Digital channels and SMS are most often used to generate leads and new customers. Recently, however, companies' strategies have started to focus on deepening existing customer relationships and improving the customer experience. Companies recognise the importance of loyal customers and want to invest in them through content and marketing, but what concrete steps can be taken? And how can SMS be used to increase customer satisfaction?
People are using their phones more than ever. Phones are constantly within reach and regularly checked. This means that businesses can reach customers where they spend most of their time - on the phone. Text messaging is the most secure and fastest way to connect with customers and stakeholders. It complements other digital channels and brings efficiency to communication.
The simplicity and ease of use of SMS make it a versatile and cost-effective channel for both small and large businesses. You can start sending SMS messages as soon as you have your customers' phone numbers and permission to approach them via SMS. Although SMS is a simple way of communicating, it should be treated like any other marketing channel and a well thought out and planned strategy should be put in place. Then it will best support your objectives and you will get tangible results.
Use targeted and personalised SMS messages
Personalisation of text messages is an effective way to stand out in a flood of messages and get the attention of your target audience. If the content of a message is too generic, people are likely to ignore it. Write the text as if you were talking to a person face-to-face. A text message reaches customers directly and quickly, so the content of the message is more appealing when the text is formatted to be approachable. With SMS marketing, you can create targeted and personalised messages for each of your customers. A personalised text message always feels more personal and using a first name as a personalisation tool, for example, has been shown to improve open rates. A personalised message can even be used to create unique discount codes for your customers to use online, or to remind them of their appointments.
With Quriiri's SMS service, personalising your messages is easy. Bulk SMS can be automatically personalised, for example, by first name, company name or customer number. For example, ”Hi Jenni...” or ”Your customer number is 6751834”. Quriiri also allows you to manage customer contacts and add your own parameters to personalise group text messages.
With Quriiri, you can get your message to hundreds of thousands of mobile phones in a short time. And yet messages can still feel personal to the recipient. If you want, you can also spread your campaign over a longer period, for example, so that messages are sent evenly every weekday for a week.
Serve your customers
SMS marketing doesn't have to be just about sending messages to your customers. It's also a great way to help your customers and receive messages from them. By allowing customers to send your business SMS messages, you can greatly improve customer service. Most people prefer to use SMS for customer service enquiries and comments. It's fast, hassle-free, cost-effective and can be done from anywhere. By offering this feature as part of your multi-channel communications, you bring your business closer to your customers and give people the opportunity to contact you with any questions or problems they may have. This immediately reduces the time spent on a customer issue or problem and results in a satisfied customer base, even if something goes wrong.
Ask for feedback
Post-service feedback surveys are important for improving the customer experience and SMS is a very effective channel for customer feedback. SMS surveys have high response rates and are quick to respond to. Asking for feedback immediately after using the service increases the likelihood of getting responses, as the service is still fresh in the memory and the survey becomes part of an already existing interaction. It is therefore most efficient to integrate the surveys into the service, so that they are sent automatically at the right moment.
Our research shows that the response rate for SMS surveys can be as high as over 60%. Text messages are perceived as an easy channel to provide feedback. Responding to a text message is very quick, taking very little time from the customer. More and more companies are using Quriiri SMS surveys because they are also a quick and easy way for company staff to collect feedback. For example, you can send your customers a NPS (Net promoter score) survey, which gives you important information about their experience and allows you to improve your service further. Learn more about how to conduct SMS surveys with Quriiri.
Avoid negative experience
As text messages are sure to be read, it is worth paying particular attention to the content and frequency of the messages. While SMS has the potential to improve the customer experience, it also has the potential to create a negative experience very quickly. If messages become annoying, the churn rate will easily increase. There is no surer way to frustrate customers than to send them messages they don't want or haven't subscribed to. This immediately causes irritation because it shows that your company does not respect its customers. It is important that you only send your SMS messages to those who have opted in, and respect the choice of those who have not.
Another potential stumbling block in SMS marketing is sending messages at the wrong time or too often. Your communication should be a positive experience that delivers value and reaches your customers at the right time. The customer experience will not improve if you send a text message too early or too late. And customers are likely to ignore messages if they are sent at peak times. Send an appropriate number of messages, taking into account the interests and needs of your target audience. When a text message feels personal and useful, it brings the customer closer to the company, thus boosting sales.
Reward your customers
SMS is a very easy, cost-effective and personal way to reward your customers and increase customer satisfaction. For example, you can send your customers or other stakeholders coupons or predefined reward codes, such as The alarm code. The Ärrä code is a service for companies that allows them to easily and quickly reward customers and other stakeholders with products from the R-kiosk range.
The Ärrä code is a one-time, unique code that is sent as a text message to the desired number of people. The Ärrä code works like a gift card and can be used with a variety of products from the R-kiosk range. By showing the Ärrä code at any R-kiosk in Finland, the recipient will receive the product attached to the code free of charge or at a discount.
You can also send Elisa Bookcodes through us. You can thank or reward your customers with an Elisa audio book, allowing them to choose the book of their choice from over 240 popular titles. audio and e-book and read it at his own pace, when it suits him. Contact us, in case you were interested in Elisa's Book Codes.
Would you like to try SMS for business communication?
Quriiri is an easy-to-use browser-based service for corporate mobile communication needs. Quriiri provides communicators with a service that offers easy-to-use applications for various communication needs. The ready-made applications allow you to use both group text messaging and two-way communication - using SMS technology.
You can easily upload your SMS recipients from an Excel or CSV file and create groups of recipients for ongoing use. Type your message, select the recipients and send! You can then monitor the delivery of messages and the results of your queries in the reports.
Another way to enable SMS is to integrate SMS into your own systems using interfaces. The Quriiri provides efficient and clear interfaces and flexible routing of messages. Quriiri has been praised by partners and customers for its clarity, reliability and versatility. Messages can be routed in any desired way and you can work with a single service in multiple channels. This allows messages to be automated and combined in a variety of systems, applications and services.
With clear and structured content that adds value to the customer's life, SMS can enhance the customer experience. In turn, a positive customer experience helps build brand reputation and drives sales.
Would you like to know more about how SMS could fit into your business communication?
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