and sending text messages, your SMS support will benefit all customers, not just millennials or Gen Z.
Texts provide a private space for feedback
Consumers are quick to voice their frustrations with a brand on social media, especially if they feel they have no other methods to reach that brand. By enabling SMS customer service capabilities and providing customers with a direct space to raise issues or vent their frustrations, you can address these needs in a private space without potentially damaging your brand reputation on social media.
SMS can enhance the customer experience with personalization
Text messages naturally feel more personal because they meet customers where they are—on their phones! Plus, so many people rely on texting as their primary mode of communication. A well-built SMS customer service strategy will include pre-scheduled messages that directly appeal to each customer’s unique needs and use a wealth of data to provide an optimal experience.
For example, after their first purchase, you can send an SMS to customers congratulating them on hitting an important milestone with your company. Even something as simple as using their name and sending messages at times that respect their working hours can go a long way in building a relationship with your customer.
Tips for a successful SMS customer service strategy
While the benefits are clear about why companies should implement an SMS customer support solution, there is some necessary planning and preparation required to ensure your team can effectively integrate SMS with your existing customer service offerings.
Define KPIs and goals
Before you implement an SMS customer service solution, you need to understand the success markers you will track to understand the effectiveness of your strategy. Think through your SMS key performance indicators and goals from both an internal and customer-facing lens.
For example, you can look at KPIs like total messages sent, total messages read, and click-through rates on links. Additionally, you can assess how your SMS customer service offering has affected other customer support channels. For example, did you see a decrease in wait times on your customer service phone line?
For employees, you should assess how SMS has improved their productivity by reducing time they spend handling customer service requests. For customers, movements in your customer satisfaction scores can identify if sending SMS to customers is a valuable addition to your omnichannel support offering.
Select the right software
Choosing an SMS customer service software solution can be tricky, especially if it is your first time implementing this type of tool. When vetting vendors, come prepared with an understanding of what you hope to use the solution for, including how many messages you anticipate sending and how big your team is. Read up on each of your potential SMS software providers and ask them to explain to you why they are the ideal solution for your company and team size.
There are many SMS features that providers may or may not include. In general, you will want to find a solution that provides robust support for getting started.
Start by asking potential vendors about these features:
- Multi-device support, including desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices
- Total number of users you can add and costs associated with adding more users
- How the phone number will appear to the text message recipient
- Ability to send messages longer than 160 characters
- If there are templates provided and whether you can create new templates
- Pre-scheduled messages, including how far out you can schedule a message and how many you can schedule
- Integration with other applications—especially your CRM or other customer support channels
- How opt-in, opt-out, and consent are managed
Meet your customers where they are
Every support option you provide should be customer-centric. Think through the various points of your customer journey and the challenges they face. How can SMS support help them throughout that journey? What resources—blog posts, how-to videos, support articles—can you share through text message at specific times to help your customers thrive?
What will they be doing when they engage with your company for SMS support?
Your strategy will evolve as you continue to implement your SMS customer service strategy. But teams should start this initiative with a complete map of their customer journey from day one and plan to use SMS to meet customers where they are.
SMS training for staff
As with any new solution, you need to prepare your team to use the new technology, Start by explaining how it will help them in their day-to-day workflows.
Host a meeting with all of your customer service and customer care representatives to explain your new SMS customer service tool and why you have implemented the technology. Clearly explain the perceived benefits, and invite an open discussion around any questions or concerns with your technology. Proactively ask them questions like:
- What are your questions about how to use this new SMS support tool?
- How do you think sending SMS to customers can augment the customer experience?
- What resources or training can we provide you to best use SMS support?
Thoroughly train all service representatives to understand how to use the tool and all of its capabilities. Create how-to guides and video tutorials that provide self-service help for your representatives to get up to speed quickly. And frequently check in on the success of your new tool—representatives should feel empowered to voice concerns early so you can quickly improve your strategy.
Integrate as part of an omnichannel strategy
Remember that SMS will not be your only customer support channel. Continue to prioritize and invest in other support channels, such as your call center, social media, or email-based support. Cross-promote each of these support options so that your customers are fully aware of all of the support options at their disposal—and so they can choose the best route to fit their needs and preferences.
Continue to monitor how your channels change in use and frequency, and assess if you need to route additional resources toward a specific channel or find new ways to integrate everything into a complete, pain-free experience for your customers.
Automate when possible
AI-driven assistants or “SMS chatbots” have become increasingly effective at addressing customer needs, especially for frequently asked questions and common support needs. Delicately balance how you involve a human in your SMS support strategy—you never want your customer to be caught in an endless loop with a bot, but you should provide them with the quickest way to get the information they need (which bots can certainly help with).
If a customer needs to connect with a live human, let them choose to receive a phone call from a representative without requiring them to dial in to your call center. When possible, provide a specific time at which they will receive a call from your support team.
Don’t forget the human on both ends of the text
Your priority should be to provide an optimal customer experience through your SMS strategy, but you must also prioritize your employee experience. Create open feedback loops for both your customers and your care representatives to provide feedback on your solution, escalate concerns, and propose new ways that you can better meet their needs. Openly embrace this feedback and experiment with new ways to delight both groups.
Revisit both your employee journey and customer journey maps to understand the various emotions they feel and the challenges they face throughout their days. Refine your maps as you uncover new information and find new ways to provide the most thorough support to both of these vital parties.
Measure results, adjust, and repeat
Every new strategy you implement will involve a natural learning curve. It’s vital for you to embrace the challenges you face, speak with your customer care representatives and customers, and actively find ways to improve on any shortcomings. Look back at your KPIs and goals and see if there are ways that you may be falling short of your intended results, or assess if there are different KPIs and goals that would more accurately reflect the potential of your solution.
Power your SMS to customers with MailCharts
SMS for business customer service is a time-tested offering that customers have come to expect from brands. Meet them where they are and provide them with a robust and integrated set of support options to quickly meet their needs and help them gain the most value from your service or offering.
As your SMS customer service strategy evolves, you should be able to more effectively balance your customer service channels and help your care representatives effortlessly address your customers’ needs while providing an optimal employee experience. Simply put: SMS customer service tools are a win-win for your customers and employees alike.
The best way to send SMS to customers is to find a solution that makes the process a breeze, with dedicated support to help you understand how to drive optimal results from your efforts and manage every step required when sending text messages to customers. If SMS marketing is new for your company, or you’re looking to enhance your strategy before branching into customer service SMS, sign up for MailCharts to discover SMS campaign inspiration from leading brands!
