SMS messaging – SMS-Magic https://www.sms-magic.com Simple Business Text Messaging Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:42:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 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 Taking Payments Via Messaging Can Improve Your AR Turnover Ratio https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/how-taking-payments-via-messaging-can-improve-your-ar-turnover-ratio/ Wed, 03 Aug 2022 15:09:00 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=60225 Of all the online processes that have been accelerated over the years, payments may be at the top of the list. From one-day wire transfers to one-click ordering, quick payment processing is of value for both businesses and their customers. Bills, charges and other fees that are traditionally sent via email and direct mail can also be sent via text messaging and may boost the timeliness and responsiveness of payments received. A study conducted in 2020 by Weave found that 35% of customers are interested in paying with a text from their phone.

Businesses are wise to offer payment via text to improve their accounts receivable turnover ratios. This ratio quantifies how well companies are managing the credit extended to customers and their outstanding debt collection through a specified accounting period. Although the standard for the accounts receivable turnover ratio varies by industry, the higher you can get your numbers, the better.

Companies with high accounts receivable turnover ratios indicate that they collect payments from customers quickly without long waiting periods. A better ratio means that a business has stronger cash flow, an important goal in any industry. Through conversational business texting, payment alerts can be issued and processed faster, directly boosting that ratio.

You might have questions about the security of messaging transactions, and that’s understandable. We have several specific suggestions for protecting your customers and your company, and we’ll discuss them in detail in a later blog.

In the meantime, here are some of the ways conversational messaging can improve your accounts receivable turnover ratio, bolster customer trust and streamline your team’s efficiency.

Add messaging to your payment methods

Adding text messaging as another way to receive payments is a no-lose situation. Your customers are free to use whatever method suits their needs best. Solutions like SMS-Magic offer great flexibility when it comes to the types of payments you can receive via text. You may decide that a multichannel strategy best suits your payment needs. If so, you can choose to send monthly payments via text, one-off purchases via email, and overdue notices via direct mail. The best combination is the one that creates payments.

Send payment reminders

Send payment reminders

Payment reminders are a key tactic for improving your account receivable turnover ratio. It’s good due diligence for your business, and it provides transparency for the customer to ensure they are not caught off guard. Simple text message reminders go a long way in keeping finances on track. 

Get your customers’ attention

Get your customers’ attention

Text messages have a 40% response rate, outperforming emails, phone calls, and direct mail. And while some customers may still prefer those methods to issue payments, younger generations prefer text messaging. Weave’s 2020 study found that 62% of buyers under age 35 would frequently or always pay with a text from their phone if they could. Mobile phones are  integral tools in day-to-day communication and are no longer limited to conversations between friends and family. Use text messaging to collect payments and effectively future-proof your company for evolving customer preferences.

Respond to questions

Customers who need clarification about their payments or charges can use text to clear the air. A 2014 industry survey found that 52% would be likely to text with a live customer support agent, and that the same percentage would prefer texting instead of their current method of reaching customer support. Customers who need bill or charge clarification can respond to their payment alerts via text. Bill transparency is an important element in building customer trust, and giving users the option to text questions quickly and conveniently will bolster loyalty in your organization.

Send reminders about overdue payments

Late payments cost small and mid-size businesses $3 trillion a year globally. A text reminder of upcoming payment due dates can prevent this, but it’s common for businesses to expect about 11% of their customer payments to be late. Financial mistakes can be sore spots for many customers, and texting can be a more comfortable method to discuss options instead of a phone call. If your business uses text messaging to seek overdue payments, take a gentle approach. Send your text message to late-paying customers to open the door for a conversation, rather than just alerting them of their late payment, which can come off as aggressive. Here’s an example of a softer approach:

Send reminders about overdue payments

“[first name], we noticed you didn’t make your latest payment. To discuss your options for payment plans or to adjust your services, reply HELP.”

Save time and cut costs

Sending texts is one of the most affordable ways to collect payments. Your organization won’t have to deal with the hassle of direct mail postage, delivery and manual entry of returned checks or payment slips. When a customer pays via text, their transaction is automatically processed through your financial institution, freeing up team members to focus on more value-based business efforts. And when you automate these text messages, you get customers on a regular payment schedule with little overhead from your team members.

These benefits all contribute to an improved accounts receivable turnover ratio. To implement text messaging into your payment collection channels, schedule a demo with SMS-Magic today.

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How Kwartler Manus Converts More Prospects into New Clients with Conversational Messaging https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/how-kwartler-manus-converts-more-prospects-into-new-clients-with-conversational-messaging/ Wed, 18 May 2022 09:49:22 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59672 Joshua Kwartler identified his law firm’s communications problem in one sentence, “People don’t answer their phones.”

As chief operating officer for Kwartler Manus, a personal injury law firm based in Philadelphia, Kwartler’s job is to help the firm’s staff convert prospects into clients. Often, he said, when people are seeking representation because of an injury, they contact several law firms to compare services and expertise. Law firms that can quickly connect with prospective clients have the best chance of earning their business.

When Kwartler started working with the firm three years ago, he realized that emails and phone calls were not the best way to start those relationships. He said it was difficult to get people on the phone.

“We’re all busy,” he said. “People can’t answer the phone right away or it’s inconvenient for them to return a message.”

Conversational text messaging, however, allows the firm to reach out quickly and personally. Clients can ask questions in a live interaction at their convenience.

reach out quickly and personally

Research about messaging shows that we prefer texts because globally we send 5 billion texts a day and open 98 percent of them. Conversely, we only open our emails 22 percent of the time, according to Gigaom. Research from Asurion shows that we look at our phones at least 96 times a day or once every 10 minutes or more. Kwartler knew that the firm’s prospective customers were just like the rest of us.

He said it was quickly apparent that his firm needed a conversational text messaging solution, and he contacted SMS-Magic. He chose SMS-Magic because it is integrated with Litify, his firm’s management software.

He was interested in getting the most out of both platforms by synching messaging with his management tools. He has had some advanced training with Salesforce and Litify and has become a Litify advocate. SMS-Magic is designed so that all client contacts are recorded in one place within the Litify environment. Anyone in the firm can see exactly what has been communicated, and they don’t have to open a second platform to do it.

“With SMS-Magic, we’re able to respond quickly to initial client queries via text,” he said. “We can start the conversation and tell the client who we are and then make sure we’re talking to the right person. It’s a conversation between the client and one person at the law firm. Clients really like the personalization.”

In addition to personalization, Kwartler Manus clients appreciate the quick response, as well as the opportunity to either move forward with their inquiry or end the contact altogether. And they really like handling it all without actually talking to anyone.

Everyone in the firm has a license to use SMS-Magic. “That way, if a principle or associate is in court, someone else can respond to the client,” Kwartler said.

Kwartler Manus doesn’t market by sending mass emails to potential clients. Instead, the firm includes space for phone numbers on ads and other materials prospective clients can return to the firm to indicate their interest. The firm uses phone numbers to contact prospects by text messaging.

“We wanted to start conversations.” Kwartler said, “So we wanted a texting platform that allowed us to have conversations with our clients. As a client’s case progresses, our staff can text them one-on-one.”

text them one-on-one

Working with SMS-Magic has been very easy, Kwartler said. He gives SMS-Magic high marks for creating a product that works well and then supporting it with engineers, developers and staff members who care about their customers.

“The SMS-Magic team responds to our texts right away,” he said. “They get back to us within an hour or two – at all times of day. When we’ve needed extra help, they’ve worked with us without the extra charges other companies use.”

After the dramatic initial increase in messages during the first three months – from 89 messages to 2,634 – Kwartler Manus has sent more than 182,850 conversational messages to its clients. The increase in usage has been steady and is currently averaging just under 7,000 messages a month. Kwartler said he couldn’t be happier with the integration of the two systems and the addition of messaging to the firm’s communications tools.

“Integrating SMS-Magic with Litify has given us a real competitive advantage,” he said. “It’s made life easier for our legal teams and has helped us serve our clients better.”

“I think the numbers will show that we’re converting more prospects and earning business we were leaving on the table before we made the switch,” he continued. “I highly recommend SMS-Magic to any law firm or company that needs fast, personal communication that’s trackable.”

SMS-Magic Free Trial

If you’re interested in exploring how SMS-Magic can help you respond to your customers, book a DEMO or FREE TRIAL.

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Which Is Better for You – SMS or MMS Messages? https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/which-is-better-for-you-sms-or-mms-messages/ Thu, 20 Jan 2022 10:48:40 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=59285 You’re excited to start using text messaging in your business communications. You’ve connected your messaging service to your CRM. You’ve developed a distribution list or two. And your customers, clients, patients or applicants have opted into your text messaging program. Now, it’s time to decide what type of messages you’d like to send.

You have a choice of two: SMS or MMS.

You probably already use SMS messaging in your daily life. SMS stands for “Short Message Service” and is the type of service that comes with most mobile phones. When you text a brief message to family members with a quick reminder about the day’s schedule, you’re probably using an SMS message. It’s no more than 160 letters and numbers and doesn’t have any attachments. The technology has been around since the 1980s and is the most widely used messaging protocol.

If, however, you send a photo with your message, you’re using an MMS message. MMS stands for “Multimedia Message Service.” You can include photos, videos, audio clips, GIFs and more in an MMS message. MMS also allows you to send up to 1,600 characters in your message. Combining a message and an attachment generally creates a much larger file than a simple SMS message, but more about that in a minute.

What About iMessage, WhatsApp and the Other Services?

When you send or receive a plain SMS message, you’re using the cellular service on your mobile phone. If you’re using iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat or any of the other “Over the Top” apps, the app is using the internet to send the message, not a cellular service. The recipient of the message must also have the same app to receive the message.

What About iMessage, WhatsApp and the Other Services

For example, if you send an iMessage (which comes with your iPhone) your recipient must have an iPhone, too, or the message will be delivered as an SMS message. You can tell the difference because the bubble on your iPhone goes from blue to green when you message someone who doesn’t have an iPhone.

When you’re sending one message at a time, of course, it doesn’t matter much how it’s being delivered. When you start sending hundreds or thousands of messages at a time, however, the details become much more important.

What’s the Difference Between SMS and MMS?

At SMS-Magic, you have the capability to send either SMS or MMS messages from the minute you sign up for our service. If you have unlimited time and an unlimited budget, you can send MMS messages exclusively. If, however, you are tracking time spent and managing a budget, you’ll need to know when to choose one or the other.

SMS

  • SMS messages are limited to 160 characters – text or numerals.
  • One credit buys one SMS message.
  • Each single SMS message or auto-reply generally takes 5 seconds to be delivered. Group SMS messages depend on the group size for delivery rates. You can expect 10,000 SMS messages to take about five minutes from the start of the send.

MMS

  •  MMS messages can contain up to 1,600 characters.
  • Four credits buy one message.
  • Each MMS message may take up to a minute to be delivered through the messaging system and the carrier.

If you’re running a “text-to-join” campaign or something similar and expect a high rate of return, you probably will opt for SMS. Transactional messages like appointment confirmations, package tracking or password resets probably make more sense as SMS messages, too. Consider SMS when your messages are short, urgent, or concise or direct recipients to links with more information. Be careful with emojis because sometimes they can bump your messages into an MMS category.

What’s the Difference Between SMS and MMS

Although budget may limit your choice to less-expensive SMS messages, you might have occasions when an MMS campaign will attract more attention. Humans remember pictures better than other information. If you hear something, you’ll remember 10 percent of it three days later. But if there’s a picture, you’ll remember 65 percent of it.

In 2008, BMW launched an MMS campaign to sell snow tires and enjoyed an outstanding 30 percent conversion rate. The campaign cost them $60,000. If they sent to 117,000 customers and 30 percent bought tires at an average cost of $1,300, the campaign brought in more than $45 million. That’s over $750 in revenue per dollar spent on the campaign.

Of course, not every company will experience that kind of result, but you may have campaigns that warrant higher send rates than others. In a 2012 study by ROI Research, 44 percent of respondents say they are more likely to engage with companies that post pictures in their ads. Your audience’s preferences will help guide what types of messages you send.

Managing Relationships with Carriers & CRMs

Do you have staff members who are experts at managing relationships with all the carriers you might encounter? Don’t worry! SMS-Magic does.

As part of our service, we handle everything you need from a carrier – from acquiring short and long codes to troubleshooting issues. We work with carriers every day and can save you the trouble of dealing with them.

Managing Relationships with Carriers & CRMs

In addition, SMS-Magic works seamlessly with Salesforce and Zoho and has the capability to work with most CRM systems. We can help you even if you don’t use a CRM at all.

Does SMS-Magic sound like the partner 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 how to accelerate your messaging campaigns with SMS-Magic!

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How Opt-In Compliance Is Making the World a Better Place https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/how-opt-in-compliance-is-making-the-world-a-better-place/ Thu, 09 Sep 2021 15:09:22 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=58056 When a customer opts out of your messaging campaigns, can you be sure you won’t send messages to them ever again? Can you prove it?

Seemingly simple requests, like a request to opt out of communications, can sometimes have expensive consequences. Fines for illegal text messages can range from $500 per text to $1,500. If you’re sending thousands of texts, fines can quickly become overwhelming due to non compliance.

Ask for compliance

More than that, however, is the desire to build trust between your company and your customers. Customers these days want a transparent look into your motives and methods. Asking permission before you send a text and honoring requests to stop sending texts are small ways to demonstrate transparency and care for your customer.

Michael Weinhouse, founder and co-CEO of Logical Position, wrote in a Forbes leadership article, “But as scary as the idea of transparency might seem, I know from experience that, in the long run, it’s good not only for your customers but also for your business. In addition to attracting new customers, transparency allows you to better serve your current ones, ensuring they stick with you.”

We think asking customers to opt into your messaging program will help make the world (and your business) a better place. It demonstrates the kind of respect we all want.

What Are the Rules?

What are the rules

In the United States, commercial text messages are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The Federal Communications Commission established the act in 1992 to slow the stream of unwanted telemarketing calls. In the subsequent years, the TCPA has been expanded to include text messages, too.

Here is a quick guide from law firm Whitfield Bryson LLP outlining what is not allowed under the TCPA:

  • Unsolicited Text Messages – businesses are not allowed to text consumers without their permission. If a consumer gives permission for texts, the first text you send to them should confirm 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 FCC and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
  • Robocalling & Automated Dialing – businesses may not use robocalling to generate phone numbers or send text messages.
  • Restrictions for Residential Numbers – businesses may no longer use an “established business relationship” as the basis for texting someone’s home number. That includes mobile phones that are used as home numbers.

So what should you do? Here are suggestions from Gleantap, a customer management platform created for the fitness industry:

  • Receive consent before any message is sent
  • Mention your company name in the first text
  • Give the coupon or value proposition upfront
  • Mention the frequency of messages that will be sent monthly
  • Disclose possible carrier costs and fees
  • Give an option to ask for help and opt out of future texts

How Can SMS-Magic Help You?

Our customers use messaging in a wide variety of applications in a wide variety of industries. No matter what industry you’re in – banking, higher education, hospitality, healthcare or others – SMS-Magic can make compliance a breeze. We’ll help you keep up with customer permissions as they opt-in (and perhaps opt-out) of your messaging campaigns.

Compliance enabled

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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Why Aren’t You an SMS-Magic Customer Already? https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/why-arent-you-an-sms-magic-customer-already/ Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:33:24 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=57989 We know you’re a forward-thinking person or you wouldn’t be reading about innovative ways to reach your most important audiences. We also know that you have certain requirements for any new solutions: new technologies must solve the problem, be easy to deploy, function intuitively, and meet all regulatory standards.

So we have to ask: “If you’re interested in building relationships with your customers or patients or clients, why aren’t you already using conversational messaging powered by SMS-Magic?”

Your experience likely has taught you that consumers often ignore business emails and phone calls, even when they need help making critical decisions about their finances, their health, their education, and their environment, among other things. You know that messaging allows you to reach your customer (or patient or client) conveniently and in a way that they prefer. You also know conversational messaging, in addition to being convenient, allows your customer to respond to you directly, making their life easier and providing you with immediate feedback about their situation.

Are you concerned?

So what’s holding you back? Are you concerned about:

Managing Complicated Conversations?

Your interactions with customers aren’t always simple. (For the sake of brevity, let’s call everyone who might have a relationship with your organization a customer, even if they’re a client, student, applicant, or patient.) Your customers can have complicated questions about almost anything. Conversational messaging allows your team to answer the question using messaging or to divert the conversation to another medium, like a phone call or information on your website. The key is that you can direct your customer to the best information possible because you know more about their situation. SMS-Magic handles conversational messaging like the professional solution it is.

Empowering Multiple Team Members?

Everyone wants to solve a customer’s problem during the first interaction but that isn’t always possible. When the next team member enters the conversation, they want to know everything that’s been said. It’s easier to solve problems when you have all the information at your fingertips. Working with a CRM like Salesforce or Zoho, SMS-Magic can manage all your customer contacts in one place, no matter how the customer has contacted you.

Communicating Using Longer Time Horizons?

Sometimes customers aren’t ready for you when they contact you. They might be gathering information about your product or service and intend to decide later. They might not qualify for your service during the initial contact but might be ready in six months. Conversational messaging allows you to “ping” potential customers from time to time, checking on their readiness to work with you. Done well, your conversational check-ins with your customers can help you build a relationship with them. By the time your customer makes a buying decision, they’re already comfortable with your organization. SMS-Magic can help you stay in touch with prospects over time.

Communicating Using Longer Time Horizons

Ensuring Full Compliance?

With business messaging increasing 400 percent each year, you want to honor a customer’s request to opt out of messages. We do, too. That’s why SMS-Magic is built to provide full compliance with laws and regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S. or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. We give you the tools you need to be confident your customers have opted into messaging and that messages are going to a welcoming audience.

Why Choose SMS-Magic?

You can give us a test drive without spending a penny. 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.

If you use a customer relation management system (CRM), we can integrate SMS-Magic into your system. We work seamlessly with Salesforce and Zoho, and we have the capability to work with most systems.

Why Choose SMS-Magic

One of our customers has two Salesforce AppX developers on staff. Their chief technology officer said, “Our developers were able to work with the SMS-Magic AppX code to expose the functionality of SMS-Magic to other developers on our team. So other developers who work in Python and are writing API code, they could just ping a simple end point and then it would send a message through the SMS-Magic package, show up in Salesforce and have the right bookkeeping.”

If, however, you don’t use a CRM, no worries! You can deploy our stand-alone product that doesn’t require a CRM. Our installation is quick, easy, and supported by our experienced technical staff members.

Let’s Go!

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 how we can help you make the most of the conversational messaging!

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5 Tips for Leveraging WhatsApp in Business https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/5-tips-for-leveraging-whatsapp-in-business/ Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:28:14 +0000 https://www.sms-magic.com/?p=56894

With over 1.5 billion active users monthly, WhatsApp has proved to be a convenient messaging platform for users.

Whatsapp Business

What started as a medium of day-to-day communication has now become an important and useful channel for business communication. Today, WhatsApp is looked to as a channel for building faster connections with customers.

Why You Should Use WhatsApp For Your Business

Since WhatsApp was first introduced in 2009, as a day-to-day messaging platform, the tool has come a long way. Group calling, video calling, read receipts, status updates, etc. are now some of its valuable features that have helped businesses to create engaging user experiences.

In addition to interacting with customers, businesses can also leverage the tool to sort, automate, and quickly respond to messages. WhatsApp messaging should definitely be considered as one of the primary channels for engaging your customers.

5 Tips to Leverage WhatsApp in Business and Engage Customers

Customer Engagement

Once you’ve set up your WhatsApp business account there are a few things you can do to make it a better experience for both you and your customers.

1. Respond Promptly

No matter what channel you use to communicate with your customers, it is critical to be mindful of the response time. Whether your customer is asking a question, providing any feedback, filling out a review form, or asking about your product, responding to them immediately is what matters. Customers appreciate quick response times. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to create customer loyalty and satisfaction.

WhatsApp for business allows you to promptly respond to your customer queries by leveraging its automation features. You can set templatized ‘away’ messages or ‘greeting’ messages to respond to your customers. With this, ensure that every query you receive from a customer is answered on time.

2. Ensure Consistent Brand Experience

WhatsApp messaging ensures a consistent brand experience. Whether it is the message that you share or the logo that you present, giving your customers a consistent brand experience is important.

3. Optimize Your Business Profile

By creating your business profile on WhatsApp, your customers will be able to easily identify the business and have access to required information such as your website, products, services, hours of operation, etc.

4. Be Concise

Like other platforms, it’s important to be concise with your messaging and include customized short links. For most businesses, sending long messages with vague answers to questions won’t work. It could hinder your relationship with your customers.

5. Personalize Messages

Personalized text messages increase customer loyalty. Generic emails and messages are always ignored or sent to spam. Personalized messages will always give you a higher response rate. While addressing your customers through WhatsApp you can be friendly and unique and make them feel important and comfortable.

With WhatsApp’s capability to send GIFs, images, short videos, etc, your personal messages can be more targeted. By using the features provided, you can send personalized messages and leverage WhatsApp in business to its full potential.

Enhance Your WhatsApp Experience

It’s likely you are using multiple channels to connect with your customers. You might already be using Facebook Messenger and emails as part of your multichannel marketing strategy. Adopting WhatsApp can enhance your messaging experience and help you reach even more people via their preferred channel.

With so many benefits of WhatsApp messaging, you can definitely leverage it in your business and start talking with your customers seamlessly. WhatsApp can now be integrated with CRMs so you can seamlessly include this channel in your marketing campaigns and easily respond, all within the same platform as your other messages.

 


 

Using SMS-Magic you can have interactive, automated, and bulk messaging on WhatsApp and other messaging channels. Reach out and we would be happy to give you a personal tour and share examples from our clients on how they are using multichannel messaging with SMS-Magic!

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3 Ways Text Messaging Helps You Retain Customers https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/3-ways-text-messaging-helps-you-retain-customers/ Thu, 11 Jun 2020 08:30:00 +0000 /?p=55219 Business is quickly changing, and ensuring your customers are loyal and happy is increasingly important. Text messaging helps you retain customers through a clear and quick communication channel.

With recent events, customer support teams have seen an influx of support tickets, cancellations, returns, service disruptions, and heightened levels of uncertainty. A recent report showed increases of 6 to 24 percent in companies’ average weekly ticket volume since February. Companies are searching for ways to maintain customer satisfaction, even among increased frustrations and support tickets, so they don’t lose previous customers.

Messaging is a popular channel with customers. Compared to 2016, 23% more people will opt-in to receive SMS messages from companies in 2020. It’s clear that customers, especially right now, want fast and convenient access to support. They are able to search for brands that offer immediate resolution through their preferred channels. You must be prepared to respond and help customers through messaging because companies who consistently deliver fast and personalized support will come out on top.

3 Ways Text Messaging Helps Retain Customers

1. Better and faster customer service

Today, if customers have a bad support experience they will find a new brand or company to do business with. There is little room for error when it comes to ensuring customer satisfaction. Text messaging allows you to respond quickly to ever inquiry and resolve more tickets, faster. Reps can respond to multiple inquiries simultaneously so customers aren’t left waiting in long queues. Conversational history that is saved through your text messaging service will allow any rep to jump into a conversation with a customer and quickly understand the relationship with this customer. They won’t have to ask repeat questions and the customer will appreciate that every person they talk to is aware of the problem. It shows that your company cares about each individual, something that is very important for retention.

2. Personalized communication

Customers are tired of getting emails spamming their inbox. Email open rates are much lower than text messaging because email is less personalized and often customers don’t want to read through paragraphs of information. Text messaging can be automated and personalized to each individual customer, ensuring their experience is unique to their interests. And with only 160 characters, they don’t have to sift through tons of information to know exactly why you are reaching out to them. You can include simple CTAs that are relevant to each customer. For example, upcoming webinars on topics they are interested in, discount codes for merchandise or online educational courses, or case studies. They will appreciate that each time you reach out it is purposeful and relevant to them.

3. Customer polls and feedback

Getting customer feedback is important to improving your business. Text messages offer a simple way for you to handle customer polls and follow-up surveys. Rather than calling or emailing surveys, you can just text them a poll with a few questions. They can answer anonymously and are more likely to respond because they don’t actually have to talk to anyone. You can then use answers and feedback to create even better experiences for your customers.

The Bottom Line

Text messaging helps you retain customers. During a time where it’s important to stand out, texting helps you personalize conversations and quickly respond to questions and offer support. Customers will appreciate that you’re reaching out via their preferred channel and will remain loyal to your business as you continue to provide relevant conversations.

Want to see how SMS-Magic Converse helps clients achieve all of this with text messaging? Reach out and we’d be happy to give you a personal tour and share examples from our clients!

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5 Benefits of CRM Driven Messaging https://www.sms-magic.com/blog/5-benefits-of-crm-driven-messaging/ Fri, 29 May 2020 08:30:00 +0000 /?p=55213 Integrating messaging with your CRM allows you to generate conversations across many channels, including text messaging, Facebook and WhatsApp. It’s the easiest way to connect with your audience via their preferred channel.

The use of digital channels is growing increasingly. Sales leaders on average rate digital channels approximately twice as important now as they were even just a few months ago, according to McKinsey and Company.

As you build out a multichannel messaging strategy, the need to communicate on multiple platforms can feel overwhelming. But, by setting everything up within your current CRM, such as Salesforce or Zoho, you’ll have everything in one familiar place, giving you the ability to easily create personalized conversations across channels.

Sales leaders today are tasked with using limited resources to generate results, in an ever-changing digital landscape. Consumer habits and practices are changing constantly, so the ability to shift quickly is important. By integrating your messaging efforts with your CRM you have powerful messaging tools that can be easily adjusted. Here are some other benefits of CRM driven messaging:

1. Manage Multiple Leads at Once

Within your CRM you can invite more conversations from your audience and handle them with either automated responses or live reps. You can manage conversations across different channels all from a single inbox, so everything and every conversation is in one place. Reps don’t have to jump around different platforms. This makes all of their communications faster and it reduces the number of mistakes or misunderstandings with leads.

2. Automate Tedious Tasks

You want your reps focusing on creating personal, memorable conversations and experiences with your customers and prospects. By integrating messaging with your CRM you are able to automate tedious tasks like sending appointment reminders before calls or sending follow-up materials or surveys.

3. Increased Response Rates

CRM driven messaging gets you a 40% response rate. Compare that to email which has only a 10% response rate on average.

4. Track Conversational History

No need to go looking in multiple places to remember what someone said or asked for. All past conversations, no matter where they happened, are stored in one place. You save hours of time and save your reps from a lot of headaches. Plus, your audience will appreciate quick responses that are relevant, without them having to repeat themselves multiple times.

5. Share Insights Across your Reps

There’s importance in maintaining a human element among all of the digital interactions. Companies must remain thoughtful about the messages they send, the frequency, and follow-up. You can avoid sounding generic by storing information about conversations and sharing that across your organization. By including personal tidbits, every interaction can be catered to the individual, no matter which rep is handling the communication.

The Bottom Line

Integrating business messaging with your CRM will have sales reps engaged with prospects fast. You’ll save time, increase response rates, share insights, and manage multiple leads at once. Ultimately, you’ll help your sales team close deals faster and create a good reputation for your company through your thoughtful communications.

Want to see how SMS-Magic Converse helps clients achieve all of this with text messaging? Reach out and we’d be happy to give you a personal tour and share examples from our clients!

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