More people are texting, and new data shows that it is now quickly becoming the best way to reach people with important information. This means that if you want to reach customers, you need to offer a texting option!

Texting is Transforming Communication

According to a Pew Research study, 81% of all American now own a smartphone in 2022. That means there are around 300 million smartphone users in the U.S. at any given time.

This dramatic rise in smartphones is the result of more usage during the pandemic. Businesses turned to remote forms of communication and payment to help limit in-person interactions, and now customers are expecting businesses to have the option.

New data from G2 Learn Hub shows a shift in the way SMS businesses interact with customers in recent months due to this increase in texting confidence among customers.

According to the data, 78% of buyers say checking, sending, and answering text messages is the primary way they use their phones. Also, 61% of people admit to spending more time texting daily since 2020.

That means in just 2 years, more than half of all customers now admit to spending more time texting than ever before.

Solutions to Increase Business Texting

Now that we see customers texting more, businesses need to adapt to meet demand. You may be losing out on important leads, or important information from customers who can’t get ahold of you quickly, or who just simply don’t want to play phone tag.

Customers want to start a conversation with your business. The data shows 60% of consumers want to be able to respond to SMS messages about promotions and such, but many businesses simply don’t have a platform in place to get messages back, only to send.

Instead of trying to reach the customer, playing phone tag, and trying to get permission to fix something, text instead.

Those phone conversations, in the best-case scenario, take 30 minutes to 1 hour, and often the phone tag stretches into several hours or days. With texting, it takes just minutes to get an answer.

We are seeing 95% of all texts get responded to in less than 3 minutes. Why? Because more people are learning how to use smartphones on a daily basis.

It’s also easier on your staff because you can send them a text back at any time, and it’s not disruptive like a phone call. Your customer can read it and respond back in minutes with any questions or concerns.

Appointment Setting and Leads

Next to communication, customers are also concerned with Appointments.

The G2 data shows 83% of consumers would like to receive appointment reminders via text, but only 20% of businesses send them this way.

Many are still using phone calls from reps or service department staff to remind customers about appointments. This may have been good enough 5 years ago, but not now. Phone calls are becoming a burden for customers. More are using texting, and it’s the easiest way to reach them for important information.

Not only will this save you time, but it will also keep revenue flowing. If you have a quick way for customers to respond and confirm appointments, rather than playing phone tag, then you can better plan ahead in your service department and keep your bays moving.

You won’t have to keep a bay for a customer who may or may not show up. Text them and you will get a response back within minutes.

The data shows a significant trend in 2022 and beyond: customers want you to text them. If you don’t offer a texting option, you are missing out.

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