13 Jun Give Your Marketing a Boost Using SMS Automation
Now more than ever, businesses are seeing the benefits of SMS messaging to engage their audiences on a more personal level. However, this technology can be time-consuming to execute if you don’t implement it correctly.
That’s where SMS automation comes in. SMS automation sends text messages with exclusive content to customers on a specific day, event, or time.
SMS services can change the way a business communicates. Automated text messages are the fastest and easiest way to reach your target audience and optimise the customer experience.
What Is Automated Text Messaging?
Instead of sending SMS to a large group of people in one go, automated SMS can send text messages to individuals whenever a specific action happens.
Suppose you want people who subscribe to your services to receive a welcome text message. Automatic text messages can do just that. In this message, you can thank them for signing up and inform them of what happens next.
Rather than you or someone in your company manually choosing to send a message to a group, customers will receive the message as soon as they complete an action – in this case, subscribing to your SMS updates. The entire process is hands-free and completely automated. Automatic text messages save time and provide an interactive way to communicate directly with customers.
SMS Automation Integration for Your Business
Businesses today use automated workflows for many reasons, and it’s easy to see why. By automating tasks using technology, businesses can free up resources to work on other matters.
Integrating SMS automation into a business can drive sales, build loyalty, and streamline operations. SMS automation boosts marketing, improves cost-effectiveness, and provides personalised communication.
SMS automation can help your business:
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- Increase customer retention rates
- Change the way you communicate
- Send promotional offers at the right time
- Attract new customers
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7 Benefits of Text Message Automation
1. Text Messaging Is Extremely Popular
Considering that 94% of text messages get read within three minutes of delivery, it is clear that text messaging is an effective mode of communication.
You can send messages now, later, or on a regular schedule with SMS automation. Most customers will read and open your SMS message quickly. Because SMS text is short, it only takes a few seconds to read.
2. Offer Amazing Customer Support
Businesses can provide highly customised support via automated text messaging and chatbots. These days, automated services are human-like and let you help customers around the clock.
Simple things such as knowing a customer’s name or the products they use can make an excellent first impression.
3. Keep Your Customers Happy
Automating SMS communications improves the customer experience. Nobody enjoys playing phone tag, being on hold, or waiting for customer service.
A traditional help desk generates slower response times than one online. SMS automation makes sure that customers receive consistent communication without having to wait for human intervention.
4. Simplify Online Payments
Many businesses are taking advantage of automated messages to finalise payments. SMS automation lets you text customers their invoices and offers them a convenient way to pay.
This process can reduce payment wait times and allow a business to sell more personalised products directly to the customer.
5. Build a Reputation
Customers rely on reviews to discover new businesses, and people are more likely to choose a business with higher reviews. A Capterra survey found that 98% of shoppers read online reviews before purchasing a product. Additionally, 84% said they had left an online review at least once.
According to the survey, 56% of people who left a review online did so because the seller asked them. Automated text messaging makes it easy to engage customers in the review process.
6. Reach More People
SMS automation is the perfect tool to build your contact list and stay in touch. Compared to voice campaigns, text messaging campaigns scale more quickly. It’s much easier to send a text message to 15,000 contacts than to call a list of phone numbers.
7. Direct Resources to What Matters
SMS automation saves businesses time, energy, and resources by directing customers to the right people. For example, if a customer asks a question requiring live assistance, the platform can prompt an employee to respond.
How to Automate Workflows for SMS Automation
These are a few ways to automate workflows with business texting automation.
Keyword Responses
Businesses most often use keyword triggers for text message automation. A keyword trigger auto responds to a customer’s text message.
Businesses can use this feature to answer simple and commonly asked questions. To start, set up an automated response by creating a keyword that represents the business.
For example, if a customer texts coffee, they would receive an automated reply saying, “Get a coffee on us today – buy two and get one free.”
Automated Reminders
Business owners have found that automatic text message reminders effectively lower no-shows and late payments. Sending an automated reminder can bring customers back to your business and gently nudge them in the right direction.
Automation of this kind is beneficial for businesses as it reduces manual labour and decreases the likelihood that the customer may forget.
Automated Feedback
The best way to get a customer’s immediate and candid feedback is to send them a text message when the memory of the experience is still fresh in their minds.
Business owners understand the importance of customer feedback. Managing and sending feedback surveys manually can be difficult and time-consuming. Businesses can use automated text messages to gather feedback based on time and interaction-based events.
Types of Automated Text Messages
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- Auto-Reply: Automated replies, also called autoresponders, are the most common SMS automation tool. An autoresponder is a text message automatically sent to a person once they text a trigger keyword.
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- Recurring Messages: A recurring text, also known as a repeating message, is an SMS sent at regular intervals. In addition to setting a time to send the text message, you can choose when to repeat it in the future.
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- Drip Campaigns: Drip marketing is an automated SMS campaign with real-world messaging and marketing automation. Sending new messages every few days is typical for campaigns.The customer’s interaction with the text message can trigger a set of predefined rules that determine the next action. Drip campaigns can create a series of automated messages that send days, weeks, or years after a user signs up.
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- Scheduled Messages: Scheduled texts, otherwise known as delayed texts, are messages you compose in advance. Let the system know when and where you would like the text message to go, and it will send it automatically.
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Popular Ways to Use SMS Automation
Choosing how to automate text messages depends on the type of business and the message content.
Dashboard
Automating texts via a dashboard is best for beginners. Any business looking for an easy way to set up rules and trigger actions can use a dashboard system. This text message automation is advantageous if you do not have enough time or the know-how to build custom integrations.
Integration Platform
Businesses that have experience with text message automation but lack programming ability should use an integration platform. Popular platforms include Zapier, Hubspot, and Slack.
Integration platforms help businesses connect one or more applications to automate workflow. Such platforms allow using triggers from other applications to send messages.
For example, if you use PayPal for payments, a Zapier integration can create triggers to send messages like thanking buyers after receiving a payment.
Direct Integration
This type of integration connects two applications without the help of a middleman or platform integrator.
A business can automate SMS messages by directly integrating with some of the world’s most popular online customer relationship management (CRM) applications.
For example, Zoho, Shopify, Salesforce, and other CRM systems let you send automated SMS directly from their platform.
The Power of Automation
Intelligent solutions can deliver automated SMS messages at the perfect time. Businesses connected to the right text service company can customise appointments, deliver products, and follow up with customers.
Automated text messages are becoming more natural and conversational. Now you can instantly send messages without any effort. SMS automation is an excellent way to win more business, increase sales, and retain customers.
Are you looking to include an automated texting service in your next marketing campaign? Call touchSMS today at 1300 794 419 or contact us through the form on our website to get started!