How to Grow Your Business with a Text Message Answering Service

People of all ages love their smartphones and rarely do they ever leave home without them. Many recent studies show that people prefer to be contacted via text message rather than by phone call or email and that they will read texts within minutes of receiving them. With this said, it stands to reason that a text message answering service can be a powerful way to grow your business.

Below we will discuss and answer the following questions to help you better understand how a   text message answering service works:

• What does a text messaging answering service do?
• How can an SMS text messaging answering service benefit my business?
• Do I need an SMS text messaging answering service?

What does a text messaging answering service do?

A text message answering service is a company that responds to incoming text messages on behalf of another business. When a customer or prospect contacts the business via text message, a trained live agent will promptly respond to assist them.

The friendly agents of a live answering service can help your customers with a variety of tasks via text message, including the following:

• Scheduling appointments
• Answering general questions
• Qualifying leads
• Message taking

How can an SMS text messaging answering service benefit my business?

With billions of texts being sent per day in the United States alone, people are already very comfortable using text messaging. Partnering with an SMS text message answering service to connect with customers can add value to your business in a variety of ways. Here’s how!

• It saves time. An answering service allows you to get more done during the workday, and enjoy your time off without distractions
• It increases productivity. A professional text message receptionist can qualify leads and set appointments for you, while you handle the bigger picture details of the business.
• It helps you reach more customers. Text messages have high open rates, ensuring that your company’s messages are seen. And if your business has a lot of customers whose first language is not English, you can request a bilingual receptionist to communicate with them via text message.

Do I need an SMS text messaging answering service?

Did you know that most people check their text messages within 30 minutes of waking up? With texting being the preferred communication method for many and research showing that the number of mobile users is on track to grow to 7.5 billion by 2025, it makes good business sense to leverage this technology.

Here are some of the reasons you should consider partnering with an SMS text answering service for your business:

• It gives your customers what they want. People love text messages because they are convenient, non-intrusive, and familiar. People text their family members and friends often and prefer it to communicate with businesses as well. Making your business reachable in the way that your customers want you to be can result in more sales and better communication overall.
• It cuts down on overhead expenses. By partnering with a text messaging answering service, you don’t have to pay costs associated with recruiting and hiring a full-time employee. You will only pay for the services in your contract and the text messages that are triaged, which will allow you to put the money you saved back into your business.
• It offers a better way to communicate with customers. With SMS open rates at about 99%, text messaging practically guarantees your message is received. Answered phone calls and email open rates are much lower, making text messaging an effective way to confirm appointments and respond to questions that customers send you.