The saying goes, “The customer is always right,” so when working in Customer Experience, the key
to success is to embody the customer mindset.
With constant barrage of messaging that consumers receive via email, push notifications, retargeting, and
social media has become exhausting. Then the odds are higher than ever that if you’re using these channels exclusively to communicate, you’re not having the most successful interactions.
SMS messaging to mobile phones, meanwhile, remains a mostly untapped avenue for increasing customer loyalty. SMS is one of the oldest digital communication channels, text messaging is also one of the least crowded.
While the majority of consumers automatically have their guard up when conversing through other mediums, with mobile text messaging, they feel more open to genuine connections. As long as you can establish trust and authenticity, using these channels is essential to maximizing and delivering on your customer relationships.
The post-app era
It’s been more than a decade since the dawn of the iPhone, and although interaction via apps has grown massively, it has also led to an overwhelming amount of information and increased friction. This balloons
in tandem with the number of apps on our phones.
Like the emails that endlessly clutter up consumer inboxes, often going unread, the number of apps downloaded means that many of them also go unopened and unused. Push notification and in- app
messaging were once novel and exective ways to engage with consumers, but that excacy is decreasing as they compete with countless other calls for attention.
Of course, if a customer is reaching out to you via your app, you’re guaranteed engagement, because it’s the channel they’ve chosen to communicate with you. But when you need to initiate communication from your end,
think about where it’s most likely to be seen and connected with a message in an app your customer may or may not ever open? An email that could be buried in their inbox below dozens of others? Or a direct SMS
mobile text message? 95% of SMS messages are read within two minutes.
Keeping it conversational
Naturally, getting your text message noticed is only the beginning. Mobile phone text messaging is typically reserved for friends and family, that makes their mobile phone an extremely personal space. And if you’re entering into someone’s personal space, it’s crucial that you play fair and by the right rules.
Think about how people interact with others on a day-to-day basis, and be sure you’re interacting in the same way. Adopting a conversational tone and speaking like a real human comes first. Remember, you’re reaching out to them.
Rather than writing something like, “Thank you for your recent order from our store. Tell us what you thought of your purchase experience,” try something closer to, “Hey Jane, I saw you just made a purchase from us. Thanks for that! I just wanted to check in and see how it went. Is there anything we could be doing to make things easier?”
No one wants to be treated like a number, and they especially don’t want that in a space where they normally go to escape from intrusions. If your customers have opted in to this type of contact, make
sure they don’t regret it, and that they actually feel motivated to respond.
Speak as you would to your own friends and family, and keep the customer’s experience top of mind at all times.
