If you are reading this, chances are that your company is using a toll free or 800 number. Businesses use a toll-free number instead of a local phone number for a variety of reasons.

Common benefits include:

  • Gives company a national presence.
  • Makes it easy and free for customers to call the company.
  • Number can be easier to remember, especially in larger areas that have more than one area code, such as Los Angeles, New York City, or Phoenix.
  • Makes the company appear larger and more professional.
  • Used for brand awareness such as companies like 1-800-FLOWERS.

As we can see, a company’s 800 number can be very important. Now what about texting? In previous articles we have talked about why every business should use texting as a tool. Let’s dive into why specifically a company should enable text messaging for their existing business toll free number instead of setting up a new number just for texting.

 Text messaging for business why enable text messages for your business 800 number

Why Enable Text Messaging For Your Business

#1 Customers are already texting your company

Text messaging is becoming more common than phone calls, especially with Millennials. More and more people are assuming that the company phone number can also receive text messages. Potential sales or increased engagement with current customers is at risk if your company is not receiving those text messages.

#2 People won’t have to remember another number

This can be very powerful especially for advertising mediums such as TV or radio where the person can’t refer back to the phone number easily. Not only does the company save precious seconds giving out just 1 phone number, but the person listening only needs to remember one number and can then decide if they want to text or call.

#3 Customers will recognize when you text them

Chances are that your main business phone number is programmed into your customers phone. They have probably called your business a few times for various reasons, such as a purchase or customer service. Now when you send out a text message to them to confirm a sale, reply to a customer service request, or remind them of an appointment, they will immediately recognize the phone number.

#4 Reduce editing to all marketing collateral

This may not be a big deal unless you are with a larger company that has a lot of marketing collateral. Trying to add a separate phone number for texting could be a huge lift. It could take a lot of time and resources. By enabling the phone number that you already have in the marketplace, at least you would start to capture some of those people that are texting you (see #1 above). Also, to make the change to the marketing collateral with just a small blurb next to the phone number that they can text as well may not be as difficult as adding a whole new call-to-action.

Related Reading:

18 Stats That Show Why Businesses Need to Text
Is texting dead?
Employee Communication with Landline Texting for Business

Rich Hamilton is the Director of Marketing and Product Development for TextBetter, a patent-pending solution from Quality Voice & Data, which text enables any phone number and uses an email client to send and receive text messages. Rich works tirelessly to bring new products to the teleservices and call center market and is also the creative powerhouse behind executing on a wide spectrum of marketing initiatives for the organization. In addition, Rich is a consumer protection compliance guru with a Customer Engagement Compliance Professional (CECP) certification to back it up. You can contact him by email at [email protected] by phone at 516-656-5105.

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