Voicemail vs. texting for connecting with customers

Voicemail vs. texting for connecting with customers

Are you still stuck in endless loops of missed calls, voicemails, and hours chasing customers? That classic game of phone tag is not just outdated, it’s inefficient. Customers increasingly favor texting over calls. And with good reason: texting is faster, less intrusive, and more effective.

Texting is not just a trend — it's a shift in communication behavior. Modern consumers expect businesses to meet them on their own turf: quick, convenient, text-based conversations.

Why phone calls are costing you time and money

• ‍Unpredictable timing: Phone calls depend on the customer being available at that moment. Miss a call and you lose momentum. If they miss a voicemail, you’re stuck waiting, sometimes days, for a response. Meanwhile, stalled work (like cars in a service bay) burns resources and sidelines revenue. ‍
• Long friction: A single call that goes back and forth can take 30 to 60 minutes to resolve basic questions and that’s the best case. Texting often yields answers in minutes.

About 96% of customers respond to a business text within three minutes — an interruption-free, fast path forward.

Why auto dealerships win big with business texting

Phone tag isn’t just frustrating for auto dealers, it’s expensive. When cars sit in service bays waiting for approvals or leads go cold while waiting on a call back, the costs add up fast. Texting changes all of that.

Here’s how key dealership teams benefit from switching to texting:

• Service: Advisors can send repair approvals and updates via text, speeding up turnaround and reducing downtime in bays. ‍
• Sales: Texting helps reps respond to leads faster, set appointments, and answer inventory questions — all without interrupting the customer’s day. ‍
• Parts: Teams can notify customers when items are ready and even send images or invoices instantly. ‍
• BDC: Reps can manage multiple conversations at once and use automation to assist with common tasks like appointment reminders or basic inquiries.

More dealerships and businesses across industries are turning to automation to manage the growing volume of messages and calls. The goal isn’t to replace the human element, but to handle the repetitive tasks quickly, consistently, and at scale.

What the data says

• Surveys find that 89–91% of consumers now prefer texting over talking on the phone — a figure that continues to rise, especially among younger demographics.
• Text messaging can cut voicemails by 84%, dramatically reducing back-and-forth delays.
• Businesses that implement texting see immediate gains: saved labor hours, faster lead response, stronger customer satisfaction and often a bump in revenue.

Business texting best practices

• Use your existing business line — not personal cellphone numbers — to send and receive texts, maintaining consistent branding and privacy.
• Apply 2‑way texting so customers can respond naturally, and conversations stay in one centralized inbox.
• Follow clear etiquette: introduce yourself in the first message, be brief, include a clear call to action, use proper timing and tone.
• Automate response templates, reminders, follow-ups, so replies are timely and consistent.

These practices help businesses win trust, avoid miscommunication, and maintain strong relationships — texting is not just efficient, it’s personal and professional.

How texting changes the game

Here’s how texting improves some of the most common dealership communication challenges:

• Scheduling and approvals: What used to take hours or days of phone tag now gets resolved in a quick back-and-forth text exchange. ‍
• Sharing updates and notifications: Instead of relying on voicemail or delayed emails, texting ensures customers get and acknowledge important updates instantly. ‍
• Customer follow-up and feedback: Calls and emails often go unanswered. With texting, response rates are significantly higher, making it easier to close loops and build loyalty.

The AI advantage: Kenect’s Engage AI

As more businesses lean on texting, the next evolution is leveraging AI to automate and enhance two-way conversations, freeing your team’s time while keeping response times lightning fast. AI tools can help manage the flow of inbound messages, screen and qualify leads, and respond intelligently to customer questions, all through text.

Enter Kenect’s Engage AI: a conversational AI texting tool that works 24/7 to engage leads, answer common questions, book appointments, and keep conversations moving, even when your team is unavailable. It’s like having an extra team member in your inbox, responding instantly and professionally with zero delay.

With Engage AI in place, dealerships and service teams have seen:

• A 2x increase in lead conversion through instant, intelligent engagement ‍
• 70% of incoming leads handled automatically, freeing up team bandwidth
• A 66% reduction in average response time, boosting customer satisfaction ‍
• 50% fewer repetitive inbound questions, as Engage AI answers them proactively

Ready to put phone tag behind you?

By adopting business texting, you're improving responsiveness, reducing friction, and making life easier for both customers and teams. Boost engagement, cut voicemails, and move requests forward in minutes, no phone calls required.

And with Kenect’s Engage AI, the seamless blend of real-time texting and intelligent, automated responses, you get unmatched efficiency, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction.

Want to see how this can transform your front line? Kenect’s conversational texting platform brings it all together. At the end of the day, playing phone tag can stay in the past. The future of customer communication is conversational, instant, and powered by smart automation.

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