How Text Messaging Transforms Customer Engagement with Dave Baxter

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   

1. How has text messaging evolved as a preferred channel for customer communication for customers? 
2. Why do customers prefer receiving communications from businesses via mobile devices? 
3. What role does trust play when a customer provides their mobile number to a business? 
4. How can businesses avoid abusing the privilege of texting their customers? 
5. What impact does timely and relevant text communication have on customer loyalty? 

Top Takeaways

• Texting is fast and direct, and people are already glued to their phones for hours each day. 95% of texts are opened and read within five minutes of being received, making it one of the most preferred method of communication for customers.  

• Customers now have more choices than ever, from the products they want to buy to the brands they want to do business with. If a company doesn’t meet them on their terms, they are likely to simply take their business elsewhere. Giving customers what they want, the way they want it, is the best way to earn their loyalty. 

• When a customer gives you their phone number,  it is a sign of trust. For some people, a phone number is almost as personal as their home address or, in some cases, even their social security number. When that trust is abused by spamming irrelevant messages, customers can easily block a business… forever!    

• Texting has evolved over the years. It’s no longer just plain words in a message. Rich Communication Services (RCS) now allows images, video, branded messages, and even interactive options.  

• Text messaging can help answer questions and solve problems more quickly than making a call or sending an email. Texting provides speed and accuracy. Depending on the interaction, it can also provide a level of anonymity and comfort to customers who may not feel comfortable talking on the phone. 

• Building communication around customers’ preferences helps businesses get their message across effectively and quickly. But remember, the customer will always win. With so many choices and tools, customers have the final say in how they do business. Be mindful of what you text, how often, etc. Don’t abuse the customer’s trust in you.   

• Plus, Shep and Dave discuss why Millennials and Gen Z are willing to leave brands that don’t offer text communication. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“Businesses are met with the challenge to send messages to their customers where they want to be met. 95% of text messages are open and read in under 5 minutes while only 22% of emails are actually ever read.” 

“Text is the most preferred, effective, and efficient communication channel. Don’t abuse your ability to send your customers a message because they have the choice to block you.”  

“Your phone number can almost be just as powerful as your social security number. People rarely change it, and it holds a secure, timestamped record of your most important interactions.” 

“In a world that’s on-demand and real-time, the customer always wins because they have a choice. So meet them where they want to be met in terms of communication, from the very beginning and throughout your entire relationship.” 

About:

Dave Baxter is the CEO of Solutions by Text, a company that helps businesses from the payment and financial space communicate with customers in a reliable, effective, and compliant way.  

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.