The legislation initially will affect large companies including Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. For example, it will not allow Google to collect personal data from different services to target ads to consumers without the users’ consent. And Apple may have to allow users to download apps from sources other than the App Store.

“Faced with big online platforms behaving like they were ‘too big to care,’ Europe has put its foot down,” Thierry Breton, one of the top digital officials in the European Commission, said in a recent NY Times article. “We are putting an end to the so-called Wild West dominating our information space.”

The EU is also expected to pass legislation next month that would force social media companies to police their platforms more aggressively.

The new legislation may extend its influence in two key areas. First, experts believe more restrictive legislation will appear around the world in response to the DMA – as it did after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted. Launched in 2018, the GDPR restricted the collection and sharing of personal data in the EU and became a model for countries like Brazil and Japan. Also, the new European standards may expand to become global standards because it’s easier for companies to apply them across all their markets rather than carving out rules for a single geographic area.

Messaging services can also be affected by the legislation. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, could be required to make its system accessible to users of rival services like Signal or Telegram. Signal or Telegram, for example, would have the option of making their systems compatible with WhatsApp. As the law takes effect and enforcement begins, other modifications may cascade from those that are initially apparent.

So, if you thought you could simply wait out the implementation of U.S. and international privacy laws and fly under the radar, you might need to rethink your strategy. Privacy regulations are not going away. They are, in fact, growing.

SMS-Magic Can Help

We’re always watching text messaging regulations around the world so that we can help you stay compliant. As the DMA takes effect, we’ll let you know how new laws may affect your customer outreach.

We can help make compliance easier, particularly if you’ve tied your text messaging campaigns into your CRM. 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.

Protecting privacy is a complicated question, but with the right partner, the answer can be simple. We’ll keep you updated as laws around the world change. Let SMS-Magic help you reach your customers while you’re protecting their privacy.

Start a free trial today! Your customers will love you for it!

Here’s a beginner’s guide to compliance for companies using business-to-person texts in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. And even if you’re an old hand at text messaging, we may have some good advice for you, too.

TCPA – the Federal Regulation in the U.S.

The U.S. Congress originally created the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to combat unsolicited phone calls, and it has expanded to include new technologies like text messaging. It contains specific restrictions and penalties that companies ignore at their peril. The fines can be as much as $1,500 per message sent. In one of the first class-action lawsuits concerning texting, Papa John’s settled the case against it for $16.5 million in 2013.

Perhaps the most important portion of the TCPA concerns acquiring permission to text. You must have express written consent before your company can legally send text messages to anyone. Before that first text goes out, your customer must say it’s okay or “opt in” to receiving your text messages.

That generally means the first contact must made by a different type of communication. Email, online applications, online communication preferences, direct mail, comment cards, and point-of-purchase materials are some of the most common. Some companies ask customers to text them first, and that action starts an automated chain of messages that allows the customer to opt in.

When a company responds to a request to text, the first text they send must contain a few elements. Here they are:

• Company name.
• Customers agree to receive texts from your company.
• Customers don’t have to receive texts to purchase anything from you.
• Frequency of messages. Be up front about how often you plan to text.
• Message and data rates may apply.
• How to reach customer service.
• How to opt out. For example, “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”
• Provide a link to your privacy policy.

That’s quite a bit to include in 160 characters, so you can design a series of automated texts that contain the information. Your second text can explain any coupons, discounts or other promotions you’re offering.

GDPR Sets Regulations for EU & UK

In the years since the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) hit the streets in the European Union, it’s become clear that all businesses, regardless of size, need to understand what the GDPR requires. The EU is serious about enforcing its provisions.

Fines have ranged from €2.5 million to €225 million for non-compliance. Although these fines may be negligible to multinationals, smaller companies could be devasted by them. Smaller companies and individuals are not exempt from harsh penalties and the costs associated with defending the charges.

The same rules apply in the United Kingdom as they do in the European Union. The UK agreed to GDPR and Brexit has not changed anything.

Who is Affected by GDPR?

Of course, companies that conduct business in the EU and the UK are directly affected by the GDPR rules. But so are companies with customers there. That could be you. Also, your company might be affected if someone living in the EU or UK visits your website and allows you to install cookies on their computer. The more contact you have with people in the EU, the more risk you assume.

GDPR’s Seven Principles for Privacy Rights

The GDPR is based on seven basic tenets:

1. Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: personal data shall be processed lawfully, with fairness to the data subject, and fully transparent. 
2. Purpose Limitation: The organization shall process personal data concerning the contract or business operation, which are explicit or specified before processing. 
3. Data Minimization: data shall not be held or processed further than is required for the purpose.
4. Accuracy: data must be updated, rectified, or erased if inaccurate. 
5. Storage Limitation: you cannot keep personal data longer than necessary; your data retention must have a deletion time. 
6. Integrity and Confidentiality: all personal data must be kept secure and protected against theft, accidental loss, unlawful processing, or damage.
7. Accountability: Organizations must be able to demonstrate that they put appropriate technical and organizational safeguards in place.

What’s New with the GDPR in 2021?

As the EU has updated the GDPR, you need to know what’s changed:

1. All parties who have access to customer data are responsible for data security. When data leaves your company, the company that receives it becomes a “joint controller.”
2. Special data-collection rules between the EU and US have expired. If you handle EU data, you must include standard GDPR contractual clauses in your terms and conditions.
3. When collecting data, you must have clear and explicit consent for which data you collect and process.

Privacy Regulations Are Here to Stay

If you thought you could simply wait out the implementation of TCPA and GDPR and fly under the radar, you might need to rethink your strategy. They are not going away, and privacy regulations are growing.

Tracking Explicit Consent

You must track who opts in and who opts out of your text marketing campaigns, and you must have explicit consent to collect and process a customer’s personal information. You’ll also need to track who is already in the system to keep one person from opting in multiple times, and you’ll need to be able to erase a person’s data from all parts of your system, if requested.

SMS-Magic can make compliance easy, particularly if you’ve tied your text messaging campaigns into your CRM. We can help you keep up with 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.

Protecting privacy is a complicated question, but with the right partner, the answer can be simple. Let SMS-Magic help you reach your customers while you’re protecting their privacy.

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

So we were surprised when she absolutely raved about an online retailer she used during the holidays last year. She wanted to send food to relatives, and the company didn’t have their favorite treat in stock. When she ordered everything else, the company recommended a substitution for the out-of-stock treat, and she sent it along to her family, but she wasn’t thrilled.

After the sale, the company sent her a one-second survey, and she decided to let them know how disappointed she was. She wrote in her survey response, “We are so disappointed that the Blackberry Farm sausage isn’t available. Guess the pigs got tired of giving their all for our breakfasts. Sigh.” She didn’t expect a response.

The customer service rep wrote back, “Thank you for your order. I too am disappointed that the Blackberry Farm sausage is no longer available. It was delicious. I will let our marketing team know since sometime stuff becomes available again. Have a great night.” Our team member was floored. This was either the best artificial-intelligence response ever or she was talking to a real person. She felt heard.

Fast forward many months. Our team member placed another order with this company. Everything went well, and again she responded to the company’s one-second survey. She gave them a “10” and wrote, “You guys rock! My interactions with you make me smile.”

Jane from the company wrote back, “Your email made me smile! Thanks so much for that.” She continued, “And thanks for answering our one-second survey. We’re glad you think we’re worth recommending! Please take 10% off your next order!” The message continued with a secret discount code, the expiration date and the note, “Feel free to share the love with your friends and family – forward the discount code to them. Feel free to like us on Facebook too, if you do that sort of thing.

What’s my point in telling you this story?

This company turned a grumpy holiday shopper into an advocate for their company with two orders, and one of them didn’t even contain everything the customer wanted. With a few simple interactions, they built a relationship with a single customer. And if they delighted one customer, we expect that they delight others, too.

The good news? You can, too – and conversational text messaging is a great way to do it. You can build relationships quickly using a format that allows you to send messages to customers using their preferred delivery method – text. And you can combine automated text messages with messages sent by individuals on your customer service team.

It’s probable that our team member triggered a personal response when she sent back more than the requested rating. If she had responded with just her rating, it’s likely she would have received an automated response, “Thanks for answering our one-second survey. We’re glad you think we’re worth recommending! Please take 10% off your next order!”

Because she added a personal note, however, it’s probable her response bumped her message into the “personal-response” queue and allowed a mail order team member to respond. Your CRM can help you sort customers and send messages that will build loyalty to your products and your brand.

But even automated texts can help build customer relationships. Your texts don’t need to sound like they’ve come from a robot, even if they’re automated. Here are a few ideas from this food retailor:

• You shopped, we shipped, how did it go? Take our survey and get 10% off!
• Our one-second email survey – this is not a tricky sales pitch, promise. If you have a second, we’d love to know what you thought of shopping with us. Our survey is low-tech, just like our food. Respond with a number from 1 to 10.
• We wanna hear about your holiday shopping experience. Tell us and get 10% off all the food you buy!
• Your order is totally confirmed!
• Thanks for your order! If you need to contact us, please reply or call. A real, live human will be with you promptly. We answer phones till 10 p.m. Eastern Time every day at this time of year.

It’s a competitive world and if you can help solve your customers’ problems, you earn an amazing competitive advantage. And if you communicate effectively using a channel your customers prefer, you can build relationships that will extend far beyond a single sale.

Being authentic in all your customer interactions is increasingly important in today’s business world. Staying in touch has become a requirement. SMS-Magic can help you reach out to applicants faster and with better results.

We offer 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 applicants in new ways!

You don’t have to be a professional writer to be effective, and we’d like to share 5 tips that can help hone your writing skills:

1. Understand your audience and their challenges.
   Before you write, think about what makes your recipients special. What common traits do they share? Is it their industry, their job responsibilities, their goals or their interests? For example, you might segment your audience by age. A 64-year-old person would have much more interest in information about Medicare than someone in their 20s.
   
   You might consider dividing your total audience into smaller groups. Your customer relationship management system can help you sort recipients and make it easier to target your messages.
   
   You will want to focus on how your product or service can help solve the challenges your audience faces. Your audience doesn’t care about your new technology or the great new system you’ve adopted – unless it has a direct benefit for them. Answer your customer’s question, “What’s in it for me?”
   
   Because you’ve already sorted your audience by their common traits, you know that everyone on your send list has similar challenges. With that understanding, you’re ready to communicate with them.

2. Distill the message.
   
   With a standard text message, you only have 160 characters to make your case. Even with longer MMS messages, you don’t have room for a lengthy discussion. Take a few minutes before you start writing and think about exactly what you want to convey.
   
   If you prefer a visual exercise, write down everything you think you want to say. Don’t worry about writing too much; just get it down. Once you have all the information in front of you, start to edit. Keep what’s most important. Cut out the extra words. Get the info in the right order. Then trim the message to fit your word count.
   
   Make sure you’ve included basic information – who, what, where, when and why. Start with what’s most important for your audience, not necessarily what’s most important for you or your company. Write from your customer’s point of view.

3. Throw away jargon, buzzwords & clichés.
   
   This tip is also based on knowing your audience. If they’re just getting to know your company or are new to your industry, don’t confuse them with acronyms. Make it easy for new customers to understand what you do and what you offer.
   
   Also, as a rule, avoid professional buzzwords. You don’t want the language in your message to make it difficult for your audience to understand. Of course, you’ll also want to consider the opposite if you’re sending messages to seasoned professionals. For example, you might not choose to use the term “heart attack” if your audience regularly calls it by a more technical name.
   
   And finally, avoid clichés like the plague. They aren’t helpful and they’re as boring as watching paint dry.

4. Consider your tone.
   
   Because you know your audience and you’re focusing on the things they have in common, you can vary your tone depending on the message. Is your audience ready for a little humor or a light tone? Is it okay to be provocative? Or are you sending messages from an authority and need a formal tone? Your message and your knowledge about your audience will dictate what tone you take but be intentional about choosing it.
   
   One caveat – Be careful with off-color language. It might work well with some audiences, but it can ruin your appeal if you use it inappropriately.

5. Proofread – then send.
   
   Research has shown that our brains sometimes work against us by being too efficient. Here’s how: If you’ve been working on a text for a while, your brain will frequently skim over misspelled or missing words. It fills in the blanks for you. Your brain helps you understand what you’re reading, but it doesn’t necessarily help you find typos.
   
   So fight back. Take a break before you hit send. Let your brain settle. Then come back to your message. If there is a typo, you’ll be more likely to see it. If you have available colleagues, let them read the message. A fresh pair of eyes can help find mistakes. Many communications teams make text reviews part of their culture, and everything is read by at least two people.

It’s a competitive world and if you can help solve your customers’ problems, you earn an amazing competitive advantage. And if you communicate effectively using a channel your customers prefer, you can build relationships that will extend far beyond a single sale.

Being authentic in all your customer interactions is increasingly important in today’s business world. Staying in touch has become a requirement. We hope these tips will help you tackle writing tasks more effectively. SMS-Magic can help you reach out to applicants faster and with better results.

We offer 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 applicants in new ways!

These messages are conversational, and they are generated individually. Their tone is friendly, and they offer advice or information as if it’s coming from a trusted friend. In fact, it’s coming from an attorney who is a trusted member of the client’s team. In certain situations, that’s even better than a friend.

I can hear you object, “But our business isn’t like that. We have to send thousands of texts to reach our audience.”

I’m sure that’s true. But your text messages don’t have to sound like they’re going to thousands of people at one time.

When a new client reaches out to the law firm, they might do it by email or phone. Chances are they’ve also reaching out to other law firms. In order to win their business, our law firm quickly responds with an automated text message to say hello and to clarify who they are.

The automated response is written in a style that a friend might use – “Hi, this is Brittany from the AlwaysWin law firm. Can I help you with questions about a legal issue?”

When the prospective client responds, the system switches them to a personal exchange with a member of the intake team. This quick response allows the firm to ask initial screening questions and establish a relationship before other firms can respond to the client’s initial query. It helps win business.

To use this technique at scale, you need to think like your customers. Ask yourself what you know about them:

• Why are they contacting you?
• What problem are they trying to solve with your product or service?
• What help might they need initially or on a second query?
• Where are they?

Once you know who your customers are, you can craft automated messages with a personal touch. You can even add a first name to the opening sentence, if you track of that information.

Your CRM should help you personalize the message. And it can help you segment your queries into those that share common characteristics. Your outreach may be unique to customers in the U.S. or customers in Asia, Europe or Australia. Or you may need to modify your interactions with customers in different countries because of laws governing the use of digital information. Segmenting can help with all of that.

Once you’ve started the conversation, managing the flow of information is critical. If you use a CRM like Salesforce or Zoho, SMS-Magic can help you track of all your applicant interactions. Your incoming texts, emails and phone conversations, as well as your responses, can be archived in your CRM so that anyone on your staff can access the entire interaction. Your customer doesn’t have to repeat themselves and your staff can hand off customer interactions confidently.

We know that customers prefer texts because globally we send 5 billion texts a day, and we open 98 percent of them. Conversely, we only open emails 22 percent of the time, according to Gigaom. Research from Asurion shows that we look at our phones 96 times a day or once every 10 minutes. You can bet that your customers are just like the rest of us.

It’s a competitive world and if you’re able to respond to customers faster than your competition, you can earn an amazing competitive advantage. More than that, however, is the benefit that a conversational tone can provide. Handle the first few interactions well – like a trusted friend – and you’ve started a customer relationship that can last for years.

Being authentic in all your customer interactions is increasingly important in today’s business world. Staying in touch has become a requirement. SMS-Magic, through conversational and automated text messaging, can help you reach out to applicants faster and with better results.

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 applicants in new ways!