What are the Dos and Don’ts of Business SMS?
As a company, it is essential to connect with your customers so that you can notify them of updates about your services or just simply connect with them. Hence, it would help if you find several ways to make updates more accessible. This is where business SMS comes in. Anyone can receive your message with business SMS even if they are not connected to the Internet. So, this is an excellent way to send important notifications to your customers. However, how should you send a message that will present your business?
What Is Business SMS?
A business SMS is used to communicate with customers. It could be through sending updates, creating an appointment, feedback, reminders, inquiries, etc. It is widely identified as business text messaging or corporate SMS.
Every phone, whether old or new, has an SMS feature. With this, you can easily connect with your customers no matter where they are, as long as they have a cell signal.
Below are the do’s and don’ts of business SMS that you should follow:
Do Text During Business Hours and Working Days
Before anything else, you must first understand that business text messaging is a part of your service. That is why you must understand how important how you represent yourself through sending a message.
Professionalism is essential in business SMS. It can help your business make a good impression on your existing customers and create a reputation for your brand itself.
One of the ways to achieve being professional in sending a message is only to deliver news and answer inquiries during business hours. Customers, especially working people, put great importance on their personal times during the evening.
Most would prefer to receive business messages during working days unless the customer reaches out first. Texting beyond business or working days is unprofessional, and some customers might even find it bothersome. As a result, it could create a bad impression and ruin your brand.
Be Approachable
Although it is important to be formal, it is also essential to be approachable when sending messages to your customers. It would be best if the tone in your messages stays conversational, one that could engage customers to provide feedback or ask inquiries.
Being too formal might discourage them from responding, making them think about the stoic and unfriendly tone. Although corporate SMS is automated, there are still several ways you can make it a more personal message. You can try formulating a conversational message where it is engaging and allows a response from your customers while still retaining formality.
Start the message by introducing yourself and the company so that customers do not mistake you as spam or fraud. Avoid using many emojis, slang, and abbreviations in your text message. Too much usage of those might confuse your customer. It will be preferable to send brief and easy-to-understand messages since this also helps them retain the update you’ve given.
Do Give The Customers The Option To Stop Receiving Messages
Although sending a notification to your customers is essential, it would be best only to deliver an urgent message that directly affects them. Other companies tend to spam and constantly send messages to their customers to keep them updated with the latest promos. However, this can come off as annoying on their part.
Before you start sending messages, it would be best first to inform them and ask permission to deliver them notifications via SMS. Ask a simple request first whether they want only to receive notifications regarding meetings or appointments or if they want to subscribe to SMS notifications. Consider using SMS Notification to help manage notifications.
Even so, their decisions might change in the future. It will help if you inform them that they can also choose to stop receiving notifications from certain subjects. Provide them with the options and address their preferences. Send messages only if you have any new promos or updates that cater to them.
Avoid Asking Their Personal Information in Texts
First of all, you must understand that you are responsible for the security of your customer’s privacy and data. You are obligated to keep their private information with the utmost security. Aside from potential lawsuits, there is the risk of losing your customers, company credibility, or worse, the shut down of your business.
Thus, the best thing to do is to inform them to visit the nearest branch if you urgently need their personal information. Give your customers the time and date they can come by. You may also assist them in booking a schedule to drop by with no problem. Once you receive their data, always ensure that you keep and secure them by updating your database and network security.
Do Not Take Too Long To Reply
Again, sending business SMS reflects your company. So, you must perform your best and offer your customers the best experience. As much as possible, respond to them immediately after an inquiry.
Once customers send out a query, there is a huge possibility that they are still on standby for your reply. It would be best not to let them wait in cases like this. Find a business SMS provider that ensures this task and works efficiently following your company’s goals.
Final Thoughts
Business text messaging is a good way to connect with your customers. However, there are things you must remember before contacting them willy-nilly. There is proper etiquette when handling a business SMS — from staying professional to avoiding shady practices. Following these practices allows you to keep and ensure customer trust and retention.
About Author: The author Allan Smith is a professional finance writer specializing in personal finance. He has worked in the finance sector for a long time. He believes that everyone’s economic and life situation is isolated, and he keeps this fact in mind while providing personal finance advice in his blog Day to Day Finance. All the people seeking financial guidance are in different stages of life. Allan loves to explore every possible angle of personal finance so that anybody can get help.
