- December 22, 2021
- by Last expert
- Blogs, SMS customer support
- 0 Comments
An SMS Campaign is a type of marketing that allows you to communicate with your clients via text message. An SMS campaign, on the other hand, is even more personal. This is due to the fact that most individuals utilise text messaging to communicate with their friends and family. There is so much benefit in SMS customer support.
1. Clarify your goals.
While opting for customer service messaging, the objectives have to be set straight. To get the best outcome out of the service, the goals should be clear. Three main objectives for messaging are:
Cost Reduction
Employee Productivity
Customer Satisfaction
It’s quite rewarding to find out which of the three above objectives is most important to you. Prioritizing the elements of your messaging helps to attain the goal.
2. Select the right SMS support channel.
With the evolution of mobile technology, businesses now have a lot of choices in choosing the platform or the channels to do messaging. Some of the options include SMS, direct messaging via social media, and specialized commercial messaging platforms.
Finding out the right channel to use is a bit difficult. Try to figure out your customer preference of the apps they use. By learning their preference, you can handle the features offered by those channels. This in succession helps your customer service agents make the most of the platform they are using.
3. Balance automation with human input.
It’s economical compared to other customer service options as it is automated. AI – driven chatbots have advanced to the extent that many customer queries are resolved without the need for an agent to get involved.
SMS tends to be a personal one , the customer expects it to be on a personal level. If customer service is entirely automated your customer would be dissatisfied. Customers would be pleased if it is similar to a phone interaction or conversation on social media. Remember, no chatbots can replace the personalized support that a human agent can provide.
4. Categorize and prioritize incoming messages.
Once the messaging has commenced, you need to be well prepared to handle the demand. As the demand increases, you should have a reliable system for managing them.
To deal with answering the queries can be done by using FIFO ( First In First Out ) , as they’re submitted. However, a system to prioritize messages is more suitable.
At the same time, it is important to take into account the urgency of the inquiry and deal with it sensibly. To do so, the support requests and messages you receive need to be categorized.
Parallel usage of chatbots to carry out simple questions will speed up the response and relieve the human agents and permit them to concentrate on high-value orders and attend to such cases right away.
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5. Leverage SMS to collect customer feedback.
According to Groove, only one in 26 customers complains or gives feedback about a negative customer experience. 91% of customers will opt for your competitor.
A way to avoid this gap is by offering options for customer feedback over SMS customer support. Providing feedback is easy for customers, typically only requiring them to send one-word or number responses. It also encourages them to give negative feedback in a neutral channel where they might not feel as awkward doing so.
One benefit to your company is that you get honest feedback, that too in a less aggressive, frustrated tone which is exactly otherwise in online reviews or on social media. This makes the customer feel that their opinions are valued and taken into consideration.
6. Familiarize your agents with SMS customer support.
It’s not about training your customer service agent to use SMS and IM channels; they all use it every day and are familiar with it. But using this channel professionally is what matters. They still need training in that aspect.
Avoiding emojis or shorthand are recommended. Each message your agent sends identifies your business and its brand-building. So it is advised to create a positive impression of your brand. Do and Don’ts should be listed to your agent, also the type of language to be used.
7. Integrate SMS with other support channels.
In recent times there has been a shift from multichannel marketing to omnichannel. In omnichannel, the idea is to provide a seamless experience throughout the customer journey regardless of the channel customer uses. To attain this you will have to integrate and unify all your channels, including SMS.
When it comes to customer service communications, this is something to keep in mind. As much as feasible, you’ll want to incorporate messaging within your support desk or ticketing systems. It will be easier for your staff to provide consistent service if you do so.
8. Go above and beyond by following up with customers.
When a consumer asks you a question, it’s simple to respond. All you have to do now is come up with a solution in an acceptable length of time. What’s more difficult is demonstrating your concern by following up with them later.
In this example, a fictional day spa shows that they care about their customers by reaching out to them after a long absence. They even provide a discount to demonstrate how much they value the customer’s business. Customers will respond quickly to this type of SMS message, and it will show them that your company is willing to go above and beyond for them.
9. Send reminders about upcoming appointments.
With SMS support, you may send customers appointment reminders on time. This can be done ahead of time, and a consumer can just confirm with a one-letter or one-word response, as seen above.
Because your clients may be extremely busy, reminding them by SMS may be a far more efficient method than calling them or sending an email that may go unread.
10. Avoid unnecessary case transfers.
The nicest thing about SMS customer service is that you can do all of your troubleshooting from one location.
Live chats, for example, are frequently diverted to phone calls, while social media assistance might lead to email exchanges. According to Harvard Business Review, 57 % of clients are forced to transition from web to phone help, which is a common complaint among customers.
Customer service via SMS, on the other hand, allows you to complete an entire conversation in one channel. Customers can respond quickly to images and videos sent by reps, confirming or correcting information. If either party wants to use various communication tools/mediums, they don’t have to switch channels or change devices.
11. Be clear and get straight to the point.
It’s all about being brief when texting. Email is the place for extended explanations and colourful language. You should write a quick overview of any message you’re seeking to deliver in SMS customer service.
You don’t want to boring them with an essay when providing outbound SMS customer service. In addition, long messages are difficult to read on the channel. Keep it short and entertaining to make an impression on your customers and boost the chances that they will read the complete message.
12. Promote your SMS customer support service.
Once you’ve created a fantastic messaging support solution, make sure to let your clients know that they may reach you via SMS or IM. Your ability to provide support through these channels demonstrates your dedication to providing exceptional customer service.
12. Promote your SMS customer support service.
The following are some efficient approaches to publicise customer service messaging:
Phone
When clients call your company, provide information about your messaging service in the audio they hear while on hold.
In-App or On-Site
Include links and information about how clients may get help on your website and in your apps.
The Internet and Social Media
Social media profiles should include information about your customer service messaging. If you send support messages through a channel connected with a certain network, this makes a lot of sense.
