Nearly 150 years after Alexander Graham Bell first patented the telephone, voice communication remains one of the primary ways people communicate with one another. The technology has evolved, of course, with VoIP services now dominating the market, but most small businesses still rely heavily on voice communications to communicate with customers.
The question is whether a voice-only strategy can suffice in a world increasingly gravitating toward text messaging. Your answers to these three questions will help you decide:
More than 80% of consumers say they want to communicate with their favorite businesses and brands, but they especially want that option with businesses providing certain products or services. In the Cloudli survey, 40%-50% of consumers said they would prefer to text, rather than call:
● Health and wellness businesses, including doctor’s offices and gyms (51%)
● Technology services, such as TV or internet (49%)
● Personal care businesses, such as hair salons, barbers and spas (43%)
● Restaurants (42%)
● Retail businesses (42%)
● Financial services (41%)
Admittedly, some consumers said they preferred communicating with businesses by phone and 93% said they wanted the ability to talk with a live person if necessary. Yet, nine out of 10 said they’d prefer to have the option of texting or calling, rather than voice communications alone.
Consumers increasingly gravitate toward businesses with frictionless, self-serve options. That means companies that allow consumers to shop online, make reservations or appointments, pay bills and submit questions and requests have advantages over small businesses that do not.
However, our survey showed that 94% of consumers want to support local businesses, and 78% believe texting would help. For businesses without a self-serve-enabled website, texting provides a quick avenue to interact with businesses and take care of tasks without being put on hold or getting stuck in a phone tree. And small businesses are uniquely positioned to provide a personal touch even by text, because owners and employees can respond personally and specifically to customers’ needs. In the end, that’s what consumers ultimately want: great customer service. Having a dual voice-and-text option will help you deliver.
Small businesses have to be strategic with their marketing and communications tactics, and it turns out, texting is the perfect vehicle at the perfect price. Consumers today are open to receiving appointment reminders, updates on services you are providing them, or hearing about special sales or specials they might appreciate.
And then there’s the affordability factor: you can subscribe to an all-mobile voice and Business Texting plan, or layer Business Texting over your existing phone plan, for as little as $15 per month per user. That’s infinitely cheaper than postage these days, and more likely than email to catch the attention of the recipients.
Why rely on voice-only when Business Text is affordable, effective and in-demand by your customers? Cloudli’s TalkNText all-mobile voice and texting service opens up a new communications channel with your customers, with helpful SMB-minded features like automated text reply, shared numbers and business hours settings – all accessible from an app on your mobile device or computer.
Find out how Cloudli can give you the best of both worlds, voice and text, at a price point that fits any small-business budget. Take advantage of our 7-day trial, or reach out to talk to a specialist.
