What is Text Message Commerce?

Once upon a time, most business and customer service matters were handled over a phone call. Telephones, specifically home phones, were so ingrained into the American family that it was considered rude not to answer the phone. When the phone rang, it was a race to see who could answer and who was on the other line. If it was a company calling, it was a real person offering a real customer service solution.

The last decade has seen the near death of the land line, and a population that answers their cell phone less than 50% of the time. Robo callers have overwhelmed the phone lines with spam calls which has made the ring of the telephone an annoyance instead of something to be excited about.  How is a business supposed to follow up with a customer, and provide better service if they cannot connect? 

Just because Americans don’t answer the phone anymore does not mean that most of them do not constantly have one on their person. Most people check theirs within 5 minutes of waking up and use them constantly for everything from social media to shopping and text message communication. Businesses can still capitalize on communication with customers but it needs to be done a different way: they need to begin to utilize text message commerce.

So, what exactly is text message commerce? It is a way of communicating with customers via text messaging that allows businesses to connect on a personal level, offering customer service, transaction updates, and opportunities for upselling. 

Customer Service is greatly improved with increased communication. Customers want to know updates on their purchases or services, and what to expect next. With text message commerce, if a purchase is being prepared for shipment, instead of an email going out, which can easily be missed or sent to the spam folder, a text can be now be sent to the customer saying “Hi Jane, this is John with ABC Super Store. We are currently prepping your purchase for shipment.”

Jane now knows that her shipment can be expected soon, but an additional sales layer can also be added. An additional line to the text conversation can be added to say “Would you like us to add a 12 count box of dog treats, currently on sale for $7?”

Text message commerce can also be used to follow up after the sale, offering a chance for feedback or a customer satisfaction survey. Once a customer feels valued they are much more likely to remain loyal in the future. 

Text message commerce allows that personal touch and communication that customers are missing in their everyday transactions. It allows for fast, convenient communication, and improves upon customer satisfaction as well as helps increase sales and the bottom line.