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Successful Job Recruiting Using a Texting Service for Businesses

| Dean Garfinkel

The Recruiting Case: Using a Texting Service for Businesses

The best time to find a job is when you have a job. That’s why the best candidates are usually working full-time while in search of a new career.

It is also why the best recruiting firms take a more nuanced approach to the hiring process. They understand that, while their job is to place the candidate in a better fitting position, their candidate must remain respectful to their current employer.

For this reason and more, recruiting firms are now turning to text messaging; and using texting service for businesses to communicate with candidates and hiring managers.

Keeping Up with Business Text Messaging

Opportunities come very quickly in the world of job searching – and recruiters need answers. Fast.

By using texting service for businesses, recruiters can send messages ‘under cover’ while also keeping up with the fast pace of the job market.

Are you available for an interview?
Are you interested in this position?
Have you applied with this business recently?

For most candidates these questions are easy to answer; however, the real challenge is finding the time (and privacy) to answer them.

A delayed response could hold up the application process, be perceived as disinterest, and even cost the candidate the job of their dreams.

A delayed response could also present a challenge to the recruiter as well.

– Withholding feedback prolongs the hiring process which reflects negatively on the recruiter. Placement stats, like ‘time to fill’, are skewed and both hiring managers and candidates can become frustrated with a perceived lack of progress.

So as a recruiter asking these questions; why not use texting service for businesses?

The average person does not have the time or privacy to answer a personal phone call at work. And answering personal email is not much easier either.

Some organizations even block mail services, like Gmail, from employee computers making it nearly impossible to monitor during business hours…

And while applications like Gmail can almost always be accessed from a smart phone device, I’d ask you to consider this:

When you glance down at your phone, are you quicker to respond to text or email?

Texting Service for Business

Improve Candidate Experience with Business Text Messaging

Even though candidates are actively looking for a new job, it is important they appear focused and dedicated to their current role. If not, they risk losing their current position or face a lifetime plagued by a poor reference.

So, how can recruiters help candidates strike the right balance?

The answer is through text.

Texting is easy, private and a widely accepted form of communication that allows candidates to multi-task at the office without appearing unavailable.

Consider this:

You are a candidate looking for a new job and your recruiter calls on Monday at 10AM. Naturally, you’re eager to answer but chances are, you can’t.

More likely than not, you’re in a meeting or with your team and – either way – your response will have to wait until after lunch…

Skip to an hour later, and that last-minute interview slot you were hoping for just got offered to another candidate…

Now consider the same scenario when the recruiter is using texting service for businesses:

Recruiter: “She has an opening tomorrow at 2PM. Can you make it?”
Candidate: “Yes.”
Recruiter: “I will email you the details. Pls bring 2 copies of your resume.”

Ultimately the candidate experience is better when recruiting firms use a texting service for businesses.

It makes the process less stressful, less disruptive and less time consuming. It gets the recruiters the information they need to get the job done – and fast. And most importantly, it is how most people prefer to communicate altogether.

Improve the Hiring Process with Business Text Messaging

As a recruiter, feedback is key.

Regardless of whether an offer is extended, a recruiter cannot move forward in the hiring process without hearing from the hiring manager and the candidate.

Unfortunately, as a recruiter it can be difficult at times – almost impossible –to get the feedback you need after the interview.

Now throw in the 5 other interviews you have scheduled for the 3 other open roles you are working to fill and there just isn’t enough time in the day… Unless you are using a texting service for businesses.

Recruiting firms love business text messaging because responses are easy to type and almost always yield a better response rate when compared with email.

So – as a recruiter – would you rather send an email and wait an entire business day for that one-word response…

“Are you available tomorrow at 2PM for an interview?”

Or send a text and get the interview scheduled immediately:

“Great. I’ll email you the location and details.”

Ultimately, the recruiting case for using a texting service for businesses is as strong as it is fast.

A quick text can be just as effective, and some would argue, is a more efficient way for recruiters to coordinate interview schedules and gauge interest in an open role or resume. It is perceived as private and immediate – ultimately giving candidates the means they need to look for a new job while remaining respectful of their current employer.

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The Communication Conundrum Solved: Using a Texting Service for Business

| Dean Garfinkel

There is a hierarchy among the most efficient ways to get somewhere. You can fly, you can drive, you can take a train – you could even walk.

The fact is: every second of everyday, someone, somewhere, is making this choice.

But why?

These choices happen so often and so fast, sometimes we don’t even realize we are making them. And yet, somehow, every choice is made with purpose.

Just ask yourself:

If you’re rushing to meet the newest addition to your family, would you walk or drive?

If you have an ailing loved one, will you take a boat or fly?

Well, there’s a hierarchy in communicating, too. And when it comes to consumers, experts agree, using a texting service for business puts you at the top of the totem pole.

‘The Communication Conundrum’

In 2018, you can communicate with someone in 100 different ways. From Snapchat to Facebook Messenger, from GChat to emails, texting, and more.

Much like your mode of transportation: how (and where) you communicate is a choice. So as a business owner, how do you choose?

Fortunately, the solution is simple. And to understand the equation, you don’t have to be good at math either. Just ask yourself:

Why send a letter to confirm an appointment, when you could send a quick text?

If I cancel at the last minute, should I email or text?

These questions are also, ironically, the answer to what I like to call ‘The Communication Conundrum’.

Which, when more simply put, begs the question: with so many modes of communication, as business owners, how do we choose how to best connect with our customers?

Well it depends.

If you are looking for speed, efficiency, and customer preference, you should be choosing a texting service for business.

Texting Service for Business

Customer Engagement is Better when using a Texting Service for Business

Customer engagement is quick, easy, and generally better when using a texting service for business. Here’s why:

  • Customers are much more likely to respond when you make it simple and top of mind.
  • Customers will appreciate one less number to remember: gone are the days of: “…call me at XXX or text me at XXX….”
  • Your texts are stored in a central location and therefore easy to reference: Your email inbox.
    • Companies like TextBetter™ pair your landline number with your email, making conversations with multiple customers easy to manage and impossible to miss.
  • Your email response to any text will always be sent back to your customer as a text.

From confirming appointments to refilling prescriptions, even when it comes to requesting feedback from a job candidate – these actions can be sent, read, and responded to in a matter of moments.

Customer engagement is at its best when you’re using a texting service for business.

Business Text Messaging is Personal and Preferred

As long as the United States Post Office has existed, spam has existed. From coupons and chain letters, to pages of junk mail and email blasts.

This type of contact is impersonal. It pervades in all forms of our communication – and frankly, can be confusing at times.

Most consumers would agree, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between a meaningful email and promotional spam.

Think of the stack of papers on your kitchen counter.

How many of those letters will be trashed without even opening the envelope?

Well, thanks to companies like TextBetter™ – it’s easy to separate yourself from the spammers.

TextBetter offers a texting service for business that is conversational and customized to each recipient. Messages are always sent out individually, creating a 1:1 conversation between you and the recipient that is private and easy to manage.

TextBetter Case Study with Jack the Dentist

Business Case:

Every Monday, Jack’s receptionist, Belle, is responsible for sending out patient appointment reminders. And while an important task, it can also be extremely time consuming. Last week she made over 50+ phone calls in one day!

Jack knows that an appointment reminder requires a personal touch – but Belle is also falling behind on her paperwork. There must be a better way!

In search of a more efficient – yet, equally effective solution – Jack contacted the team at TextBetter.

TextBetter Solution:

Thanks to TextBetter, Belle’s manual phone calls have been replaced with one click of a button.

Every Monday, she uploads a list of appointments into a single email template and hits send. In 15 minutes or less, each patient receives a personalized text messaged with their name, appointment time/date and office location.

As an added bonus, patients can simply reply to her text if they want to reschedule, cancel, or contact her directly. Belle receives each response real-time and can even reply/continue the conversation as needed – all over text!
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So, the next time you find yourself plagued by communication conundrum, think about using a texting service for business. If you’re looking for fast, efficient, and preferred by customers – it’s the perfect solution for you.

Have questions on how TextBetter can make business text messaging work for you? Call or text us today at 800-322-1112.

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Supplementing Your CRM With Business Texting Services

| Stephanie Knapp

Why your CRM needs SMS (think, Business Text Messaging) …

“How do I increase sales and profit?” said Every Sales Leader, Everywhere.

Yes, it is true. Sales Leaders are constantly searching for ways to increase sales and profit. So much so, each year sales executives pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into advertising campaigns and marketing budgets hoping to increase their bottom line.

While at the same time (and without intension), sales executives often fail to focus on their most powerful driver of sales: their customer.

Business Texting Services, texting service for business

As a short disclaimer before I move forward; it must be said that I am in no way, trying to discredit or diminish the value of marketing and advertising resources. They are both, in fact, critical aspects of the sales process.

Having said that, the purpose of this article is to highlight what most sales leaders overlook or perhaps underestimate…. And that is the power of good customer relationship management, and how that can be enhanced simply by text.

Business Texting Services For Relationships and Management

Having a good relationship with your customer makes it easier to conduct business and generate revenue. That’s why many businesses use Customer Relationship Management software (CRMs) to help drive their sales cycle and customer campaigns.

For sales leaders, a CRM is a powerful database filled with valuable customer intel and sales team performance metrics such as the number of meetings per rep or performance ($$$) by sales team. It helps leadership quantify success, and enables management to measure performance across any product, sales rep or territory.

So, with so much value in having a good customer relationship program in place, what’s the problem?

Well there are two.

First, a CRM is only as powerful as you make it. Therefore, having strict requirements around data entry and management is a must – otherwise there won’t be anything to measure.

Unfortunately, we also know that sales reps (especially while on the road) do not enjoy or prioritize time spent on manual data entry – it is why so many organizations sync email with CRM. When it comes to data management, decreasing manual entry will always mean better data.

While email syncing is certainly an option, it also brings us to problem number two…. It is impossible to develop a deep and robust relationship with your client over email.

Business Text Messaging: The Unsung Hero of Relationship Management

What many people don’t realize is that a single solution to both problems already exists – it’s called using business texting services and as a side note, the implementation is even simpler than the concept itself.

For starters, a texting service will automatically sync with your CRM; seamlessly transmitting your text conversation into business email. Ultimately eliminating manual data entry while creating the additional documentation required by most organizations (think compliance).

Second, by using business texting services you are speaking directly to your most important driver of sales: your customer. While most consumers simply prefer to communicate over text, it also simplifies the follow-up dialogue and makes it easier to create a ‘personal touch’ – ensuring every customer feels special.

A Recruiting Case for Business Text Messaging

Case and point: consider the personal impact and importance of logging this text conversation between a recruiter and hiring manager:

Recruiter: Hey! Did you get my email on Monday? How did the interview go with Jason?

Hiring Manager: It went okay. Let’s pass.

Recruiter: Ok! Did you have any feedback? I will send over more resumes.

Hiring Manager: We need more excel experience. Maybe 3 years? Also, do u have anyone who can forecast a sales pipeline? If so, push them to the top of the interview pile.

While this conversation seems straight forward, there are a few factors to consider:

1. The recruiter’s initial email on Monday asked the same question but went unanswered. This is common problem within the recruiting industry that is easily resolved through text. – Getting interview feedback is key! In fact, data tells us that 98% of text messages are responded to within 10 minutes.

2. The hiring manager’s text provided 2 important and new pieces of information. First, the candidate must have at last 3 years of experience in excel and, second, candidates should also be screened for pipeline management and forecast experience. It would be wise to share this new information internally, so other colleagues can better help her fill the role. Since the recruiter is using business texting services, she does not need to waste time manually documenting the conversation over email or updating CRM.

3. Lastly, the recruiter’s manager should be aware of the recent change to the customer’s candidate profile. It is an important milestone to consider when evaluating the recruiter’s performance, like time to fill.

Ultimately, sales leaders looking to increase sales and profits should also look to enable business texting services.

A quick text can be just as effective, and some would argue, is a more efficient way for sales reps to develop deep relationships with their customers post sale. It is perceived as personal and does not require reps to log on to a secure exchange server or manually enter text conversations into CRM.

Stephanie Knapp, Consultant with over 6 years of professional experience in process improvement, strategic planning, project management, and stakeholder relations.

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Texting Service For Business: A Sales Operations Perspective

| Stephanie Knapp

As a sales operations professional, my goal is to maximize the effectiveness of a sales organization. It means I must be proactive in identifying areas of improvement, well-versed in implementing solutions, and proficient in using both technology and process to drive efficiency.  To be successful, the initiatives I implement must enable management to achieve their business goals while maintaining constant focus on the end customer. For these reasons and others, I have become particularly vocal about the benefits of using a texting service for business.

How is Business Text Messaging More Efficient than Email?

I get this question a lot, and the simple answer is that it’s not. Let me explain:

As any sales operations professional will tell you; when it comes to creating efficiencies, there is never a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, the most successful solutions solve for a variety of business needs unique to an organization, it’s employees, and their end-customer or prospect.

So when thinking of efficiencies through the lens of our earlier question – instead of asking ourselves text or email, we need to be thinking about the uses cases, areas of opportunity, and as always, taking a blended – and streamlined – approach to communication.

By way of example, the below use case demonstrates how a local moving company leveraged a texting service for business to create capacity for their administrative team, drive efficiencies throughout the organization and enhance the overall customer journey — all the way from quote to cash.

Moving Company Uses TextBetter™ for Their Texting Service For Business

A 50-person moving company (“John’s Movers”) uses 3 logistics coordinators to answer phones, book appointments, and coordinate schedules for their movers in the field.  After limited office space prevented John from hiring a 4th coordinator during peak season, he called the team at TextBetter.

The Challenge? How can we get John’s team of logistic coordinators to work smarter and not harder? Here’s two examples of how the TextBetter team delivered.

Auto-Generated Text Message Reminders from Business to Consumer

  • Decreased ‘no show’ appointments;
  • Made it easier for customers to reply / reschedule appointments over text.
  • Since customer replies over text are received via email, logistics coordinators spend less time on the phone tracking down customers;
  • They also became more effective as having a documented conversation history to reference ultimately decreased human error.

Streamlined and Documented Employee Communication

  • Real-time communication made the staffing process easier and quicker; especially helpful when someone from the moving team is out with a last-minute flu or a family emergency.
  • Documented communication also created the additional visibility John didn’t know he needed. Once a mover texts ‘I’m running late’ or ‘customer no show’, the message is received by email.  This can be forwarded to the billing department.
  • Lastly, through enabling text you are also enabling better data – although this feature is not widely offered within the industry – the team at TextBetter can help you deploy a texting service that is received by email and automatically logged in CRM.

Ultimately, the use cases for business text messaging are as far reaching as they are meaningful. This is true as long as they cater to the people you are communicating with.

So what are the specific, tangible benefits of a texting service for business?

There are many.

First, and perhaps most importantly, customer engagement is enhanced and improved.  Response time is increased, interaction is efficient and personable; perception of your value offering is elevated.  As a result, customer loyalty is immeasurably strengthened, and referral activity proactive and permeating.  The result? B2C text messaging service that caters to your customers’ desired mode of communication without the sacrifice of lost information and process inefficiencies.

Second, business texting services eliminate the manual effort of transferring customer conversations via text messaging to CRM or email. Data entry and pertinent customer information is seamlessly integrated into existing email workflows as if it were through a single mode of transmission.

Lastly, using a business text messaging service creates a real-time communication environment. In this, customers are less inclined to call your help desk and more likely to have a better customer experience.  It also means that B2C texting services create measurable efficiencies for customer service reps by enabling them to multiple task – communicating both professionally and efficiently.

Have questions on TextBetter can make business text messaging work for you? Call or text us today at 800-322-1112 so we can text enable your business phone number and set you up with our text to landline solution. Test drive TextBetter for 15 days.

Stephanie Knapp, Consultant with over 6 years of professional experience in process improvement, strategic planning, project management, and stakeholder relations.

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Texting Services For Business Could Be The Boost Your Company Needs

| Stephanie Knapp

The Next Generation of Texting Services for Business

The digital landscape is ever-changing and as business professionals we are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to connect with our customers. In recent years the rise of instant-applications and mobile technologies have redefined the way in which we do business: it’s not what we say, but how we say it. And for 97% of Americans, what we say is generally communicated over text.

Texting Service for business

Introducing Business Texting

Instant, concise and low-cost, it’s easy to understand why any organization would want to tap into business text messaging. According to recent data, U.S. smartphone owners between the ages of 18 to 24 sent over 2,000 text messages per month and received just over 1,800 text messages on average.
And while the use of text messages may not surprise, I can tell you the level of engagement is shocking – did you know 98% of text messages are responded to within 10 minutes or less?

I’m starting to feel bad for email.

However, the benefits of texting services for business reach far beyond the popularity of the channel itself – in fact, when integrated correctly with pre-existing marketing efforts, the advantages of using texting services for business are further amplified. The result? Experts say enhanced customer experience, increased consumer retention and a stronger overall brand.

Integrating a Texting Service into your Marketing Plan

Business text messaging is a powerful (yet underutilized) way to engage or communicate with your customers. In fact, more and more we are seeing industry giants across multiple verticals seamless integrate texting services into their pre-existing marketing efforts; effectively creating what marketing pros refer to as an omni-channel, multi-device strategy.

In laymen’s terms an omni-channel, multi-device strategy boils down to customer experience – and more specifically, how to make your customers experience as seamless and positive as possible through each of the various channels (or devices) employed. It is characterized by providing your customer with real-time, personalized experiences just as they need them, and frankly, is a clear sign of the times.
So for any business trying to survive today’s digital boom, the natural next question is how?
From appointment reminders to recruiting efforts or even just a ‘soft touch’ – the TextBetter™ team has the solution for you. All you need to do is ask us how.

Call or text us today at 800-322-1112 so we can text enable your business phone number and set you up with our text to landline solution. Test drive TextBetter for 15 days.

Stephanie Knapp, Consultant with over 6 years of professional experience in process improvement, strategic planning, project management, and stakeholder relations.

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Customers prefer using a texting service for business

| Kelsey Olsen

Your customers are texting you. Are you getting the messages?

Did you receive my text? Have your customers had to ask you this question? If you had to answer “no” or even worse, ask what number they text you on…your company maybe behind the times when it comes to communication. Business texting is fairly new but has caught on quickly. Customers love to text and have probably been texting your business number and not receiving a reply. TextBetter™ has an easy solution for this.

Texting Service for Business: TextBetter™

TextBetter™ allows businesses to send and receive text messages professionally, just like email. Forget about using a personal cell phone to communicate with your business contacts. TextBetter™ is a patent pending text service which text enables your business landline number and allows a user to send and receive text messages from their email. Continue reading “Customers prefer using a texting service for business”

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Appointment Reminders Made Simple with Easy Business Texting

| Dean Garfinkel

TextBetter™ customers are finding out how easy it is to send appointment reminders to their customers. While sending appointment reminders is not a new concept, many businesses have found that the no-show rate for appointments is decreased substantially when a reminder is sent via a text message.

Why? Because 95% of text messages are read and responded to within 15 minutes or less. And according to Pew Foundation, 91% of Americans have their mobile phone within arm’s reach 24 hours a day. I’d venture to say that I’m one of the 9%, but I’m not the norm – especially at night. During the day, my phone is always within arm’s reach. Continue reading “Appointment Reminders Made Simple with Easy Business Texting”

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Business texting services: most common phrases used

| Angela Garfinkel

Businesses of all sizes and in all industries, are using business texting services as a way to communicate with employees and customers. Text messages are a quick, easy way to ask a question, relay a short message or to provide more information without a voice call and without sending an email message which can be more formal and more time consuming. Continue reading “Business texting services: most common phrases used”

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A Business Texting Solution Using Email as the Vehicle

| Rich Hamilton

With so many business texting solutions in the marketplace, it can seem like a daunting task to figure out which service is right for you. If you are like most medium to large companies, then you are using Microsoft Outlook as your email platform for communicating with employees, customers, vendors, client and prospects.

Since you are using email so much during your day, wouldn’t it make sense to choose a business texting solution that is integrated with it? TextBetter was built to work with email clients such as Outlook, Google and other most-used email clients. Here’s how Continue reading “A Business Texting Solution Using Email as the Vehicle”

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Text For Business: Enable My Landline Telephone Number

| Angela Garfinkel

I remember the first time I received a text message from a client. It surprised me and then I realized how convenient it was for the client to text me if they were in a meeting or on a conference call and they couldn’t take my call. It surprised me even more to realize that my clients had been trying to text me for a while, but I wasn’t getting the messages because before February 2017, my business landline phone number was not text enabled.

We’re living and working in the age of convenience and speed. And usually speed equals convenience. Giving your customers, clients and business contacts the ease of confirming appointments, communicating quick messages, or sharing quick needed information is a convenience your contacts will appreciate.

Everyone has their mobile phone nearby or on their body. Did you know that 98% of people will answer a text message within 15 minutes? People can’t stand to leave a text message unread or unresponded to. And younger customers, clients and business contacts really don’t like to send and receive messages via email. They prefer text. Continue reading “Text For Business: Enable My Landline Telephone Number”

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