We know that SMS spam has become more prevalent in recent months, many of these messages can look convincing and can prove costly to those who get caught out.
It’s important for businesses to know how to set their sends apart, ensuring a send is not mistaken for a spam attempt and to give reassurance to your customers.
Spam messages such as payment for waiting deliveries have been on the up since the pandemic began, with scammers capitalising on the increase in online shopping. Here’s a list of key steps users of SMS customer communications can take to make sure all sends are recognised as a real message from your business.
Give customers confidence in your communications
Over the last year, businesses have been using the power of SMS more than ever before. The channel has been a pivotal means of communicating with customers at each stage of change, sharing how services are adapting or re-opening.
To continue the success of your SMS communications, we’ve highlighted some important points to add to your checklist before sending a new campaign.
- Use a recognisable sender name such as your Business name (if you don’t want to receive replies)
- Make sure your data has opted-in to receive SMS
- Check your message content for accuracy
- Make sure your message is clear and is free of spelling and grammatical errors
- Merge in other information you have like first name, so you’re making it clear you know them and they know you
- Include an opt-out path
These are just a handful of ways to ensure your contacts recognise your text messages are legitimate, intended for them and not harmful.
Introducing Verified SMS
Another solution we want to introduce you to is Verified SMS on Google Messages. Verified SMS or vSMS, enables businesses to incorporate wider branding within their sends to give customers confidence across these conversations.
For those who are new to vSMS, the channel works in much the same way as SMS with additional sender verification options. Delivered through Google Messages, the branding possibilities of vSMS offer real peace of mind to your contacts in the midst of rising SMS spam attempts.
What does Verified SMS offer that SMS doesn’t?
With vSMS, businesses can include:
- Business logo and branding
- Link previews prior to clicking
- Verified sender badges
These are just some of the features vSMS offers businesses, all of which are designed to increase trust and strengthen customer relationships.
Communications customers can trust
Building customer confidence through your messages is crucial, regardless of the channel you use. For users of SMS, we’ve made it easy for businesses to establish a relationship of trust and loyalty with their customers.
As additional solutions like vSMS emerge and become more mainstream, we’re also here to support brands looking to incorporate new communication methods into their strategy.
If you’d like some additional support setting up your next send, our team are on hand to help, taking you through the steps and additional features of Textlocal’s Messenger platform
