When it comes to service, customers want results—and they want them fast. That’s why a SMS tool for call centers can make all the difference. Research from Marketing Strategies International found that 46% of consumers prefer texting for customer service over phone or email. For millennials, this percentage preferring text for customer to business communications rises to 68%.

As to why they prefer texting as a communication channel for business, the top two reasons were convenience and speed of response. Easy to do on a mobile device, they’re familiar with it, and not having to speak to a person directly rounded out the list.

Your customers are your most important asset. If they want texting for customer service, make sure your contact center gives them the option to have it their way. The best part is that texting is not just a benefit for them. An advanced text messaging platform also brings value to your company.

You might also like to know that a recent survey found that 66% of consumers said they’d be willing to pay more for a product or service if it’s supported with a mobile messaging channel.

5 Ways A SMS Tool for Call Centers Improves Customer Service

1. Text messaging ramps up productivity

Messaging enables your agents to handle multiple customer requests simultaneously, increasing their productivity. Serving multiple customers concurrently increases efficiency and responsiveness to customer issues, improving satisfaction and retention or renewal rates. With the ability to see the entire messaging history with a customer, your agents will always have the right context to be relevant and avoid asking them redundant questions. Think of how much your customers’ experience will improve.

2. Texting doesn’t need internet

Your customer and your agent can carry on a conversation over text even in areas where internet service is spotty. This is especially useful if you are in an industry like transportation or agriculture and have customers in remote or rural areas you need to advise a customer about the status of a service appointment.

3. Texting integrates with CRMs

You likely rely on your CRM to keep track of your service interactions with your customers. An advanced SMS tool for call centers with native integration to your CRM makes it easy for your agents to access and quickly remember conversations held with different customers. With text messaging, your customer also has a record of the interaction for easy reference.

This conversational history eliminates the need for a customer to repeat their issue if they interact with various agents if several interactions are required for issue resolution.

4. Messaging automation increases efficiency for agents and satisfaction for customers

You can combine the simplicity of SMS messaging with the sophistication of automation. By sending an automated acknowledgement when a customer texts in an issue, you reassure her that you’re on the job. Once a service interaction has finished, confirm it with an automated text so that you end your exchange on a positive note. Then trigger a survey to gather feedback for continuous improvement. Setting up triggers for automated messages based on case status is simple with an advanced messaging platform.

5. Texting encourages customers to self-service

Gartner has predicted that by 2020, customers will be managing 85% of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human. You can give customers an option to access FAQs by text or walk them through setting up a product via text, by sending them the information they need to enter or using an MMS message to send a video instruction.

Companies have seen reduced call volumes of up to 15% after they implement texting for customer service. Serving customers faster and better is within reach when you choose to offer texting for customer service. Your customers will thank you.

In Summary

Customers prefer short, interactive, and mobile-friendly communications. Texting fits the bill. It’s quick, intuitive, and is their preferred channel for customer-to-business communication. Messaging also makes sense for your business, as it boosts your agents’ productivity and reduces their workload through self-service and lower call volumes.