Text messaging automation is not new, it has been around for years and successful companies have implemented SMS automations into the core of their business. Unfortunately, there are many businesses yet to see the true value of automated text messages and are still stuck in the old days manually sending text messages.
By automating your text messages, whether it is before, during, or after the customers buying experience, not only frees up your time but more importantly, provides your customers with great service and experience. It is this great experience that will make consumers think of you next time they look to buy.
Mobile marketing has changed from sending a bulk text message that will help you get a load of sales at once, to integrating SMS into businesses core marketing strategy to get a continuous flow of sales and keep customers happy.
But why should you even bother setting up SMS automations when manually sending your customers messages have worked so well for you in the past?
Benefits of automating text messages
The main reason to automate your messages is to provide a better experience to consumers. Marketing automations allow you to send behavioural triggered, personalised messages. For example, when a customer signs up to your SMS loyalty program, you can send them a personalised message welcoming them.
Customer experience is not the only driving force behind setting up automations, other areas of the business can see a huge benefit when automating text messages.
Save time and get better results
Sending your customers booking reminders or SMS Surveys, either one at a time or in bulk sends, are just two of the activities that you would no longer have to do if they were automated. These can also be easily optimised to achieve the best result by testing when the best time is to send these.
For example, maybe sending a customer a survey 2 days after purchasing is the best way to get feedback, rather than sending the survey at the end of the month.
Structured plan and fewer mistakes
By automating text messages you will know exactly what goes out and when, meaning you can keep track of how many times you are communicating with your customers, what messages work well, and overall have a better marketing plan. Also because you won’t have to keep doing the same task, you can take your time and check the content of the message, ensure there are no mistakes that may have happened when doing the process manually.
Instant communication
Consumers want an increasingly seamless experience with the brands they interact with – they don’t want to wait. Automations allow businesses to provide instant communication to customers, giving them a delivery time, the success of an application, information on a new product or service and more, all without the customer asking.
When to automate text messages
Whatever the reason behind sending customers a text message, we can almost guarantee that you can, and in most cases should, be automating them. Even sales messages can be automated, but even if you don’t want to automate your sales campaigns, there are a few areas that you really do need to automate.
Welcome message
As soon as your customers’ sign ups or registers with you, send them a welcome text message thanking them and providing them with some handy bits of information.
Purchase and delivery notifications
The most popular automation we see is of purchase and delivery notifications. As soon as a purchase has been made, the customer would receive a text message with details of their purchase on and a link they can click to update or change it. You can then keep them updated with various delivery messages, telling them the date and time of delivery and an easy solution if they need to change it.
Reminders
By automating reminders messages you know that your customers will get a reminder for their appointment, event, or booking, exactly when you want them to. This can be the day before, or whenever you find it best works.
Updates
Keep your customers up to date without them requesting it. Whether they are waiting on a support ticket, or a loan application you can send them weekly updates. Even a simple, “Your loan is still being processed” will mean the applicants won’t feel the need to keep ringing your call agents and tying them up every time.
Ask for a review
The best way to improve your business is to ask your customers what they like and dislike about you. Sending an automated SMS Survey a couple of days after they bought from you, or as soon as they have finished talking to one of your customer service team, can really help you gain quality feedback and understand what you are doing right and what areas you can improve on.
Instructions
Sending a text message with a link to information that guests can easily read is a great way for hotels to send check in and check out instructions. This can be set up, so guests receive the instructions the day before arriving, and then the day before departing.
Be different
And why not do something different? You can easily automate weekly or monthly tips, or maybe even offer customers a sale 3 months after their first purchase?
Automate your text message by simply linking into our SMS API, which you can find all the details about in our developer area.