We all have a preferred method of communication and as the world continues to change, so does our technology. We conducted research, which found that people of all age groups prefer to communicate via mobile phone. So, we’re here to talk about how you could be taking advantage of SMS for business.

Contacting a customer, candidate or client is now easier than ever. It doesn’t matter if someone is at home, in the office, on the train, or at their child’s soccer game, we always have our mobiles by our sides. Especially right now, it gives us the opportunity to stay efficient whilst mobile.

Reports have shown that 95% of text messages are opened within three minutes.

So, how are you and your team utilizing texts to encourage business growth?

Enabling your business to deliver important messages and target key groups with SMS, means you’re helping to boost response rates.

So, when engaging with a customer via mobile, you want to take full advantage of your conversation to ensure all goes well.

Based on our research, there are certain measures that should be considered when reaching out. No one wants their time to be wasted, so be sure to have a concrete plan with steps in place to properly engage with your customers.

Here are five best practices for texting in business:

1. Text within normal business hours
2. Allow opt-out
3. Keep it simple and brief
4. Ask questions that can be answered with a quick response
5. Don’t use Emojis and GIFs – keep it professional

Say hello to Broadcast Messaging

Broadcast messaging provides a cost-effective method of sending bulk text messages to multiple contacts.

Increase connections with contacts quickly and gain visibility of the conversations that occur with contacts, by logging all text messages. Have more informed and insightful conversations by accessing these interactions from your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

To best utilize this technology, contacts should be able to opt-out from receiving messages, keeping communications within compliance, and easily identifiable within your CRM.

How does Broadcast Messaging work?

When you bring together the power of the phone call and the convenience of an SMS, you’ll find it easier than ever to reach your customers and get the conversation going.

Being able to stay connected with your customers while they are on the move means you can close the deal, make the placement or even reduce missed appointments.

Our research has shown that consumers are much more likely to respond to calls or messages to their mobile phone. So, if your business relies mainly on email, you could be missing out!

How does texting impact recruitment?

With SMS, recruiters will be able to communicate faster and increase their response rates. This will help them get the right candidates placed quicker than ever.

What’s more: tracking message interactions within your CRM allows you to use the most effective channel for each candidate, leading to a more personalized experience for each one of them.

It’s essential that you keep important candidate information within your organization. By using the text function within your CRM/Applicant Tracking System (ATS), if a recruiter leaves your business, the candidate information stays in your database.

This helps maintain candidate engagement and keeps your data within your business software. In 2019, it is important to utilize mobile technology to enhance the candidate experience.

How does texting impact sales?

We all want to increase our sales, but how?

Well, did you know that 48% of under 40s have gone online to browse or buy in response to a call or a message to a mobile? 

There are many tools in the modern salesperson’s arsenal. At the centre of it all is finding ways to communicate effectively with your potential customers.

The phone call will always be a winner – but there are other methods that get just as amazing results. SMS is one of them.

For sales teams, texting is a great way to reach customers quickly and stay on their radar. There are countless reasons to text sales prospects, and before long you’ll be converting those prospects into customers thanks to the 1:1 service that texting offers.

If you have any doubts, just get your sales teams to take note of the open rates that text messaging records versus email!

Right now, there is a lack of not only face-to-face sales, but also the personal connection you can make with your customers.

Texts and Broadcast Messages will not only transform your sales but also help you to build strong relationships with your clients.

CloudCall’s SMS for business feature allows you to send a text straight from a CRM system contact record.

The best bit? All communications are synced back into the record, so you’ll know exactly what the conversation history is and when it happened.

Other sales benefits of SMS include:

• Win back time for your sales – Be more productive by sending an SMS to save time and money on individual calls.
• Make contact quickly and easily – Alert your customers to new updates, products and promotions with the click of a button.
• Personalize your communications – Personalize your messages to build trust and rapport. This will naturally boost the likelihood of a sale.
• Build a positive reputation – Follow up by SMS after a sale and offer a point of contact should they need anything further. Positive reviews matter!

With CloudCall, text messages and responses are automatically captured as ongoing conversations and stored in your CRM. This provides management teams with an enhanced visibility of all interactions, at every level.

Learn more about CloudCall SMS features for your CRM here.