Nowadays, the way businesses communicate with their customers has significantly advanced. One tool that’s becoming a big thing in this area is business texting apps

These apps let businesses connect with customers instantly through text messages, encouraging direct and personal communication.

This article will explore how these powerful tools work and present the six key benefits of incorporating them into your customer engagement strategy.

How Business Texting Apps Work

A business texting app helps companies communicate with their customers through text. 

When a business signs up, it uploads customer contacts into the app. These apps are great for sending messages, from promotions and reminders to thank-you notes. They also allow customers to respond, which can promote two-way communication.

It’s also essential to ensure that permission aligns with regulations like the TCPA in the U.S., which is especially important if you plan to send marketing messages.  This step ensures everything’s legal and above board.

Businesses can easily organize their contacts for a targeted approach, schedule texts for the best timing, and analyze the text’s performance through the app’s analytics.

What Features to Look For in A Business Texting App

There are plenty of benefits of texting in business. So, remember to choose the best fit for your company’s needs. Here’s what to look for:

Ease of Use

The app should have a user-friendly interface to make it easy for your team to send, receive, and manage text messages without a steep learning curve. The layout should be easy to navigate, with functions grouped logically and tasks easy to accomplish.

It’s also important that help is readily available through clear tutorials, FAQs, or responsive customer support. 

This ensures that everyone on your team can quickly learn to use the app effectively. It allows your business to focus on engaging with your customers rather than figuring out how to use the tool.

Integration & Automation Capabilities

Consider the tools your business currently uses, like CRM, email marketing platform, and customer service system. A great texting app should easily connect with these tools, automating tasks like updating customer profiles or adding contacts to email campaigns based on their text responses.

Automated responses, scheduled messages, and the ability to trigger texts based on customer actions can also save time and improve efficiency.

Personalization Options

The ability to personalize messages with customer names, preferences, and behavior can significantly enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.

Analytics and Reporting

Access to detailed analytics allows you to measure the effectiveness of your texting campaigns, including open rates, response rates, and conversion rates.

Scalability

The app should be able to grow with your business, handling increasing volumes of messages and more complex communication strategies as your needs evolve.

6 Benefits of Texting Apps in Business

1. Real-time Communication 

One key advantage of business texting apps is the ability to simplify real-time communication with your customers. Consumers value swift and efficient interactions with businesses. 

Unlike emails, which can get buried in a crowded inbox or aren’t checked as frequently, text messages are typically read almost immediately upon receipt. This instantaneity not only enhances the speed and efficiency of your communication but also allows you to respond swiftly to customer queries, concerns, or feedback. 

Furthermore, real-time communication can also enable faster decision-making and problem-solving, boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run.

2. High Read and Response Rates 

The effectiveness of any communication channel can often be gauged by its response rates. In this regard, text messages outperform most other channels like Facebook Messenger, voice, or email. Statistically, text messages boast an impressive read rate of up to 98%, meaning almost every text sent is read because it is automatically displayed in full on most phones. 

They also generate quicker and higher response rates compared to emails. It is not uncommon for text messages to receive 35% and higher response rates, particularly if the message is highly targeted, compared to emails, which typically see response rates of less than 10%.

These features allow customers to get involved and promote more effective messages. They also help achieve better results, such as more survey answers or more people taking up offers.

3. Personalized Engagement 

Personalization has become prominent in effective customer engagement. That’s where business texting apps come into play. 

From using customers’ first names to sending them birthday wishes or adjusting promotional offers based on a customer’s preferences, these small personalized touches can significantly contribute to making customers feel valued.

Text message marketing not only keeps customers engaged; it also makes them more loyal to your brand.

4. Streamlined Customer Service 

Business text messaging can simplify customer service and provide a convenient channel for customers to seek support. These days, customers prefer quick and easy methods of communication, and text messaging fits the bill perfectly. 

Many business texting apps come with features like automated responses, which can handle common queries around the clock, ensuring quicker resolution.

For more complex issues, live customer service representatives can take over the conversation, ensuring the customer feels heard and supported. Combining automated and human interaction can enhance the effectiveness of your business’s customer service, which may lead to improved customer satisfaction.

5. Cost-Effective 

Business texting apps are more cost-effective than traditional channels like mobile phone calls and postal mail. Text messaging enables businesses to communicate with many people at a lower cost, making it a great option for small businesses or those with limited marketing budgets.

Since SMS text messaging has high open and response rates, it offers better value for your investment. Additionally, the automation features in business texting apps can reduce the need for manpower in customer service and marketing, which helps lower costs.

6. Integration with Other Business Systems

Many business texting apps offer the capability to integrate with other business systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools, billing, or marketing automation platforms. 

This ensures better tracking of customer interactions and a consolidated record of communications, leading to more efficient data management. 

It also allows for improved coordination of multichannel marketing campaigns, as you can interleave your text message communication with your email, social media, and other marketing efforts.

How to Integrate Textellent Into Your Business 

Getting texting apps up and running for your business communication is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it using Textellent.

Step 1: Sign Up

Start by signing up for an account with Textellent.

Step 2: Optional Integration

Textellent can easily integrate with your current systems. Options include a Chrome extension, Zapier integrations for connecting with various apps, and APIs for deeper system connections.

Step 3: Create a Text Message

Next, craft your SMS. This could be anything from promotional announcements to reminders about appointments or orders.

Step 4: Choose Your Audience

Selecting your message recipients is crucial. Use Textellent’s tagging system to segment your audience based on factors like past purchases or their sign-up method. This ensures your messages are targeted and relevant.

Step 5: Schedule a Text Message

Choose when to send your messages. With Textellent, you can schedule them for specific dates and times or set up automated campaigns triggered by customer actions.

Step 6: Monitor and Analyze

Lastly, it is essential to check how your text marketing campaigns are performing. Textellent’s detailed analytics allow you to see how people respond, who opts out, and what actions they take. This helps you adjust your strategy to better connect with your audience.

Now, it’s easier to keep track of customer chats and manage data all in one place. It also helps align SMS text messages with your business email, social media, and other marketing activities.

Boost Your Business Impact with Textellent

Want to upgrade your business texting strategy? Explore Textellent’s features by signing up for a Free Trial or request a Demo consultation.

Textellent capabilities

Find out how Textellent can simplify everything from appointment management to promotions and personalize customer relations at every point of the customer journey. Take the first step to connect better with your customers today!

Conclusion

Adding business texting apps to your customer engagement strategy can be a game-changer. They let you chat in real time, tailor messages just for your customers, and get those messages seen and answered quickly. 

It’s a cost-effective way to keep the conversation flowing and can easily sync with your business tools.

When choosing a business SMS app, consider not only these benefits but also your customer base’s specific needs and preferences. For optimal results, make sure that the app is user-friendly, provides solid security measures, and offers thorough customer support.

FAQs About Business Texting 

What’s the difference between business SMS messaging and regular texting?

Business SMS marketing apps offer additional features that regular texting does not, such as automation, integration with other business tools, audience segmentation, and analytics.

Can I use a text messaging service to collect customer feedback?

Absolutely. Sending quick surveys or asking for feedback directly through text is an effective way to gather valuable customer insights.

Can I use the same message for different marketing campaigns?

While you can reuse elements of a message across campaigns, it’s important to customize each message to fit each campaign’s specific context and audience to ensure relevance and effectiveness.