Does your business use consumer apps to conduct business? Are you handing out your personal cell phone or WhatsApp number to text with customers? Are your employees doing it without your knowledge? In addition to this being unmonitored, unlogged, and somewhat unprofessional, there may be regulatory and compliance repercussions to this action.
Text is the most used cell phone feature. In fact, a Pew Research survey found that at least 97% of smartphone owners text regularly. To put this in perspective, in the United States alone there are 277 million “texters,” not including kids under the age of thirteen.
In other words, if you aren’t using messaging for your business already, it is time to do so. But how do you implement business messaging in a way that is safe and productive for your business?
An easy way to minimize regulatory and compliance issues.
A managed PBX is a really great place to start. For those who are new to this solution, a managed PBX is an outsourced business phone system. Even if you use the equipment already physically at your premises, the entire PBX is actually managed and maintained by a VoIP service provider like Callicity. This is an easy way to implement a big business solution on a small business budget.
Our managed PBX not only allows you to send and receive text messages from your own business phone number, it integrates with Facebook without transmitting your personal account information. You can even send and receive Facebook Messenger and SMS messages directly from your mobile device. All messages can be sent directly to call queues and are fully logged, keeping you compliant.
SMS Regulations
If you’re new to SMS regulations, here are a few important rules currently in place:
- You cannot buy lists of phone numbers and add them as subscribers.
- For commercial texts, your consent must be in writing.
- You cannot send copyrighted or trademarked material that has not been licensed for your use.
- In your confirmation, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) wants the consumer to understand if they’re agreeing to a single-message response or a recurring-message campaign.
- You can only send messages pertaining to alcohol to age-verified subscribers.
- You cannot send confidential information, threats of violence, hate speech, or graphic violence.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information presented here is for educational purposes only. It is neither intended as, nor should be substituted for, consultation with appropriate legal counsel and/or your organization’s regulatory compliance team.
Eight Advantages of Using a Business Number to Send SMS.
Integrating your messaging services with a managed PBX means your employees don’t need to log into Facebook to interact with your customers. This reduces or completely eliminates the distractions, and potential minefields, of an employee who’s logged into social media all day. This simple change can skyrocket your team’s productivity.
There are numerous advantages to sending SMS (text messaging) from your business number:
- Send and receive SMS/text messages from your PBX, which keeps a clear paper trail.
- Route incoming text messages directly to queues, not individuals.
- Text using your business number.
- Prioritize messages in the queue, which ensures timely replies.
- Shoot off quick appointment reminders via SMS.
- Reply to Facebook messages right from your PBX extension.
- Generate reports for insights into text messaging effectiveness.
- Match contacts to an integrated CRM for universal contact tracking.
6 Reasons to Incorporate Text Messaging Into Your Business Operations
With more than 7.5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, here are six reasons why adding text messaging into your business operations is a must:
1. Convenience
Text messaging eliminates many of the inconveniences that crop up between you and your customers. Phone calls can sometimes become overwhelming or may come at inconvenient times.
You can avoid having to “leave a message after the tone,” or worse, having your business completely ignored by adopting a text messaging strategy as part of your unified communications plan.
With a Callicity SMS-enabled PBX, customers can get to you anywhere at any time. Plus, your important messages can reach them in a convenient, non-intrusive way.
2. Streamlined Communication Management
Businesses today must use multiple lines of communication to get the message out and receive feedback from the public they service. More often than not, this requires the use of more than one phone number.
We help merge your landline with your text messaging (SMS). This strengthens your business’s voice, allowing your message to resonate in the marketplace. Additionally, this coherence prevents the loss of useful information during your customer exchanges.
3. Increased Automation and Notifications
Incorporating text messages into your communication strategy opens the door for your business to achieve effective automation at levels that surpass the reach of calls and email. While calls and emails work as notification channels, there is a high likelihood they will be missed or ignored when compared with text notifications.
4, More Eyes On Your Message
Only 22% of marketing emails are opened, according to a survey carried out by GetResponse. Compare that statistic with SMS’s 98% open rate!
Clearly, if you have an important message to send your customers about a sale, or any other urgent information, SMS must be considered if you want to reach the largest audience.
5. Customer Relationship Management
Texts are a convenient, non-intrusive and, above all, familiar way to directly communicate. We text family and friends every day. There could hardly be a better channel through which you could build a relationship with your customers.
Establishing a two-way conversation between you and your customers through texts sends a message that your business cares. You are one of their friends, not just a faceless business.
6. Your Customers are Texting You
Businesses that rely exclusively on voice calls and voicemail are missing possible connections. Customers are routinely texting landline and toll-free numbers, and it’s bad business to ignore them. More than 150 million text messages are sent to landline telephone numbers every day. You may have customers texting you right now and you don’t even know it.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not already incorporating text messaging into your marketing and outreach strategies, you’re missing opportunities to hear the most important tool in your business communication toolbox: the voice of your customer.
Unifying and fully integrating all of your business communications offers you, and your bottom line, profound benefits. Please contact our team at Callicity℠ or use the chat feature on our website to find out more.
