SMS for Customer Service: Ultimate Guide

Two key trends are driving the rapid adoption of SMS customer service. First, customers expect quick and efficient support. Second, text messaging has emerged as the most preferred communication channel.

By leveraging SMS messaging, companies can provide instant, personalized assistance to their customers. Plus, SMS support benefits customers too.

In this post, we’ll explore how integrating SMS into your customer service strategy can improve your business, boost customer satisfaction, and foster lasting relationships.

Jump to: 

• What is SMS Customer Service? 
• Examples of SMS Customer Service
• Benefits of Using SMS for Customer Service
• How to Kickstart SMS Customer Service for Your Business 
• Integrating SMS With Other Support Channels 
• Best Practices for SMS Customer Service
  
  

What is SMS Customer Service?

SMS customer service is providing any type of support to customers via text, from answering product questions to sharing payment reminders. SMS customer service platforms allow businesses to offer quick, personalized assistance to customers from a single inbox. 

Common SMS service use cases include:

• Troubleshooting technical issues
• Fixing order or delivery problems
• Helping with returns
• Answering customer questions
• Providing a pricing quote
• Sending order confirmations
• Sharing reminders

Examples of SMS Customer Service

Here are a few real-world examples demonstrating how to use SMS customer service. In these examples, you’ll see how most conversations are two-way: 

Example 1: Retail Order Update

Example 2: Healthcare Appointment Reminder

Example 3: Hospitality Booking Confirmation

Example 4: Troubleshooting an Issue

Customer: Hi, your mobile app keeps crashing! Please help.

Support: Hi there, have you downloaded our latest version (9.2)? We just did a bug fix.

Customer: I just did, and it’s working now! Thank you for your help.

Example 5: Providing Pricing Details
Customer: Hi, how much is an all-inclusive trip to Cabo?
Agent: It depends! You can check out a few of our offerings here: [link], or I’m happy to jump on a call to discuss your needs further.
Customer: Oh, thank you! I’m interested in the Family Fun Destination.

Benefits of Using SMS for Customer Service 

SMS offers significant benefits over more traditional support methods. This section will uncover the top reasons to consider adding SMS to your customer service. 

SMS is Convenient to Customers 

Consumers have little patience for time-consuming resolutions and waiting on hold. Unlike a phone call, SMS allows consumers to reach out with an issue and respond when convenient. 

In fact, research suggests that 50 percent of customers prefer to text customer service representatives than call them.

SMS Customer Service Saves Time

When compared to email and phone, brands that use text messaging for customer service are more likely to deliver faster resolution times and experience higher customer satisfaction scores. Businesses can also set up automated responses to common questions, which frees up support reps to focus on more complex requests. 

SMS is Cost-Effective 

SMS is one of the more affordable customer service channels. Not only does a text interaction cost less than a phone call, it can also boost agent productivity. Agents can handle more than one text interaction at a time and can message many customers at once with bulk texting. 

SMS Boosts Customer Satisfaction

Customers expect instant replies from businesses. SMS has the power to help brands cut response times. This immediacy enhances the customer experience and improves customer satisfaction. Businesses can foster stronger customer relationships by integrating SMS into their support strategies. 

How to Start SMS Customer Service for Your Business

SMS customer service is a worthy investment. But you may wonder how you can get started. Let’s take a look at the steps. 

Select the Right SMS Platform

On top of keeping your customers happy and building brand loyalty, the right SMS customer service software can make integrating texting with your existing customer support channels a breeze. 

Choosing the right SMS platform is crucial for effective customer service. Here are some specific things to remember when selecting an SMS platform.

• Identifying your needs: Do you require features like automated responses, integration with your existing CRM, or detailed analytics? 
• Scalability: Your chosen platform should grow with your business, handling increasing volumes of messages without compromising performance. 

• Reliability: Is the platform reliable, and does it offer quality support to its customers? To help you determine the reliability and support, check online reviews. 

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select an SMS platform that enhances customer service operations and meets your business goals.

Automate and Set Up SMS Response Templates 

One of the best things you can do is set up auto-replies for FAQs to alleviate the need for your customer support agents to answer the same questions repeatedly. 

For example, you can give customers the option to text a keyword to your business number to obtain your store hours or return policy. Remember to provide an easy way to connect with a live customer service rep if needed. 

You can also create and store SMS templates to help an agent reply to customers quickly.

Pro-tip: Automation doesn’t have to stop with FAQs. Depending on your type of business, you can automate appointment reminders, order notifications,  product refills or re-orders, invoices, and more via SMS. 

Promote Your SMS Service Number 

Next, you’ll want to ensure your customers know they can text you for support and questions. Here are some tips to promote your new customer service option:

• Add clear callouts on your website, particularly on the contact and support pages. 
• Highlight SMS support in your email signatures and newsletters to reach a broader audience. 
• Utilize social media platforms to announce and remind customers about the convenience of SMS support, including engaging posts and stories. 
• Incorporate SMS support information in your onboarding process, ensuring new customers are aware. 

By strategically placing these callouts, you can ensure that your customers know they have a quick and efficient way to reach you via SMS, enhancing their overall experience with your brand.

Integrate SMS with Other Support Channels

Bands that offer high-quality customer service through multiple communication channels will retain 91% of their customers. 

In other words, SMS shouldn’t be your only customer service support outlet. Deploying an integrated, omnichannel strategy using SMS, voice, live chat, and email allows consumers to communicate with your brand in whatever format suits them best.

Select an SMS platform that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems to effectively synchronize SMS with other customer support channels like voice, chat, and email. Ensure that all channels are linked to a centralized customer database, allowing your team to access real-time customer interactions and histories. This unified approach enables consistent communication, ensuring that your customers receive coherent and timely responses, regardless of the channel they choose to use. 

 Integrating SMS into other channels ensures customers receive consistent and cohesive communication, regardless of their chosen channel. e. For instance, when a customer initiates a conversation via live chat and later follows up through SMS, agents can access the entire conversation history, allowing for more informed responses.

Best Practices for Efficient Text Customer Service 

Here are some tips for getting the best results from your SMS customer service channel.

Be Proactive 

Customer service shouldn’t be strictly reactional. With SMS for customer service, you can proactively inform customers of upcoming appointments, orders, promotions, and updates. 

Most consumers appreciate upfront communications from brands – it keeps them informed on products and services they may be interested in, which increases their average order value and retention. 

Texting is an effective way to keep customers in the loop without interrupting their day with an intrusive phone call or email that gets buried in their inbox. 

Collect Feedback

When someone has a negative experience with a business, they’re far more likely to switch to a different brand than provide constructive feedback. 

Businesses can break the cycle by offering a fast, easy method of leaving feedback via SMS. 

Periodically send a brief feedback request to your opted-in contact list to encourage users to leave a review. You can automate texts to go out after a customer makes a purchase or interacts with your brand so they have a chance to leave feedback when it’s fresh in their mind.

By allowing customers to send feedback via SMS, brands accomplish two things: 

• They gain visibility into areas for improvement
• They earn a chance to make things right and win back unhappy customers

For customers, offering feedback via SMS can be as painless and straightforward as submitting a one-word answer. 

Keep It Short and Sweet

Texting is meant for short, concise communications, not long-winded novels. Even though some text message services, like Textedly, don’t cap you at 160 characters, it’s important to get your message across quickly and clearly to capture and hold your reader’s attention. 

As a rule of thumb, any outbound customer service SMS should:

• Highlight 1-2 key points
• Include a call to action
• Include a link or phone number customers can call for more information 

Personalization and Tone 

Personalized messages make customers feel valued and understood, fostering a stronger connection with your brand. Address customers by name and reference past interactions to create a more tailored experience. 

Maintaining a friendly yet professional tone is equally important; it ensures that customers feel comfortable and respected while interacting with your support team. A friendly tone can make the conversation more engaging and approachable, while professionalism assures customers that their concerns are being taken seriously.

Obtain proper opt-ins 

When it comes to SMS, you must get opt-ins from customers. With SMS support, it is considered an opt-in if customers text you first. But, if you’re doing proactive customer service, like sending alerts or updates, you’ll need consent to text your customers. This is required by law. 

Track team performance

Beyond compliance, tracking and analyzing SMS performance is vital for continuous improvement. By monitoring metrics such as response times, customer satisfaction scores, and engagement rates, businesses can identify trends and areas for enhancement, ensuring that their SMS strategy evolves in line with customer needs and expectations.

Implement SMS Customer Support With Textedly 

On top of keeping your customers happy and building brand loyalty, the right SMS platform can make integrating texting with your existing customer support channels a breeze. 

SMS marketing platforms like Textedly offer user-friendly customer support features for businesses in any industry. Textedly supports two-way text messaging, extra-long messages (300+ characters) and unlimited users, so your entire customer support team can manage SMS conversations in one place with ease. 

Ready to level up your customer service strategy to retain more customers? Sign up for a free trial of Textedly now!