Conversational messaging – SMS-Magic https://www.sms-magic.com Simple Business Text Messaging Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:42:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Ultimate Power: Text Messaging in Healthcare 101 – Boosting Adherence & Engagement https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/harnessing-text-messaging-in-healthcare/ Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:42:10 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=61739 In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, text messaging in healthcare has highlighted patient engagement and adherence as vital elements in ensuring optimal health outcomes. However, the problem of non-adherent patients—those who do not consistently follow medical advice, skip their medication doses, or miss their appointments—continues to pose challenges to healthcare professionals worldwide.

Increasingly, healthcare providers are turning to technology to solve this issue. At the forefront of this technological revolution is the power of Text Messaging in Healthcare, a tool that has shown great promise in improving patient adherence and engagement. But how exactly does this work? Let’s dive in.

Powering Medication Adherence Through Text Messaging in Healthcare

Patient preference and adherence is a critical component of effective healthcare, but nearly 50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed. This non-compliance can lead to severe health repercussions and increased healthcare costs. Enter the game-changer: Conversational Messaging. You’ll be impressed to know that the ‘Impact of Reminders on Adherence’, A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that text message reminders improved medication adherence rates by 17.8%

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Source – JAMA Internal Medicine

SMS messaging for healthcare offers a straightforward, cost-effective, and patient-friendly solution to medication non-adherence. With personalized medication reminders delivered right to a patient’s mobile device, patients are more likely to stick to their prescription schedules. Messaging can further encourage Patient preference and adherence by providing clear instructions for medication intake, addressing common concerns about side effects, and offering timely support when patients need it.

Enhancing Appointment Compliance via Text Messaging in Healthcare

Missing healthcare appointments is a pervasive issue that leads to delayed care, disrupted treatment plans, and unnecessary healthcare costs. The U.S. healthcare system incurs over $150 billion in annual costs due to no-show appointments, as demonstrated by a study released in the BMC Health Services Research journal. This problem, too, can be tackled effectively through SMS messaging.

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SourceHealthcare Innovation

SMS healthcare text reminders for appointments significantly reduce the likelihood of no-shows. Moreover, by enabling two-way communication, text messaging allows patients to easily reschedule appointments if needed. This reduces the chances of empty appointment slots, enhancing clinic efficiency.

As the ‘Impact of Reminders on Appointment Attendance’ study in the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine, text message reminders reduced the rate of missed appointments by nearly 30%. Furthermore, it also fosters stronger patient-doctor relationships by maintaining consistent communication and demonstrating the healthcare provider’s commitment to the patient’s well-being.

Transforming Overall Patient Engagement through Text Messaging in Healthcare

Beyond improving patient preference and adherence and appointment compliance, messaging can transform overall patient engagement. For example, The survey conducted by the National Library of Medicine provided intriguing data about patients’ communication preferences. A remarkable 98.2% of patients found text messages to be a favorable mode of communication, and 95.5% felt a heightened sense of connection with their healthcare team through this medium. Additionally, 91.9% of respondents agreed that these text updates reduced their need to make calls to the office.

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SourceNational Library of Medicine

Equally noteworthy is that 91.9% of patients showed a clear preference for text updates over other communication methods such as emails, phone calls, or patient portal messages. By texting regular health tips, wellness checks, and encouragement, SMS marketing services can foster healthier lifestyles and a greater sense of connection between patients and healthcare providers.

This two-way communication also empowers patients, giving them a more active role in their healthcare journey. This empowerment not only enhances patients’ overall satisfaction but also improves health outcomes by promoting active participation in their healthcare.

Why Choose SMS-Magic: The Best SMS Marketing Services

With numerous SMS service providers in the market, it’s important to choose one that truly stands out. SMS-Magic offers the best SMS marketing services, tailored to meet the unique needs of healthcare professionals.

We understand the necessity of ensuring patient adherence and preference in the healthcare industry. That’s why our services are designed to deliver personalized, timely, and accurate messages. Through our robust platform, you can send appointment reminders, medication alerts, and follow-up messages that keep your patients engaged and compliant.

Moreover, SMS-Magic’s user-friendly platform allows healthcare providers to easily manage their communication with hundreds or even thousands of patients. Our services are HIPAA-compliant, ensuring all patient communication is private and secure.

At SMS-Magic, we’re committed to harnessing the power of conversational messaging to enhance patient adherence. We’re here to help healthcare providers leverage this powerful tool to promote better patient outcomes. So why wait? Join us in driving SMS healthcare forward with SMS-Magic, and let’s make non-adherent patients a thing of the past.

Thank you for reading our blog! Stay tuned for more insights on how messaging is shaping the future of various industries. Remember, with SMS-Magic, your communication possibilities are endless. Follow us to get timely updates. 

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Texting Top Talent: The New Wave of Revolutionary Recruitment https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/text-recruiting-messaging-guide/ Thu, 10 Aug 2023 11:26:51 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=61710 In the high-octane landscape of recruitment, time isn’t just money—it’s talent. The faster you establish contact with potential candidates, the quicker you can assess their profiles and secure top performers for your organization. So, how do we turbocharge this process? The key lies in the prowess of Conversational Messaging and Text Recruiting.

With an astounding average response time of a mere three minutes, it overshadows traditional approaches like email and voicemail, not merely by a few strides but by miles. But the benefits of SMS messaging extend far beyond the time limit to get a reply from your candidate. It has the potential to redefine your recruitment landscape, slashing your time-to-hire, and magnetizing the digitally-inclined millennial and Gen Z talent pool. 

In this comprehensive guide, we will navigate the intricacies of messaging as a recruitment powerhouse and equip you with 9 actionable insights to ensnare top-tier talent. But before we dive right into the crux of our discussion, it’s essential to highlight the powerful role of text messaging in modern recruitment. 

Why Text Recruiting is the Key to Streamlining your Talent Hunt

With escalating costs and extended time-to-hire, traditional recruitment channels are increasingly proving inefficient. Over 83% of talent leaders acknowledge recruiting and retaining talent as their chief priority, adopting cost-effective and time-saving strategies is paramount. Here’s where using text recruiting messaging steps in, slashing cost-to-hire and significantly boosting efficiency, even with heightened hiring volumes.

Messaging’s real-time simplicity stands out from other communication methods. It efficiently engages candidates, especially since 39% lose interest from prolonged hiring. It’s especially useful for connecting with passive candidates, letting recruiters nurture relationships for future needs. Later in this blog, we’ll discuss using Text Recruiting Software to enhance recruitment strategies.

Harnessing the Benefits of Conversational Messaging into Text Recruiting

Conversational messaging, with its superior response times and increased reach, can slash your time-to-hire significantly. It enables real-time interaction with potential candidates, accelerating the screening and interview coordination process, thereby landing you the desired talent swiftly and seamlessly.

Text Recruiting

Transition from Passive to Proactive

The transition from passive to proactive recruiting can be a game changer. Using messaging as a tool, recruiters can actively reach out to candidates, fostering an engaging two-way conversation. It not only enhances the candidate experience but also allows recruiters to glean essential insights about the candidates, paving the way for informed decision-making.

Speaking the Digital Tongue in Text Recruiting

Millennial and Gen Z candidates are digital natives. To attract this tech-savvy talent, recruiters must communicate via their preferred channels. Messaging serves as an effective platform to engage with these candidates, by offering the quick, informal, and interactive communication they prefer.

Text Recruiting

Agility Personified

Filling temporary positions quickly is crucial to maintaining business continuity and productivity. With text messaging, recruiters can instantly connect with a broad network of potential candidates, streamlining the sourcing, screening, and hiring process. It’s a game-changer when speed and efficiency are the keys to success.

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Crowning Practices

While the potential of SMS messaging in recruitment is vast, it must be employed strategically. From crafting engaging messages, and respecting candidate’s privacy, to timely follow-ups – best practices should be at the heart of your messaging recruitment strategy such as the Best SMS Marketing Services provided by SMS-Magic. This ensures optimal use of the tool while enhancing the candidate experience.

Text Messaging Templates 

Effective messaging demands the right blend of professionalism and personalization. To help recruiters navigate this balance, we provide proven text messaging templates. These templates, tailored to various stages of the recruitment process, ensure consistent, concise, and effective communication with candidates. So, to get these templates, get your sms-magic login and start conversing today to recruit the premier talent. 

Cultivating Personal Bonds

The power of messaging lies in its ability to cultivate personal relationships. Unlike formal emails, text messages foster casual and warm exchanges, making candidates feel valued and engaged. This personalized approach can significantly boost your brand image, leading to higher acceptance rates.

Decoding the Generation

Messaging resonates with younger candidates due to its immediacy and informality. This digitally-adept cohort prefers quick, concise interactions over lengthy, formal communication. Understanding this preference is crucial in tailoring your communication strategy, enabling you to attract and retain young talent more effectively.

The Recruitment of Tomorrow

With digital transformation permeating every aspect of business, recruitment is no exception. Embracing messaging as a key tool is not just about staying current; it’s about anticipating and adapting to the future of recruitment. Leveraging the power of Text Recruiting Platforms today can set your recruitment strategy on the path of success for years to come.

In the dynamic realm of recruitment, standing still is not an option; evolution is the key to success. As we’ve journeyed through the various ways text messaging can revolutionize your recruitment process, it’s clear that the power of Conversational Messaging is undeniable. By harnessing this tool, you can attract and engage top talent, reduce your time-to-hire, and enhance client satisfaction, all while future-proofing your recruitment strategy. As we navigate the digital age, embracing messaging is not just a strategic move—it’s an imperative.

Ready to revolutionize your recruitment strategy? Let’s embark on this journey together! Contact one of the Best SMS Marketing Services Provider SMS-Magic today and allow us to guide you through the transformation. With our cutting-edge messaging solutions and expertise, we’ll help you unlock the full potential of text messaging in your recruitment process. Start your journey to recruitment excellence today — because your future talent is just a text message away. 

Connect with us now, and get full insights about what we have to offer. 

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How to Build Relationships with Your Dreamforce Contacts https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/how-to-build-relationships-with-your-dreamforce-contacts/ Wed, 21 Sep 2022 05:31:52 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=60373 You met a host of people at Dreamforce 2022, collected their contact information, and now need a strategy for nurturing those new leads. It’s tempting to add them to your CRM and begin sending messages to them as part of an existing campaign, but don’t do it. You could be exposing your company to hefty fines and audits unless you understand and follow rules governing automated marketing messaging.

The regulations generally apply to automated marketing text messages, not one-on-one messages sent between two people. If you have the time, you can send individual messages to your new contacts from Dreamforce. Or you can send emails to them asking for permission to text.

If you’d like to add them to a marketing list, you must have express, written consent before you do it. Implicit consent is not enough. What’s the difference?

Implicit Consent

Implicit Consent

When someone shares their contact information or gives you a business card, their action may be construed as giving you implicit consent to receive automated marketing messages from you. Don’t be fooled! Implied consent is not enough. Your contact must give you explicit permission to send marketing messages and that includes adding them to subscription lists.

Your customers may have given you their contact information in many different situations, including:

  • Providing a printed or electronic business card.
  • Including contact information in their email signature.
  • Filling out information forms to access gated content on your website, including blogs, articles, your Wi-Fi network or community forums, among others.
  • Purchasing or renting services, goods or products from your company.
  • Providing contact information during check-out in an online store, unless they also check a box giving you permission to send marketing messages to them.
  • Signing a contract with you.
  • Sending a charitable donation.
  • Agreeing to volunteer for your charity.

Even though they have given you contact information, they haven’t given you permission to send marketing messages to them, and privacy regulations around the world prohibit you from doing so. Using implicit consent is a dangerous (and potentially expensive) strategy, and it does not provide high-quality contacts and leads.

Explicit Consent

On the other hand, obtaining explicit permission to send marketing messages to someone provides high-quality contacts and leads. By opting in to your subscription list or messaging campaign, these contacts indicate their interest in your brand.

Here are a few suggestions for building your opt-in list:

  • Trade show touches – If you regularly exhibit at trade shows, you can promote your text messaging program to prospects, existing clients and lapsed clients with your booth signage and handouts. Consider using a QR code to direct them to an opt-in page on your website.
  • Business cards – Include opt-in instructions or a QR code on the back of your business card.
  • Product packaging – Include opt-in instructions on your packaging, shopping bags, tote bags, napkins or other promotional materials you give to you clients.
  • Emails – Include opt-in instructions in emails or in your signature block.
  • Website – Pop-up windows can prompt users to opt in to your messaging program. Static windows in high-traffic areas work well, too.
  • Contests – Launch a contest that involves your messaging program. Publicize contests on your social media channels.
  • Customer receipts – Include opt-in instructions or QR code on customer receipts.
  • Blogs – Encourage readers to start a subscription to your blogs.

What Should Happen After a Customer Opts In

After your customer has opted-in, you’ll want to send a text confirming their participation. In that text, you can mention all the information they need to make an informed decision, such as what they can expect to receive, how often messages will arrive, applicable message and data rates, who you are, and how to opt out. You’ll need to comply with the regulations in your country, as well as the countries where your messages are going. Products like SMS-Magic can help you automate the messages. What could be easier?

Keeping Track of Who Opted In and Who Opted Out

Keeping Track of Who Opted In and Who Opted Out

You’ll need to keep track of who has opted in and who has opted out, as well as who is already in the system to keep one person from opting in multiple times. SMS-Magic can make compliance a breeze, particularly if you have tied your text messaging campaigns into your CRM.

SMS-Magic is designed to track opt-in and opt-out requests so that you send only to the customers who have specifically asked you to. Our back-end systems are structured so that we can display individual requests, and we can prove you’ve complied with customer requests. You won’t have to worry about regulators asking to see your records. We use on-going processes to collect and store information about distribution and can share it with regulators, if necessary.

Does SMS-Magic sound like the answer you’ve been looking for? We hope so!

Contact us to set up a demo or to start your free trial. Let us show you why your compliance worries will disappear with SMS-Magic!

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Designing Effective CTAs Using Conversational Messaging https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/designing-effective-ctas-using-conversational-messaging/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 12:26:16 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59997 Text messages are short, simple, and attention-grabbing. In fact, they have a 98% open rate. That’s why they’re the perfect tool for conversational messaging, one of the most popular business text messaging strategies.

Conversational messaging focuses on encouraging leads and inactive customers to initiate conversations with your brand. Once leads and customers reply to conversational messaging content, your team members can connect with them by answering questions, offering insider information and even recommending products or services.

Behind every successful conversational messaging text is an effective call to action (CTA). Read on to learn what CTAs are — and how to create one that will encourage customers to interact with your content.

1. Pick Powerful Action Words

Compel the user to take action. Using the right words is key in improving the click-through rates in your CTA. Make sure to use compelling, authoritative and clear wording. You don’t want to confuse the user, so using words like “join,” “start” and “explore” can be beneficial to creating an eye-catching CTA.

A few examples include:

  • Join us
  • Get started for free
  • Explore the collection
Pick Powerful Action Words

2. Create a Sense of Urgency

Now that you’re using effective language, create a sense of urgency so that the reader feels compelled to click on the CTA instead of coming back to it later. You can add words like “now,” “instant” or “today” to verbs that make potential prospects feel that waiting will only put them at a disadvantage.

Some examples of this include:

  • Start growing today
  • Join for instant access
  • Explore the collection now

3. Keep It Short

Most of the time, you don’t have much space for your CTA. This is why you should always aim to keep it short and get your point across in the fewest words. You only have seconds to get your point across, so using simple language will definitely work in your favor here.

Here are a few examples:

  • Instead of writing “Donate to our cause today”, you can say “Act today!”
  • Instead of saying “Fill this form”, you can write “Sign up today!”

4. Use a Conversational Tone

Addressing the reader directly is an effective way to build a personal connection. When you use the word “you” in your message, the reader feels special, making it feel like a personal interaction rather than a sales pitch.

Here are a few examples:

  • You can get a 15% discount here.
  • Build your free website today!
Use a Conversational Tone

5. Make It Pretty

Nobody wants to click on a bland, static button, right? Make sure your CTA button stands out from the rest of the text. Even something as small as making the font bold can do wonders as it demands the reader’s attention. If your brand identity is light-hearted, you can add GIFs or emojis, which will prompt the customer to take immediate action.

Some examples include:

  • Click here for more information.
  • Flat 50% off on first purchase.
Make It Pretty

Writing the Most Effective CTA

Not all CTAs are the same. They come in various shapes and sizes, and no formula guarantees success. The best way to know whether it is working is to test your CTA against others. You can then iterate upon the CTA that works and create one that gives you the most conversions.

No matter what you use conversational messaging text for, setting up the right campaigns and effective CTAs can help you guide your customers through their buying journey and greatly influence your conversion rates.

Our customer support team would love to show you how SMS-Magic can make reaching your customers easier and more effective with a demo or a free trial!

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How to Conduct Surveys and Collect Feedback with Conversational Messaging https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/how-to-conduct-surveys-and-collect-feedback-with-conversational-messaging/ Wed, 11 May 2022 10:50:29 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59666 Would you like to know what your customers think about your products or service? If so, you might want to ask them to complete a survey about their experience. If you’re using email or social media to invite them to participate, you might not be getting the results you want. We’d like to suggest trying conversational messaging to issue invitations to take a survey because messaging is such an effective way to reach your audience.

One caveat: Before you send surveys via text messaging, your respondents must have opted into receiving messages from you. Like other types of solicitations, you must have their permission before the first message is sent. If you’re already working to grow your opt-in list, this requirement will just be another part of your overall marketing strategy.

Designing your survey

Designing Your Survey

Conversational messaging lends itself to two different kinds of surveys. The first is a survey conducted entirely through messaging; the other is a text invitation that links to a web-based survey.

Using messaging for the first type of survey is growing in popularity so it’s possible that you might have taken a “quick” survey that only has one or two questions. Responses are generally limited to yes or no and numerical ratings.

For example, the text might read, “Reply and rate your experience today between 1 and 10.” If you reply “8,” your message goes through. If you answer anything other than a numeral between 1 and 10, however, you might receive a message to try again.

When you use this type of survey in your business, it will be powered by an automated messaging sequence that you’ve designed and written specifically for this task. The first message is generally triggered by something your customer does online or with their mobile phone. You determine the trigger, the sequence of messages and the wording of the messages.

You’ll have to consider what message to send if the input you’ve asked for isn’t what you get. For example, if your customer answers the question above with “Loved it!” you’ll have to write a message that asks them to try again.

The second type of survey invitation contains a link to a web-based survey that lives on your website. You can use any survey design software you prefer to create the survey. Customers will use the link in the texted invitation to access the survey, but they will complete the survey on your website. The survey questions can be yes-no, multiple choice or fill in the blank. You can even provide space for longer qualitative answers, if you want those responses.

How Effective is Conversational Messaging in Surveys

How Effective is Conversational Messaging in Surveys?

Researchers at the Pew Research Center wanted to know how effective text messaging is when it’s used as an invitation to take a survey. They didn’t have to worry about getting permission to text during the experiments because they already had a study group whose members had opted into text messaging.

The Pew researchers sent invitations by both text and email to one group and just by email to another. Within 30 minutes of sending the invitations, 15 percent of the text-and-email group had competed the survey, and only 6 percent of the email-only group had. Although the research showed that text recipients initially responded faster to the survey than those invited with an email, by the end of the experiment the responses were equal between the two groups.

Text invitations may be especially effective if your campaign values quick responses. Some contests, for example, could benefit from leveraging fast response times.

Researchers also found that, when invited by texts, more respondents completed surveys using smart phones. A little more than half the respondents invited by text completed the survey using their phones. Only 33 percent of those in the email group completed the survey with their phones.

That result may impact your survey design. If you use text to invite respondents to take your survey, you’ll also want to be sure the survey is easy to read and complete on a smart phone.

Finally, researchers found that using short codes to deliver survey invitations allowed cellphone carriers, device manufacturers and/or individuals to block delivery. Short codes are five- or six-digit codes that allow transmission of messages faster than a traditional 10-digit phone number.

Pew researchers chose to use short codes because of the volume of messages they intended to send. Short codes allowed messages to be transmitted faster, even though some of the messages were blocked.

If you are sending a high volume of messages, you’ll need to determine if short codes will perform better than long codes overall. Using long codes would allow access to those respondents who have blocked short codes but would take longer to send.

How Can SMS-Magic Help You?

Staying in touch with your existing customers and getting to know your potential customers has become a requirement in today’s business world. SMS-Magic, through conversational and automated text messaging, can help you reach out to customers with surveys about their experience with your company.

SMS-Magic offers a free trial so that you can get a feel for our product. If you’re as pleased as we think you will be, you can choose the level of service that’s best for your company.

Contact us to set up a demo or to start your free trial. Let us show you how you can engage your customers in new ways!

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6 Things Your Boss Expects You to Know About Text Messaging Compliance https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/6-things-your-boss-expects-you-to-know-about-text-messaging-compliance/ Wed, 04 May 2022 13:16:47 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59652 If you’re launching a new text messaging program in your business, we’re sure you’ve done your homework. But as you explore the possibilities of reaching your customers with text messages, you should be sure you understand the laws and regulations that govern how you use text messaging.

Launching Text Messaging for your business

To help you master this part of text messaging campaigns, we have compiled 6 things that we’re sure your boss wants you to know. Here they are:

  1. You must have express written consent before your company can legally send text messages to anyone. That means more than just asking for their phone number. It doesn’t matter who it is – an existing customer, a former client, a trade-show lead, or someone on a purchased marketing list. Before that first message goes out, your customer must say it’s okay. In other words, they must opt in.
  1. Several governing bodies regulate commercial text messaging. They include individual countries, including the U.S., consortiums of countries like the European Union, state or local governments, and the carriers who deliver messages around the world. Your text messaging partner, like SMS-Magic, should be able to help you navigate the rules for your campaigns.
  1. Include the following in your first text:
    • Your company name. Don’t make your customers guess who’s sending the message.
    • The promotion premium. If you’re offering a coupon, discount or e-book in exchange for permission to text, do it at the beginning of the text.
    • Message frequency. Let your customers know how often you plan to send.
    • Message and data rates. Remind customers that they might be charged to receive SMS messages.
    • How to opt out. “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” works well.
    • How to reach customer service or ask questions.

You’ve probably received opt-in requests from companies you do business with. Take a look at how well they’ve provided information to their customers. Some of the offers we’ve seen have been really creative. One was on a parking meter. Learn from the best.

First text should looks like this
  1. Track opt-in and opt-out requests so that you send only to the customers who have specifically asked you to. European laws also require you to “forget” a customer at their request. That means purging all their information from your system and being able to show your work. If regulators ever ask, you must be able to prove you have permission to text.
  1. In the United States, commercial text messages are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). It prohibits the following types of text messages:
    • Unsolicited Text Messages – businesses are not allowed to text consumers without their permission.
    • Requesting Payment – businesses may not request payment or additional identifying information before revealing the actual message.
    • Scrambled Messages – businesses must send readable texts. They may not scramble the message or use unintelligible audio.
    • Do Not Call Registry – businesses must respect the Do Not Call registry established by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.
    • Robocalling & Automated Dialing – businesses may not use robocalling to generate phone numbers or send text messages.
Meeting text compliances
  1. The last thing we think your boss wants you to know has nothing to do with rules and regulations. Instead, it’s about being authentic in all your customer interactions. Behaving like a trusted friend helps you build customer relationships that can last for years. Text messaging is the perfect channel for building trust.

Staying in touch with your existing customers and getting to know your potential customers has become a requirement in today’s business world. SMS-Magic, through conversational and automated text messaging, can help you reach out to customers in new ways.

SMS-Magic offers a free trial so that you can get a feel for our product. If you’re as pleased as we think you will be, you can choose the level of service that’s best for your company.

Contact us to set up a demo or to start your free trial. Let us show you how you can engage your customers in new ways!

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Are You Looking for Great Ideas that Work? Let Our Customers Share Their Text Secrets. https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/are-you-looking-for-great-ideas-that-work-let-our-customers-share-their-text-secrets/ Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:22:00 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59658 On a scale of one to 10, how hard is it to reach your customers, clients, patients or prospects?

Most of our customers say it’s virtually impossible to get a customer to return an email. And we hear comments like, “No one answers the phone anymore” or “They won’t answer if they see a strange number on caller ID.”

So the question is: If you can’t reach customers and prospects, how can you provide a service or sell a product?

As a software-as-a-service company developing SMS and MMS texting solutions, we think we know how to reach your customers, but we thought it might be better to let our customers show you how text messaging works in their businesses.

Why Use Text Messaging?

Why Use Text Messaging?

Before we get to the great ideas, let’s take a minute to talk about the reality of communication in 2022. Emails were great when everyone read them sitting in front of their desktop computers and the alternative was sending mail through the postal service. Voice mails, too, served their purpose.

These days, however, emails are easy to ignore. In fact, we only open 22% of the emails we receive. And the more mobile we’ve become; the more unwieldy emails have become. It’s just not convenient to reply on the run.

And most of us don’t even listen to the voice messages we receive. It’s likely we will wait for a text.

Texts are quick, easy and always with you. We send more than 5 billion texts every day, and we read 98% of the ones we receive. Clearly, text messaging is the channel we prefer.

Here are some great ideas from two of our customers. You can apply these ideas directly to your own business or modify them to fit your unique situation.

When You Have Seconds to Respond?

When You Have Seconds to Respond

In the high-stakes legal world, the key to winning new business is responding quickly. When legal prospects have a need, they normally shop for an attorney online. One of our customers estimates that he has seconds to reach out to a prospect before they move on to a competitor.

To engage a prospect quickly, our customer has developed a series of automated text messages that are triggered by where the prospect is on the firm’s website. Different practice areas are housed in different sections of the website, so it’s possible to tell where the prospect’s interest lies and tailor messages specifically for that need.

No matter what the prospect needs, the initial messages introduce the law firm and ask how the firm can help. As the prospects reply, the conversations continue with pre-programmed messages. And when it’s appropriate, a member of the intake team takes over with live messaging and continues the conversation.

The system is designed to be active 24/7. The automated messages launch even if the prospect is searching at 3 a.m. National practices can benefit from a time-neutral system because prospects may shop for an attorney at any hour of the day.

Once a prospect becomes a client, SMS-Magic makes staying in touch easier than ever. Our customer uses Litify to manage his firm, and SMS-Magic is designed to work seamlessly with Litify. Messages are tracked by SMS-Magic in the Litify environment. That means everyone in the firm opens one application, rather than two. They can see all the client’s information, including all text communications, in one place.

If an attorney is away from the office, anyone at the office can respond to queries and a different attorney can continue working on the case. The case doesn’t stop because the lead attorney is unavailable. It saves the firm time and better serves the client.

When You Must Respond on the Fly

When You Must Respond on the Fly

Another of our customers manages large rental properties. They wanted to handle maintenance issues as quickly as possible, and they asked their residents to email maintenance requests to a dedicated address. Staff members responded as soon as they were in front of their computers.

It was a great plan, but it didn’t work. Residents complained that their requests weren’t handled quickly enough and started texting requests instead using email. Residents liked the immediacy and the convenience of texting.

The workflow, however, wasn’t designed to accept requests via text. Trying to make sure texts were transferred promptly and accurately created extra work for the management staff. The staff was missing requests and couldn’t always be sure issues had been addressed. And staff members could only respond to requests when they were in the office.

Our customer’s CRM was Salesforce. SMS-Magic is designed to work with Salesforce, as well as other CRMs, and the integration made using a text-based system for maintenance requests easy. Once our customer installed SMS-Magic to handle all their text messages, maintenance requests began to flow smoothly.

SMS-Magic tracked all customer contacts, no matter what the source of the contact. Our customer was able to track all maintenance requests – by email, phone or text. And anyone on the staff could access the record. That meant anyone could give a resident an update on their request.

It also made sense to equip each staff member with the mobile version of SMS-Magic. With the app, they could answer texts from either their own phones or from company phones. The system would track the contacts in Salesforce no matter what phone was used. No longer were staff members tied to their desks. They could visit company properties and respond to maintenance requests at the same time. Our customer said it was a game changer for their business.

How Can You Test Drive SMS-Magic?

How Can You Test Drive SMS-Magic?

Would your business benefit from an integration between your CRM and your texting platform? We’d love to help you start texting or help scale your texting to a higher level.

We have experts ready to help you take SMS-Magic for a spin for FREE! Schedule a demo or start a free trial today! We think you’ll love what you see!

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10 Ways Multichannel Messaging Can Help You https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/10-ways-multichannel-messaging-can-help-you/ Wed, 06 Apr 2022 14:02:44 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59624 By now, we’re all pretty familiar with multichannel marketing – using a mix of media to market to your customer. That includes older technology like phone calls, billboards, direct mail, television and radio, and newer technologies like email, internet ads and social media. Within the collection of newer technologies, however, we’re seeing the rise of multichannel messaging as a powerful tactic to reach customers.

multichannel marketing

What is multichannel messaging? It’s very much like it sounds – connecting with your customers via messages sent through a variety of messaging channels. Those channels could include SMS, MMS, email, web push or most social media. The reach they afford is huge.

Meta (formerly Facebook) reported that in 2019 more than 1.3 billion people used Facebook Messenger each month. People and businesses sent an average of 20 billion messages back and forth to each other every month in 2019. The numbers have only grown since then, and that’s only one channel. There are many others.

And by using a variety of channels, you are more likely to reach an audience that increasingly values personal connection. As you establish a one-on-one relationship, you can provide positive customer experiences, building brand identity and customer loyalty.

building brand identity and customer loyalty

But what are the real benefits to using multichannel messaging? Here are 5 benefits for multichannel messaging and 5 benefits for using SMS-Magic:

  1. Messaging is convenient.
    It allows your customer to connect with you through their mobile phones when they’re on the go rather than waiting until they’re sitting with their laptops or tablets. By then they could have forgotten all about you. Are you trying to reach a customer to make an appointment or to connect with a phone conversation? Messaging lets them tell you immediately when connecting would be convenient so that scheduling becomes possible with minimal fuss.
  1. Messaging provides an immediate personal experience.
    Unlike a chat bot, that requires the customer to wait for an agent or the system to respond, messaging is immediate. And because the customer is interacting with a real person in real time, it’s personal.
  1. Messaging is efficient.
    Because of the format, texts are shorter than emails. Your customers can ask specific questions and you can return specific answers. You don’t necessarily need to send tons of information, but you can if it’s warranted.
  1. Messages can contain text only or a variety of media.
    SMS messages are faster and cheaper to send but still allow you to link to more information in any format. MMS messages allow you to include multimedia elements like images, videos, emojis and GIFs to liven up your message. They can be great attention getters.
  1. Time zones become irrelevant – or irrelevant to you.
    You can schedule automated messages for delivery at any time, on any day. You can bridge a 12-hour gap with ease. Set up delivery when it’s convenient for your recipients with a process that convenient for you.
schedule automated messages

So what are the advantages to using SMS-Magic?

  1. SMS-Magic helps you manage messages across popular messaging apps.
    SMS-Magic can handle messages from messaging apps around the world from Messenger to Whatsapp to WeChat. Working with your CRM, SMS-Magic consolidates all contacts from a customer into one record, including phone calls, emails and messages. You can consult with team members and respond to customers quickly because all the facts are at your fingertips.
  1. SMS-Magic helps you stay compliant.
    We can help you keep up with the details like customer permissions as they opt-in (and perhaps opt-out) of your messaging campaigns. Our back-end systems are structured so that we can display individual requests, and we can prove you’ve complied with customer requests. You won’t have to worry about regulators asking to see your records. We use on-going processes to collect and store information about distribution and can share it with regulators, if necessary.
  1. SMS-Magic helps you automate.
    SMS-Magic is perfect for sending automated messages to your customers and prospects. We provide templates for your use and have lots of information about creating effective messages and campaigns. You can switch from automated to live in an instant so your customers know they’re talking to a person.
  1. SMS-Magic allows you to respond from anywhere.
    You can use our mobile app to respond to messages from your own phone. The app works with your CRM to log the message appropriately. No longer will your agents by tied to a desk and your customers will get the response time they expect.
  1. SMS-Magic works with your favorite CRM.
    We work and play well with others. We are a preferred provider for Salesforce and Zoho, and we integrate easily with Litify. Contact us to see what we can do with your existing architecture.

We have experts ready to help you take SMS-Magic for a spin for FREE! Schedule a demo or start a free trial today! We think you’ll love what you see!

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You Can’t Serve Customers You Can’t Reach: Try Conversational Text Messaging https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/use-conversational-messaging-to-reach-new-customers/ Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:20:33 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=58889 Are you frustrated because your customers or clients or patients or applicants seem to be ignoring you? You’re not alone.

Many different organizations – companies, healthcare systems, financial institutions, higher ed, just to name a few – need to communicate with the people they serve. But the people they serve aren’t responding to phone calls, voice mail or emails. It’s so quiet out there, you can hear the crickets.

Spending hours on calls

What results is a company spending hours of staff time trying to send reminders for appointments or deadlines, frustrated customers having to repeat their stories to rep after rep  or everyone playing phone tag for days. Older ways of communicating can be difficult and ineffective.

It’s nobody’s fault, but it is an indication of the world we’re navigating right now. We (as consumers) are changing what we respond to. Here are a few statistics to put it in perspective:

  • In 2018, 73 percent of online traffic came from mobile rather than desktops, according to Parse.ly. The percentage has grown since then.
  • We only open emails 22 percent of the time, according to Gigaom.
  • Globally, we send more than 5 billion texts a day, and we open 98 percent of them.
  •  Asurion’s research shows that Americans look at our phones 96 times a day or once every 10 minutes.·      In a recent survey cited by Nathan Eddy in eWeek, “Over half of respondents (52 percent) said they would be likely to text with a customer support agent. Similarly, 52 percent would prefer texting customer support more than their current preferred method of communication.”

In short, as customers we like texting, and we respond to text messages quickly. As companies trying to serve customers, messaging allows us to interact in personal, memorable ways. Mobile phones give us ideal access to our best customers, and messaging gives us access to those phones. By using messaging, you can reach your customers wherever they are. With thoughtful planning, you can provide interactions that are both helpful and just in time.

Customers love texting

Messaging is applicable to almost all industries because every business needs to interact with its customers. Positive interactions are critical to engaging customers, understanding their needs, and keeping them loyal to your brand. Engaged customers lead to higher sales, more applicants, more qualified buyers, stronger leads, and better attendance, just to name a few benefits.

How Can You Get Started?

If your customer engagement is currently based on emails, phone calls, or direct mail, we suggest you try messaging as a new channel. We offer automated text messaging, so your customers get the attention they need, but not at the expense of your customer service team. Our conversational messaging is just that – conversational. Your customers can respond to your messages if they have questions or want to give you more information.

Our system, working with your CRM, can keep track of all your customer interactions in one place. It can also keep track of messages sent from a variety of platforms like Messenger, WhatsApp, SnapChat and native phone texts, so you don’t sacrifice anything to help your best customers when they have problems.

Integrated with CRM

SMS-Magic offers a free trial so that you can get a feel for our product. If you’re as pleased as we think you will be, you can choose the level of service that’s best for your company.

Contact us to set up a demo or to start your free trial. Let us show you how you can engage your customers in a new way!

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