A Strong Case for Text-Enabling Business Phone Numbers

When we hear about a new technology trend, it’s easy to pass it off as something that will come and go. That’s not the case with Business SMS. Instead, it’s here for the long haul. More and more businesses are text-enabling their phone numbers – and for good reasons.

Text Messaging is the Preferred Communication Method

Phones just aren’t used for phone calls anymore. At least, not like they once were. In a study, 68% of millennials (the demographic with the strongest buying power) say that they text frequently on a daily basis and also have an aversion to making phone calls.

Here are some SMS-usage statistics< that paint a picture of just how favorable texting instead of phone calls is:

• Text messages have a 98% open rate.
• A text message gets a response in the first 90 seconds on average. Emails’ response time is 90 minutes on average.
• Phone calls are 10 times slower than texting on average.
• 96% of the people who own a smartphone text.
• 33% of Millennials’ mobile phone usage is taken by messaging.
• The average adult spends 23 hours a week texting.

Business SMS Can Improve Customer Service

It’s clear that consumers are extremely receptive to texting since it’s essentially become a primary method of communication. Convenience for the customer is already a strong reason for a business to text-enable their phone number. But what makes Business SMS even more appealing, is that a company can easily streamline and improve customer support by communicating via SMS. And as we’ve seen in studies, customer service is vital to a company’s success. In fact, 6 out of 10 consumers say they would never buy again from a company that delivered a poor customer service experience.

If you think back about poor customer service you’ve received in the past, does being put on hold for hours, or feeling ignored by staff fall into that list? For most, it does. This video explains why text-enabling business phone numbers can improve customer service:

In short, by text-enabling a business phone number, an employee can be involved in multiple conversations at the same time from the comfort of their office computer. The customer isn’t left on hold while partaking in their preferred means of communication, and the business is performing at peak efficiency. By offering and selling Business SMS as a customer service solution, you have a happy end-user with happy customers, and a happy you. It’s a win-win on all fronts.

If you want to make sure you’re prepared with Business SMS services, make sure to take a look at our Business SMS whitepaper below or reach out to a SkySwitch sales representative.