Using our recently published research, we identified three key aspects of a successful customer experience from a consumer perspective. The results also helped us understand how SMS can seamlessly deliver these pillars of experience and we wanted to share that insight with you.
Together with our parent company Webex CPaaS Solutions, we spoke with over 2,000 consumers to understand what is most important to them when dealing with a business. We reviewed the responses with a clear question in mind- how can SMS help build a successful customer experience?
Resolution:
The speed and convenience of SMS are just two reasons behind the success of the channel for customer-centric communications. Helping customers find the right support or solution quickly assures them that their business is valued, promoting brand loyalty and retention.
SMS can manage this seamlessly and in real-time with 48% of those asked finding SMS convenient for any time of the day or night. What’s more, 75% said they would return to a business in the future that resolved their issue promptly.
Delivering one of the most important traits of a great customer experience, timing, is entirely achievable with real-time text messaging.
Connection:
To continue building a successful customer experience, businesses need to provide access to fast answers through the right channels with ease. For business-initiated communications, consumers chose SMS as one of the top three most preferred methods, behind only phone and email.
When asked why SMS was their preferred way to connect with a business, 85% said it’s easy to use. As a channel, text messaging is universally accessible regardless of device and removes the need to download an app or have an internet connection. In fact, 79% of people stated they were very comfortable using SMS to interact with a business. Brands that offer SMS to connect with customers benefit from the total availability of the channel.
Relevance:
The timing of your sends is more than just the hour or day. Sending relevant customer communications that connect with the time of year or preferences of the consumer is equally important. A message delivered at the right time with significant context, using the channel preferences of your customers can have a dramatic impact.
Aligning focus across all three customer experience factors highlighted by the research will ultimately reap results across retention, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
The guide also explores the key use cases and industries that see the greatest successes when using text messaging to better communicate with their customers. This is only a snapshot of the findings, for more information on why SMS is one of the most preferred communication channels, you can download the research here.
