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Mobile devices are the key factor influencing the modern consumers path to purchase. Today’s consumer is always online always connected. Consumers are ALREADY going to their personal MOBILE device FIRST when searching for a local business. They look to their mobile devices first for information on the goods and services they want. They are already doing it daily in your store, in the moment, and on the fly.
 
They write reviews, share pictures, and they want everyone to know. They share their experiences and what they know about the brands, goods, and services they value through their personal mobile device via text and on social media. A 21st Century version of word of mouth.


Mobile devices have become indispensable tools in the 21st century. Most notably smart phones have changed the way consumers interact with brands. With a single click, a customer is online and can access any information they want.
 
Contact centers, being the bridge between consumers and companies, have to provide customer service where the customers are. Text messaging is a fundamental platform when reaching out to them. Did you know research shows individuals read an SMS within the first four minutes of receiving it?
 
Check out these statistics to further understand the impact of cell phones and smart phones in the market place:
 
More than two-thirds of Americans own a smart phone or a tablet.
90% of adult Americans own a cell phone.
98% of teenage Americans own a phone.
And these are the four primary benefits of why you should be using text messages in your contact center:
 
Lower Communication Costs


Most contact centers have high operating costs. Finding a way to reduce these costs and still maintain the quality standards of service is vital to the company growth. All communication mediums have costs attached to them, service provider costs attached, and contact center costs.
 
Sending text messages is cheaper than making outbound calls. Both are effective ways of reaching customers, nevertheless, when you are looking at reducing costs, text messages will save the day.
 
For example, an outbound call may cost $3.80 to $ 31.68 while an SMS could cost as little as $0.10 to $0.25. The difference in cost is huge when multiplying the number of outbound calls or SMS made by a contact center. And this new, updated, final cost will make a significant reduction in operating costs.
 
Effective Service Delivery


Being effective is important in a contact center. You do not want to run programs for the sake of it. You want to have tangible outputs from the input. We measure effectiveness in terms of time and value created within that time.
 
From the agents’ perspective, sending out an SMS notification takes 2.5 seconds compared to sending the same message via a telephone call, which will take 2 minutes. Simply put, agents can reach dozens of customers in the same time it takes as making a single phone call.
 
Customers also expect an instant response and what better way to provide that than through the device they look at every few minutes. Have you ever left the house without your smart phone? A majority of people would risk being late and go back to fetch their phone before spending the whole day without it. Consumers are admittedly attached to their smart phones.
 
Agents and customers are more satisfied with this service delivery because it saves time and is effective.
 
Enhance Marketing Promotions


Marketing is about informing customers of your latest products and promotions, whether it is a new product or advancement. Promotions being at the core of a marketing campaign, it is important to run one that is cost effective.
 
For example, a retailer who wants to run an in-store promotion can send out targeted texts before the event date. Customers who receive the communication will be ready for the day, and it will save the retailer advertisement money. Not only can you inform your consumers about the event, but you can also send reminders and discount coupons. Your business will certainly remain top of mind with your customers.
 
This is being proactive in your marketing campaign while increasing revenue. It is also easy to track response rates of text messages by analyzing the data collected during the event.

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Improve Staff Communications

A contact center can employ thousands of team members.  Sometimes planning work schedules can be difficult due to demand increases such as during a crisis and you need to quickly outsource extra staff to ensure customer satisfaction. With text messages you can inform seasonal agents when work is available and they can respond immediately to confirm availability or otherwise.
 
For permanent staff, when shifts have to change for any reason, you can send them an SMS regarding these changes and what you expect them to do to cover the shortage.
 
Text messages saves your in-house staff time and effort of calling their colleagues. It also reduces the number of agents to involve in such an exercise.
 
Introducing text messaging to the call center can reduce costs, provide efficient service delivery, enhance marketing promotions, and improve staff communications. Begin to include text messaging with the other lines of communication within your call center. Take advantage of SMS for the convenience and reliability.