Consumer habits have really evolved within the last few years and with them, so have customer expectations. A recent study by Salesforce found that only 22% of consumers are satisfied with the level of personalisation they receive from brands and 64% expect companies to respond and interact with them in real time.
As the demand for retailers to deliver smooth, omnichannel experiences increases, businesses need their communications to perform better than ever before. Since consumers are 35 times more likely to see a brand’s SMS than their email, utilising text messaging as a communication channel, could really help retailers create the personalised, two-way interaction customers crave.
Introducing Business SMS
SMS has grown to become an accepted communication channel for customers to interact with businesses, with 74% of consumers reporting an improved impression of brands that communicate with them via text messages. With a dedicated long number, you can communicate with your customers through a channel which allows for convenient replies.
As can be seen from the above video, using TextAnywhere’s platform to send business SMS through the TextOnline service is really straightforward. You can make use of various address books and segments to ensure customers only receive updates which are relevant to them.
How TextAnywhere’s platform was utilised to introduce ‘Debenhams to you’
Debenhams wanted a way to drive in-store sales by increasing customer convenience, consequently, they chose to enhance their internal communications.
The initiative enabled customers to order items which were currently unavailable, either within their local store or over the phone. This order then triggered automated text messages to nearby stores, asking them to check if they had any of the selected items in stock. Availability confirmations were then relayed back to the customer, who could arrange an appropriate delivery.
The project was a great success and serves as a brilliant example of how SMS can be used to improve internal communications, which ultimately also has a positive impact on customer communication.
Enhance customer communication, whilst reducing your brands carbon footprint
For a business to succeed in today’s competitive market they need to stand for something above and beyond their price and product. By helping the environment we live in and making a stand to improve the world for future generations, customers are more likely to stay loyal and this is where SMS can help.
Since just one email can produce up to 4g of CO2e, but one text message produces a fraction of that at 0.014g of CO2e; SMS can enable your brand to reduce their carbon footprint, without compromising on the level of communication.
Additionally, TextAnywhere is proud to say that we are officially accredited with an ISO 27001 certificate in Information Security Management. So you can be rest assured that your messages are being delivered to your customers, by a company with stringent security protocols in place.