How to Use SMS for an Immediate Impact on Your Business

I’ll admit it – I’m impatient when it comes to most things in my life. I’m also a bit of a scrooge when it comes to spending money. This means that when I want to chat with someone, I want to do it right now: this minute!

And if I can do it on the cheap – you guessed it, I will.

So for me, SMS (or Short Message Service) is a no-brainer.

Yes, it’s a technology that’s been around a long time. Yet even in a world with so many communication choices, it’s a channel that remains firmly on top. So what’s its appeal? And how can your use SMS for an immediate impact on your business?

Why SMS is Relevant Today

SMS is Powerful

In short, SMS is the fastest way to get in front of your clients and remote teams. It’s simple, concise, reliable, and immediate. And that makes SMS powerful.

Just take a look at the staggering open, delivery, and response rates that SMS enjoys. These stats blow all other channels out of the water. And I’m not just talking about email, but Facebook and push notifications, too.

SMS is Ubiquitous with Global Reach

SMS is everywhere. Unlike other instant messaging apps or social chat platforms, you don’t have to download SMS. It’s already on your mobile device, and most of us (some reports say 95%) have our phone on hand at all times.

That means SMS can potentially reach every one of the 7 billion cell phones currently used today.

That’s some reach.

SMS is Simple

If you’re anything like me, you’ll appreciate simplicity in the technology you use.

But, oh, the irony!

Some technologies make communication harder for us - and way more frustrating.

Just think IVR, my friends.

On the other hand, SMS is universal. All our mobile devices support it, so we’re comfortable sending and receiving text messages. Yup! Even your mum! It’s that easy.

Better still, messages have a length limitation of 160 characters. That means they’re direct. They cut to the chase. We don't have to waste our time wading through endless waffle to get the drift of the message.

But SMS is also a channel that lets our clients interact with our brands and enterprises more simply. And we all want that, right? Well, 9 out of 10 of us do. Check out the SMS Marketing Statistics 2024 For USA Businesses.

SMS is Less Disruptive than Other Channels

SMS is the least disruptive way of connecting with people. Like a phone call, SMS provides a personal, two-way conversation. But unlike a voice call, SMS is much less time-consuming and much less distracting. When we’re busy, or in those frequent situations when voice communication is impossible, we can still fire off a quick text or glance at a message received. Text messages get through even if the receiver is on another call. It’s why SMS has overtaken the use of direct calling.

SMS is Reliable

Reliability in communication is vital. You must be confident that your message will reach its destination, get there fast, and that your recipients will read it promptly.

A key advantage of SMS is its dependability. When you send a text, you can guarantee almost instant delivery. Moreover, it'll typically take just 3 minutes for most of your recipients to read it. And that makes SMS a crucial communication tool for your business, and in particular for communicating your critical, time-sensitive information.

SMS: The Benefits for Business

SMS represents an easy, low-cost way of developing a direct relationship with our clients. It’s a channel that has an almost immediate impact on responses and sales opportunities. Incorporate SMS into your day-to-day operations, and you'll be able to:

Increase customer retention
Develop greater brand loyalty
Provide immediate communication
Attract new customers
Increase overall sales
Provide profitable ROI

But just how should you employ SMS to derive maximum benefit? Let’s dive in now and explore nine practical ways you can incorporate SMS into your business strategy.

9 Practical Ways to Use SMS in Your Business

1. Integrate SMS into Your Microsoft Teams Platform

If you’re one of the 300 million daily active users of Microsoft Teams, you won't be surprised that Microsoft’s messaging platform does not support SMS.

For many of us, the inability to text from inside our Teams platform is highly frustrating. It means we have to switch between applications every time we want to send a text to a customer or colleague. That not only wastes time, but it means we can often miss important messages.

Fortunately, we can integrate SMS into Microsoft Teams with a few third-party apps. The most comprehensive and cost-effective of these, by far, is that created by YakChat. From accountants and attorneys to couriers and road haulers, YakChat SMS for Microsoft Teams lets them text directly from their MS Teams desktop or mobile device.

Keeping communications and collaboration tools under one roof means easier, quicker engagement with customers and off-line workers: No more wasted time switching from one application to another. And no more frustration from delayed or missed messages. Moreover, every text conversation is trackable and auditable, which is great for compliance and customer service.

2. Multi-Factor Authentication

Use your Microsoft Teams channel to receive secure Multi-Factor Authentication codes (MFA) via a dedicated SMS number. It's a great way to eliminate those frustrating log-in logjams.

More importantly, it removes the need for one team member to be responsible for receiving MFA codes and manually passing them on to their teammates.

By receiving critical passcodes in your private MS Teams channel, you can create a safer, more streamlined MFA experience for your entire team. Your field workers, too, can access business applications securely from anywhere, at any time, and from any device.

3. Appointment Reminders

Companies that send out text reminders find fewer patients forget or miss their appointments. From health providers and dentists to financial institutions and beauticians, a simple text reminding clients about their upcoming appointment dramatically reduces no-shows and cancellations.

4. Follow-Ups

SMS has a significant benefit over other channels: People regard texts as a highly personal form of communication. And that’s important for your business.

It gives you the means to open up easy two-way dialogues between you and your customers. One way of doing this is to follow up your client’s appointment with a text message. This simple gesture can make your clients feel valued and appreciated, and ultimately help boost brand loyalty. Best of all, it's a low-cost and effortless way to accomplish this goal.

5. Notifications

Prompt, informative SMS notifications are another powerful way of engaging and building trust with your customers.

A real-time update on the status of an order, for example, or to confirm an account transaction is always welcome information. An SMS is non-disruptive for the customer, provides instant reassurance, and decreases inbound queries for online businesses.

6. Alerts

In times of crisis, information must get to people fast. That's why SMS should be your go-to channel to send your time-sensitive, crisis information. From storm and fraud alerts to campus security warnings, SMS can reach thewidest audiences in seconds.

What’s more, you can be sure your message will be read by pretty much all your audience. Just ask yourself when you last left a text unread for days on end? Text messages grab attention. Typically, 90% of texts will be read within 3 minutes. And that makes SMS a vital tool for your critical emergency management.

7. Welcome New Subscribers

We all know that first impressions are everything. So when a new customer subscribes to your site or service, give them a little personal attention with a welcome text. It may seem a small thing, but it goes a long way to creating that positive first impression. It’s also your chance to let them know more about you, your business, and what they can expect after subscribing.

We all like to be treated by others as an individual. An authentic welcome message does just that and goes a long way to building a trusted and lasting customer relationship.

But don’t just take my word for it. A recent study found that over 70% of consumers say they are likely to tell a friend or family member if they receive personalized messages from a brand.

8. Internal Communications

Right now, your business might use several ways to communicate with your staff. You might use email, intranet, or staff presentations, for example. But while these are useful, they have their drawbacks. Email often goes ignored, intranets need a log-in, and presentations can be disruptive and time-consuming. On the other hand, SMS keeps staff connected and informed in real-time, no matter where they work.

As the post-pandemic world of work moves inexorably towards a new hybrid workplace, SMS will feature significantly. Text messages get to their destination almost instantly, and staff don’t need to be online to receive a text. Moreover, as the average worker spends roughly 56 minutes per day looking at their phone, you can be confident that your business-critical message will always get read!

9. Marketing

One of the most common ways organizations use SMS is for marketing to their subscribers. There’s simply no faster or simpler way to get your new promotions, product launches, or surveys in front of your customers.

Texts are also easy to personalize, making them more impactful and effective. And perhaps even more importantly, over half of consumers (51%) want you to text them.

SMS: The Game-Changer Channel for Your Business

Businesses are constantly looking for ways to build relationships and increase the speed in which they can earn the trust of buyers. SMS delivers all this and more.

SMS allows for personalised, targeted communication, offers unprecedented levels of engagement, and enables monitoring, tracking and archiving. And it does all this at very low cost.

If it's not already, SMS is a channel that should be an essential part of your multi-channel communication.

The bottom line: SMS is a solution that works simply, integrates seamlessly, and performs reliably!

What’s not to love?

Next Steps

For more about SMS for Microsoft Teams click here. And for information on how to can add Multi-Factor Authentication to your Microsoft Teams channel, click here.

Drop us a line at info@yakchat.com or schedule a call with us to find out how best we can help you.