Using SMS Business Solution vs Texting From Phone Systems

Texting each customer individually through a traditional phone system can be quite tedious, especially as your business starts to grow. It’s slow and can lead to mistakes, keeping you tied up with never-ending tasks.

SMS business solutions can help by automating text messages, scheduling them ahead of time, and even managing customer responses. With these systems, you can send out hundreds of messages in seconds and set up marketing campaigns that run on their own.

In this blog, we’ll compare SMS business solutions vs texting from phone systems.

You’ll learn how you can leave your phone system in place while switching the texting component to a smarter, more automated texting system, which can save time and boost your ability to engage with customers.

What is Texting from Phone Systems?

Texting from phone systems involves using traditional telephone services to send text messages. 

Most phone systems now offer basic texting capabilities, but these are typically limited in scope and functionality. They lack the advanced features needed for large-scale, efficient business communication.

Limitations of Texting from Phone Systems

While texting from phone systems may be convenient for small-scale communication, it comes with several limitations:

Manual Nature Required

Texting with traditional phone systems involves typing and sending each message one by one. This method can be very slow if you need to contact many customers throughout the day. 

It’s easy to make mistakes, like sending a message to the wrong number if the contact is not already in the database or typing the wrong information, because everything has to be entered individually. 

Additionally, manual texting means someone always needs to be available to handle replies and keep track of who needs a follow-up. This takes a lot of time and effort, which could be used for other important tasks. 

Without automated tools, it’s harder to keep track of all the messages and ensure no customer queries are missed, potentially leading to poorer customer service.

Limited to 1 to 1 Texting

Texting from phone systems is generally limited to sending messages from one person to another at a time. This restricts the ability to communicate efficiently with a group and makes it challenging to relay messages to multiple people simultaneously or in a timely manner. 

For businesses that need to send updates or information to a large group of customers or employees all at once, this limitation can slow down communication. If a message needs to be sent out quickly to a group, this is also a significant disadvantage.

Because of this limitation, businesses often find themselves needing additional solutions. 

Lack of Advanced Features 

Phone system texting often lacks advanced features such as auto-campaigns and text blasts, which are essential for efficient mass communication. 

As a result, efforts to run SMS marketing campaigns or urgent notifications require manual setup and execution.

Without these features, businesses miss out on the ability to simplify their communication processes. It reduces their capacity to engage with customers or respond in critical situations. 

What is an SMS Business Solution?

An SMS business solution is a tool designed to help companies send Short Message Service (SMS) to their customers in an efficient and organized way. 

A business texting platform goes beyond basic texting by offering advanced features that make communication easier and more effective.

SMS business solutions have a few key features, including:

• Auto-campaigns: Schedule and automate SMS messaging delivery
• Group texting: Send a single message to multiple recipients
• Text blasts: Quickly distribute urgent or promotional messages
• Analytics and tracking: Measure campaign effectiveness and refine strategies

Benefits of SMS Business Solutions

You might think regular phone texting works fine for your business. However, once you learn about the benefits of SMS business solutions, you might change your mind. These solutions offer advanced features and automation that regular texting doesn’t provide.

With SMS business tools, you can send messages to many people at once, schedule them in advance, and even personalize them for each customer. 

Here are the key benefits of using SMS business solutions:

Better Customer Engagement

SMS business solutions boost customer engagement by allowing personalized, timely messages. 

Additionally, features like auto-campaigns send messages automatically at scheduled times. It’s easier for businesses to keep in touch with many customers at once without extra effort. 

With SMS business solutions you can often schedule follow-on drip messages in case the recipient didn’t respond which can also be advantageous.

Efficiency and Time Savings

SMS business solutions save time by setting up messages to send automatically without manual effort. Unlike texting from phone systems, you don’t have to send each message individually.

These systems also make overall communication smoother. Features like bulk text messaging and automated replies let businesses manage customer questions and marketing more easily without needing constant attention. 

Scalability

SMS business solutions are designed to easily handle large volumes of messages, which is essential for growing businesses. Their adaptability allows for quick adjustments to text messaging campaigns and strategies based on customer feedback.

Advanced Analytics 

With SMS business solutions, businesses gain access to detailed analytics that track the open rates, click-through rates, and overall effectiveness of each campaign. Customer data is invaluable for making informed decisions and refining future text messaging strategies. 

Cost-Effectiveness

One key benefit of SMS business solutions is the reduction in costs per message when sending bulk messages. This provides a clear measurement of return on investment (ROI) for SMS campaigns, making it easier for businesses to allocate SMS marketing budgets effectively.

Use Cases for SMS Business Solutions

SMS business solutions are versatile tools that can be applied in various scenarios to enhance business communication and efficiency.

Marketing Campaigns

Businesses can use SMS for targeted marketing campaigns. By sending promotions, special offers, or event invitations directly to customers’ phones, companies can increase visibility and engagement. 

Scheduled texts ensure that these messages reach customers at the optimal time to catch their attention.

Customer Service

SMS is highly effective for customer service. Automated responses can provide immediate acknowledgment of customer inquiries, while follow-up messages can be scheduled to keep customers informed about their service status. 

Appointment Reminders

Healthcare providers, salons, and other service-based businesses use SMS to send appointment reminders. This reduces no-show rates by reminding customers of their appointments a day or two in advance. 

Reminders can also be used to confirm appointments and reschedule if necessary.

Payment Reminders

Businesses can send reminders for upcoming payments or renewals, ensuring timely collection and reducing the risk of late payments. This is especially useful for subscription-based services or financial institutions.

Internal Communications

SMS can simplify internal communications within a company. Quick updates, urgent announcements, or reminders about meetings can be sent instantly via SMS marketing services to ensure that information is disseminated quickly.

Why Should You Choose SMS Business Solutions Over Phone System Texting?

Opting for SMS business solutions over traditional phone system texting offers a range of unique features that phone system texting simply cannot match.

Unlike basic phone systems that are limited to text-only messages, SMS business solutions like Textellent support Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages. This allows businesses to send images, which is particularly beneficial for marketing and customer engagement purposes.

Textellent allows the use of keywords with both shared short codes and long codes. Responses still come from the businesses’phone number, not a short code, personalizing the interaction and building trust with customers. 

If a business already has a phone system with texting, Textellent simply and easily replaces the texting component and enables these new capabilities.

In this manner, the phone numbers remain in place, and voice calls continue to be handled in the same way so there is no disruption in the way customers are handled, yet the business gets advanced texting features.

SMS business solutions like Textellent integrate seamlessly with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and existing phone systems. This improves customer interactions and service, unlike traditional phone system texting, which is isolated and doesn’t always sync with CRM data.

While integration isn’t mandatory, it improves functionality for those who choose it.

This business texting solution features tag/segmentation capabilities based on customer preferences, history, and interactions, which are invaluable for targeted marketing efforts.

Finally, Textellent excels in lead generation and nurturing. It automates the process of sending personalized SMS messages and running drip campaigns based on customer actions like purchases or preferences.

Move Beyond Traditional Texting with Textellent

Tired of the slow pace and high effort of manual texting from phone systems? It’s time to switch to Textellent!

Our SMS business solution can help you with automated messaging, efficient scheduling, and smart customer engagement strategies. Break free from the constraints of traditional texting and opt for a solution that grows with your business.

Sign up for a free trial or request a demo consultation today!

FAQs About SMS Business Solutions vs Phone System Texting

How do business texting solutions manage opt-in and opt-out processes?

Reputable SMS business solutions provide automated tools to manage opt-ins and opt-outs, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and respect for customer preferences. 

These tools seamlessly handle consent and preferences, unlike phone systems, where such processes often have to be managed more manually.

Are there any legal concerns with using SMS for business communication?

Yes, all businesses must comply with regulations such as the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) in the U.S., which requires obtaining consent before sending marketing messages. Business text messaging services like Textellent provide tools and guidance to help ensure compliance.

Can SMS business solutions reduce the need for phone calls?

Yes, SMS business solutions can reduce the need for phone calls by automating responses and providing customers with timely information via text. This is especially useful for handling queries or sending out updates, which frees up time for handling more complex issues through phone calls.