In the digital age, it’s important for businesses to engage in omni-channel communication efforts. However, for many businesses, that only means direct mail, phone and email. Text messaging can be one of the most effective ways to reach consumers, patients or customers. Today’s post will identify seven reasons why texting is a channel your business can’t afford to overlook.
1. Text messaging is the most widely used feature on smart phones.
A recent study found that 96% of smart phone users utilized the texting feature on their phones; considering that more than 67% of people in the United States use a smart phone, that’s a significant portion of any business’s audience.
2. On average people text more than they make voice calls.
According to a survey by Infomate, Americans are texting five times as much as they talk on the phone; an average of 26 minutes versus only 6 minutes.
3. Many people prefer texting to phone calls.
If they above statistic wasn’t enough to convince you, a study by the PEW Research Center found that more than half of the people surveyed actually would prefer to receive a text than a call. In another study, specifically one in five customers said they’d prefer a business text to a call.
4. Text messaging is less expensive than making business calls.
In a financial impact study, Forrester found that text messaging costs businesses pennies on the dollar compared to calling. Representatives were capable of handling a higher volume of text chats than calls for a huge amount of FTE savings. (Just imagine what chatbots could do).
5. Texting elevates your brand image.
64% of people surveyed by Harris Poll said they have positive perceptions of companies that offer texting as a communication channel.
6. Texting has a 98% open rate.
Arguably texting has an open rate better than any other communicate- compare to 20% open rates for email. Wow!
7. Texting has a 45% response rate.
That’s right, not only do people open texts but they respond as well. Perhaps this statistic isn’t surprising if you consider texting is the preferred method for communication.
These are just a few of the reasons your business should start utilizing text communications, statistics show improved sales conversions, better patient engagement, more effective marketing, and more! If you’re ready to take the leap, contact us for a demo and consultation to find out if the VoizTrail® Suite is right for you.
