It’s never been easier for customers to get in touch with the brands they do business with. And when businesses make contact even easier, it pays off: a study by Aberdeen Group shows that companies offering a consistent customer experience across multiple channels retain 89% of their customers.
Savvy businesses understand customer retention is significantly less expensive than customer acquisition. According to the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer costs anywhere from 5 to 25 times more than maintaining an existing customer; while increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25 to 95%.
An omnichannel customer experience requires companies to be flexible and meet buyers where they are. And the companies that are doing it best know text messaging is an important part of a successful omnichannel strategy.
Here are a few reasons why your competition is using text messaging, and why you should, too:
Customers like it
In the old days of marketing and customer service, companies had an advantage over their customers. But today’s customers have more power, and it’s in the palms of their hands. A study by eWeek revealed that 52% of survey respondents preferred text messaging with a customer service rep over other forms of communication.
That means there’s an opportunity to deliver the kind of experience customers might actually want—and one they’re not getting from competition. Businesses that use text messaging to offer customer service can deliver a personal touch that other companies might overlook.
The on-hold era is over
With multiple ways to contact a company, the very last thing people want to do is sit on hold, waiting for a customer service rep. According to OneReach, 81% of consumers agree that being tied to a computer or phone is frustrating.
Text messaging saves time for customers and can also serve as a key differentiator for a company’s competition. But text messaging can save a remarkable amount of time for companies as well. Think of all the more productive uses of that saved time your employees can find to better satisfy your customers and maintain their loyalty to your brand. It’s just one way a company can offer something different while delivering a more personalized experience.
Tech-assisted text messaging gets results
The opportunity for a greater 1:1 connection with a customer is just one reason to incorporate text messaging into the customer experience. For instance, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue discovered that integrating text messaging as a customer service channel allows them to resolve customer issues more quickly.
The next level in customer service your competitors will use is improving texting with technology that allows for quick replies. Because many customers have similar questions, using templated responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) can both save time and provide a consistent customer experience. The faster a brand responds to a customer’s inquiry, the more likely they are to receive that customer’s business.
Advanced business texting technology offered by innovators like Kenect can save companies time and money, delights customers with a greater ease of communication, and helps make your company’s superior service stand out.
Your competitors know text messaging provides an opportunity to be more personal and direct than other forms of communication can provide.These companies are using text messaging because it works.
When a business takes the time to respond to their customer’s texts in a timely manner, greatly improved through the use of templates and uniformed responses, they’re demonstrating their core belief that both their customer and their customer’s time are valuable. And a valued customer is a loyal customer. Integrate text messaging into the customer experience, and elevate your company’s customer experience.
Ready to get started? Kenect is the best way for any business to get up and running with business texting fast! You can learn more and schedule a personal demo here.