Use Cases Archives -

Using Business Text Messaging in Contact Centers

Posted on July 19, 2019November 2, 2019 by Dean Garfinkel

Contact centers today support multiple communication methods including voice, text, email and social in both inbound and outbound settings. This omnichannel approach allows contact centers to support all aspects of its client’s business, if needed. With the rise in omnichannel support comes opportunities for contact centers to incorporate business text messaging as part of the products and services offered in their portfolio.

With the prevalence of business text messaging in a fair number of contact centers already, it’s not something that should be overlooked any longer. Incorporating business text messaging allows call center agents to interact with customers using a method they are familiar with and prefer to use. Texts are fully visible and transparent to anyone in the contact center as they are sent and received using the existing email client of the center.

If your contact center hasn’t adopted business text messaging as part of its’ omnichannel strategy, here are the top reasons that outline why you shouldn’t wait any longer.

Customers prefer it

Pew Research reports that 96% of Americans own a cell phone of some kind. Of that, 81% own smartphones. Mobile phones offer many capabilities that customers prefer; text messaging is a quick and easy way for customers to communicate. Text is convenient, flexible and can be done on their time. Using business text messaging allows customers to avoid potentially long hold times they may experience during peak calling hours which overall helps your contact center, too. For outbound contact center programs, it’s necessary to reach out to customers. At times it’s challenging to reach them on the phone and email can be slower to respond to. It makes sense to communicate using the channel they prefer and use the most.

Better customer service

Gone are the days of providing customer support solely by phone lines. Today’s consumers expect you to offer multiple channels of engagement and appreciate having multiple options. In today’s era where social media is front and center, customer experience is critical to a brands image. Offering a convenient option as text messaging, places the customer experience front and center of importance. When you offer business text messaging in your contact center as a means to communicate with your clients, you are offering comfort and convenience.

Many solutions can be offered by text

Contact centers typically have a single use case that drives a large percentage of communication activity. For example, resetting passwords, order status, shipment details, etc). Often times these types of use cases can be handled via the web/chat or text rather than a traditional phone call.

Text can be accessed virtually anywhere

Texting is portable. Customers can interact with a contact center agent from virtually anywhere, even if there is not an internet connection. In the event the text exchange necessitates a phone call with the customer, the agent and customer are able to seamlessly make the switch without having to start from square one again. Incorporating business text messaging into the contact center does not require a sharp learning curve from an agent perspective, as it is something they do regularly and are familiar with.

Text is responsive

A recent Deloitte analysis reports that Americans are viewing their smartphones more often than ever before, on average 52 times per day. With most texts being read and responded to within a matter of minutes, text provides an opportunity for a two way communication exchange that can be taken care of quickly.

The case for offering business text messaging as part of an omnichannel approach in contact centers just makes sense. It provides efficiencies for agents and the company while providing a better customer experience and offering another way, the preferred way for customers to communicate with your business.

Implementation is easy

When you hear that implementation is simple or easy when it comes to a new technology that is being evaluated, it can be met with a lot of skepticism. We really mean it though. Our text solutions are easy to implement and simple to use. We intentionally set out to provide our TextBetter customers with the best customer experience possible and believe our cloud based business text messaging solutions absolutely meets that goal.

Agents will not have to learn an entirely new software or need to keep another window open to begin messaging with customers as there are no new platforms to learn or install. With our business text messaging solutions, texts will automatically sync with the desired CRM for the contact centers many clients. This ultimately eliminates the hassle of manually entering or copying and pasting texts.

To learn more about our customized business text messaging solutions and how other contact centers are using text for their customers call or text us at 800-322-1112.

About Us

TextBetter™ is a business texting service that makes it easy to send or receive texts from your landline number. Our cloud-based service effortlessly integrates into your existing business model, without having to install new software or change how you do business. Through our three separate product offerings, we proudly cater to organizations of all sizes: TextBetter Team, TextBetter Business, TextBetter Enterprise.

Business Text Messaging is for Every Business

Posted on June 7, 2019November 2, 2019 by Dean Garfinkel

In today’s world, nearly everyone has access to a cell phone and more specifically, a smart phone. A significant amount of time is spent on mobile devices. Mobile phones and their functionality have become part of our everyday lives. In fact, the average American spends four hours per day staring at their phone and a quarter of that time is spent text messaging. To expand the reach for your business to meet customers where they spend their time, start using text as a communication channel. This where business text messaging comes in.

Business text messaging is used to engage with your customers one on one. Regardless of the size of business, texting has a place in every organization. Here are 5 of the most common uses of business text messaging.

1. Confirmations and reminders

When using business text messaging to send a confirmation text, it helps build and establish trust with the client. This could be as simple as confirming an upcoming appointment or it could confirm that an action took place as a result of a previous conversation, email or text.

2. Scheduling appointments

Trying to schedule an appointment with a customer can be challenging as schedules vary, phone calls aren’t answered or returned, and voicemails are left unchecked. Emails can be equally ineffective and can easily be buried in the massive amount of emails that are already in an inbox.

Sending a text message to schedule an appointment is more effective. Considering that 97% texts are open, read and responded to in 3 minutes or less, you’ll have a better success of getting them to look at availability and schedule appointments faster.

3. Follow up

Text is about making it convenient for your customers. Following up on a conversation, checking in after a previous meeting or asking the client/customer a brief question. For instance, a text can be sent just after an email is sent that needs an approval or confirmation. When using business text messaging to follow up by text could be the perfect nudge to get your customer to take a look.

4. Simple questions and answers

One of the best reasons to use business text messaging is to communicate with customers/prospects to get answers much more quickly than you would by phone or email. Text messages by nature are short and sweet, they serve as a great medium to ask quick questions when looking for quick answers.

5. Acknowledgement

Everyone appreciates being acknowledged and hearing ‘thank you’. A brief thank you or acknowledgement will go a long way from the customers perspective. A business text messaging service makes this a quick and simple “extra” that will go a long way with your customers.

Business text messaging takes advantage of the advances in technology to be able to get your message out to your customers. This is done in a way that is convenient and easy. it’s a worthwhile investment to make, and when used properly, can be a great tool to support business.

How does it work?

For businesses to efficiently and effectively manage text communication with clients, a business grade text messaging service is needed. Our text services for businesses enables the business and its employees to have their individual existing landline telephone number text enabled. We simply text enable your business phone number(s) and pair the phone number with your email address. Your email is just the tool that lets you send and receive text messages. Texting from your business number is as simple as sending an email and the receiver of your message, will get a text message, that is from your business phone number. When you receive a text message from a client, it will show up in your email, giving you a quick way to respond to the sender. Conversation threading is contained in each email. Best yet, all text conversations are searchable and archivable in your email.

Your customers are already very comfortable with text as they use it in their personal lives, let them engage with your business the way they prefer and are accustomed to. Implementing a texting service for business is key to staying relevant and evolving with your customer preferences.

Business Text Messaging Service for Credit Unions

Posted on May 24, 2019November 2, 2019 by Dean Garfinkel

The most significant shift in customer service since the 1-800 number is under way. Credit Unions are choosing to implement business text messaging service to support communicating through text as members have come to prefer this method with other businesses they engage with. Credit Unions are realizing that their members want to do more than talk and email when it comes to personal banking. Since we live in technology driven and dependent times, its essential that Credit Unions implement a mobile technology strategy that provides an alternative communication solution like business text messaging for its’ members. The strategy should address timeliness, convenience and accessibility with having the member relationship top of mind. Implementing business text messaging for your Credit Union supports each of these aspects.

Timeliness

Technology is best when it’s simple to use. Members desire swift responses to their questions that do not necessarily require a lengthy phone call. Not only is it effortless to use text to answer simple questions, it supports the member relationship with the Credit Union in a positive light by providing timely answers to simple questions. Leverage text messaging service to send automatic responses to members after hours, when a Loan Officer is out of the office or over the weekends to share banking hours. This means your doors are always open to the members.

A Business text messaging service helps support the Credit Union staff as well as the members as the dialogue is always open and transparent. By using text messaging throughout the loan process, Credit Unions have been transformative while eliminating several days overall to the entire process. Additionally, text can be used for:

Share loan application status
Provide detailed next steps and what to expect in the loan process
Schedule appointments to sign documents at a specific branch
Request additional or missing documentation needed to move the loan process forward
Get answers to time sensitive questions faster during busy day time hours
Hours of operation
Out of the office responders
Member satisfaction/Branch surveys
Sharing disclosures

Convenience

Using business text messaging service makes it very convenient for the members and the Credit Union to communicate. Credit Unions are seeing a reduction in loan processing time by having the ability to collect loan documents through text. It’s never been easier to both send and receive necessary documentation such as photos of required paperwork, forms, and more via text message. Gather all supporting documentation in seconds and eliminate unnecessary phone calls and emails. The goal of implementing business text messaging is to provide and secure and convenient way for members to communicate with you. The ability to send real time answers to their questions directly to their mobile device is exactly what members want.

Accessibility

As mobile usage continues to grow, members increasingly are expecting interactive mobile capabilities. The majority of people choose texting over calling in their personal lives due to the seamless nature that texting provides. A Credit Union that is accessible to its’ members via text provides a great opportunity for business. While Credit Unions are notorious for great interest rates, leading technological enhancements for its’ members hasn’t been at the forefront.

Business text messaging service enables the ability to deliver actionable information in a preferred and a more engaging way, giving members more of what they want. Let’s think about this for a minute, texting is quicker than a phone conversation; it does not require small talk or niceties such as “how is the weather” that takes up valuable time. Text is a highly accessible way to respond and to be available to members that do not wish to have a phone conversation, and who may otherwise avoid having important questions answered.

Relationships

Your business is built on relationships, and relationships are built on communication. These days, people prefer to communicate by text message, both personally and professionally. Text is personal and is what members want, and it shows. The data shows that in the financial services industry, emails have less than a 3% click rate. Comparatively with text, it’s under 3 minutes. Is text more effective and easier to use/respond to? Yes, it absolutely is. When making it easier for your members to do business with you, stronger relationships are built which is great for the Credit Union and member. Business Text messaging service helps facilitate and continue to build upon the member-Credit Union relationship. Continue building on the great relationships that you’ve established and working on establishing with integrating text into the day-to-day process.

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Landline texting leads to positive customer experience

Posted on April 26, 2019November 2, 2019 by Dean Garfinkel

This past week I was thinking a lot about customer experience and what that means from both a customer and business standpoint. From the lens of a consumer, it was pretty easy to recall interactions to classify both good experiences as well as a negative one. When I evaluate my personal interactions with businesses, I can’t really say that a good customer experience is high on the list of what I noticed in my interactions. These businesses weren’t really providing a way for me to engage with them the way that I’d like to, or the way most consumers would want to. Our primary form of communication today is text. Why aren’t companies leveraging the power of landline texting to create a world class customer experience?

Landline texting is the easiest and the most expedient way for people to connect. It’s also the medium that feels the most natural to consumers. Given the fact we text way more than we email or call in our personal lives, it makes sense that businesses adopt texting as a form of communication to interact with customers. Leveraging landline texting as a staple in communications leads to an overall improved customer experience.

Why use landline texting?

Text is easy

Your customers are already very comfortable with text as they use it in their personal lives. Chances are other businesses your customers are engaged with are texting them. Most people would much rather communicate via text message than on the phone or over email. It’s a lot less intrusive and a much more efficient way to engage as it can be done on your customers time and when it’s convenient for them. Landline texting is easy to incorporate in your processes.

Text offers a competitive advantage

Landline texting provides another way your customers can reach you and address challenges, asking questions or looking for an update. By offering more options for your customers to engage with you, your customers are able to communicate with you in the way they prefer or that is convenient for them. This helps your business stand out from your competition by providing options for what works for them.

Text is efficient

Once a customer asks a question via text, they can continue with what they were doing, knowing they’ll receive a text notification once they receive an answer. The convenience of landline texting enables your business to become more efficient as responses are managed from your email inox.

How to use landline texting?

Text for appointments and reminders

Leverage the immediacy and brevity that text offers to schedule, reschedule and send reminder for appointments. Businesses have found that by appointments are kept as they are more top of mind. Landline texting also makes rescheduling a breeze as it helps minimize no shows. With text being fast and convenient, a quick text communicating the need to reschedule is likely to occur. Fewer no show appointments help keep your team on track and productive.

Text for upsell

Landline texting provides you the chance to organically upsell. As the business relationship evolves with your customers, offer add-ons and upgrades to their existing purchases with a quick text, when it makes sense. An amplified customer experience is demonstrated as tailored products and services are offered to your customers based on your intimate knowledge of their account and relationship with your business.

Text for questions

Landline texting provides a seamless way to have simple questions answered. By allowing multiple options for customers to communicate with you, customers feel empowered to choose the option that is best for them. Not every question or issue that a customer has requires a lengthy email or phone call. They may also choose to ask time sensitive questions that they wouldn’t want to ask over email as they may not have time to wait for a reply.

How to notify customers they can text you

Once you are engaged with a landline texting provider, make sure customers know they can text you at the same number they are accustomed to. Put it on your website, external business listings and make sure to include it on your email signature. Social media is also a quick and easy way to let customers know the additional ways available to communicate with your business.

Customer experience has such a profound impact on businesses. Creating and obsessing over creating a great customer experience is especially critical in the digital age we are in today. Providing landline texting as an option for our customers to ultimately choose how to engage with us is a simple way to impact customer experience for the better.

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Business Text Messaging Solutions in Sync with CRM’s

Posted on March 22, 2019November 2, 2019 by Dean Garfinkel

Most business use some form of CRM system to manage their contacts, keep track of and facilitate customer communications. Text messaging becoming increasingly effective and a productive part of an omnichannel approach to business communication, but how are those conversations and interactions being captured? It’s imperative those communications are being captured and archived in your CRM. Business text messaging solutions work with your CRM system to provide a seamless and efficient way to both send and chronicle those two-way communications.

Archiving communications

If anyone in your business is currently texting customers, where is that communication being stored? Is it on each employee’s respective mobile phones? If so, what happens when that employee leaves the company? The problem is they’ll take that valuable information with them.

The point is, it’s challenging to track these conversations. Using a business text messaging solution, the team has access to the complete conversational history. If an employee happens to be on leave, and someone else was assigned those accounts temporarily, it’s easy for them quickly read the communication exchanges and address the accounts as needed.

Understanding how beneficial archiving text communications into the CRM is certainly important for business. Learning the historical interactions and background of a customer or prospect with your company and applying that knowledge when communicating with them will help your company become more relevant to them.

Business text messaging solutions and CRM’s

Text is a convenient. It’s powerful and cost effective. Text provides a means for keeping in touch with customers in real-time while simplifying the process of relationship management for users. With business text messaging solutions, the texts will automatically sync with your CRM. This ultimately eliminates the hassle of manually entering or copying and pasting the texts into the CRM.

There are no workflow interruptions. Your current workflows stay the same with messages imported directly into your CRM.
Allows for continuous conversations. Access prior message history easily. This provides context and helps facilitate ongoing conversations that build strong customer relationships.

No new platforms to learn or install. Agents don’t have to learn an entirely new software or need to keep another window open to begin messaging with customers.

Improved customer relationships. Texts increase the chance of connecting to the customer on a more personal level, having detailed historical communications archived and to reference, creates a more customer focused experience.

The bottom line is this: if you are currently using text but they are not being synced with your CRM, invest in a business text messaging solution ASAP, you’ll be glad you did in both the long and short term.

About us

TextBetter™ is a business-texting service that makes it easy to send or receive texts from your landline number. Our cloud-based service effortlessly integrates into your existing business model, without having to install new software or change how you do business. Through our three separate product offerings, we proudly cater to organizations of all sizes: TextBetter Basic, TextBetter Business, TextBetter Enterprise.

Landline Text Messaging Service: Key Features and Benefits

Posted on March 15, 2019November 2, 2019 by Kelsey Olsen

I remember when I was growing up how excited I was when our family got a cordless phone. Then off to college I went and was elated to have a cell phone. Remember how huge and bulky they were? If my memory serves me correctly, it was about the weight of a small Yorkshire terrier, but I didn’t seem to care though. As I look back through the years and how technology has evolved and continues to evolve, it’s pretty fascinating. When I was a young girl sitting in the kitchen at my parents’ house talking on the phone that was tethered to the wall by a 4 foot spiral cord (we all know what I’m referring to), I never had the thought that one day we’d be able to send and receive written messages from that line. I’d even say that up until a few years ago, I didn’t even know it was doable. Not only is a landline text messaging service incredibly relevant today, it’s become a standard in business communications.

When enabling text on your landline phone, you’re able to take advantage of benefits that are not possible with a traditional phone system. In fact, when using a landline text messaging service, you provide your business and customers with the ability to engage in strategic ways that help increase productivity and customer satisfaction. The landline texting service allows you to send and receive text messages on your computer using your existing business phone number.

What are the possibilities with landline texting? There are so many.

Features & Benefits of Landline Texting

Tailored Keywords: A landline text messaging service allows customers to send text requests for immediate information like your location hours by texting “Hours” to a specific number. Consider using the keyword “Apply” for anyone looking for employment. This serves as an immediate response to your customers, which is what they want, while providing you with the ability to focus on other business objectives.

Auto Responders: When using a landline text messaging service, you have the ability to create an auto response that is predetermined. For example, if your office will be closed for a holiday or if one of your staff members will be on vacation, using an auto response like “Out of Office” while providing additional information can have a positive impact customer satisfaction. Communication is important for consumers; using auto responder functionality is an easy way to help influence positive customer interactions.

Distribution Lists: A landline text messaging service provides the ability to communicate differently and more effectively with team members. Create a list of employee phone numbers to easily leverage the distribution of internal communications. Distribution lists are unique to each text enabled number allowing managers to easily communicate with their team.

Communications are trackable: Since text messages are sent and received from your users’ email, every text message technically is an email and are all searchable and being archived by your company’s email retention policy. A landline text messaging service provides the ability to track and review all external communications, ensuring they comply with company standards. Should there be attrition with employees, have peace of mind knowing that these conversations with customers are being archived to refer to at any time.

Reporting: To determine who is using, how it’s being used and the frequency of usage, leverage feature rich reporting tools that a landline text messaging service can provide.

Integrations: If you’re looking to house text communications into a CRM, not a problem. A landline text messaging service provider has API’s that interface with your applications. No extra steps needed from the staff for the communications to be archived.

These are just a handful of examples of what a landline text messaging service can provide, really, this is just scratching the surface. The evolution of technology is fascinating! To learn more about how TextBetter is helping companies of all sizes change their communication dynamics through landline texting, call or text us today.

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Why Accountants Are Utilizing Business Texting Services

Posted on June 14, 2017November 2, 2019 by Team TextBetter

Accountants work thru some crazy and unpredictable hours, especially during audits or tax season. Nothing is more painful then following up with your clients to get their forms and other information needed to complete returns. Using clients personal email or attempting to call them, especially while they are at work, is extremely painful.

The latest craze is to use texting. Accounting firms have found business texting (also known as cloud texting) to be the fastest and most effective method of communicating with their clients. Think about it, your clients will send and receive text messages no matter what time of day it is or wherever they might be. I am not endorsing giving out your personal cell phone number. In fact most accountants refuse this practice because clients have a way of calling after hours, which is after their work hours, all the time. Using a real business texting service for accountants to text better is the way to go. Text enable your accounting firms main number or if each of your accountants have a direct telephone number, text enable those. Continue reading “Why Accountants Are Utilizing Business Texting Services”

How Law Firms Use Business Texting

Posted on May 19, 2017November 2, 2019 by Team TextBetter

In 2016 there were 1,315,561 attorneys in the U.S., according to the ABA. That is a lot of competition, what makes you stand out from other law firms? “Reaching our consumer clients can be painful” claims leading defense attorney, Ohio. How can you best communicate in a way that your clients want to communicate? The answer is to text enable your business landline telephone numbers!

–1.6 Trillion text messages were sent in 2016–

Millennials have hit the stage – cash in hand, buying homes, starting businesses, creating trusts basically living life. They don’t like telephone calls and are reasonably ok with email. What they love is texting. If your law firm plans on growing you must join 2017 and start to communicate with millennials by texting. Every attorney has an office, desk desk, email, voice mail and direct telephone number. Why doesn’t their direct telephone number also handle texting? With today’s technology adding texting, utilizing existing email to send and receive is pretty simple. All those text conversations that occur on personal cell phones is not good risk management. By using the law firm’s email to send and receive text messages lets law firms easily archive these conversations in the email. These systems are already in place. Continue reading “How Law Firms Use Business Texting”

How Auto Dealerships Use Business Texting

Posted on May 15, 2017November 2, 2019 by Team TextBetter

Auto Dealerships are just one of the many industries that are utilizing business texting. According to Auto Alliance, U.S. sales broke the all-time record in 2016, with 17.46 million units sold. That adds up to a lot of customers needing additional service from their car dealership. How do you think your customers prefer to communicate? There were 1.6 Trillion text messages sent in 2016!

The typical salesperson is armed with a desk, email and a direct number. How about text enabling their direct number as well? The more time that elapses between a consumer’s visit to your showroom and test drive the more likely a competitor brand will win. That’s why Auto Dealerships need business texting. Fact is a consumer will avoid a call from your sales person if they haven’t made up their mind. But they will respond to a text. Consumers also feel it is rude to ignore a text. Business texting for Auto dealerships is so important. Continue reading “How Auto Dealerships Use Business Texting”