How Text Messaging is Changing Small Businesses
Posted August 5, 2011 – 12:51 pm
We are pleased to publish this guest post about text messaging by Howard Gibbs of Specialty Answering Service.
With the development of cell phones, smart phones and iPhones, people now have a miniature computer in their grasp for instant communication. The convenience of text messaging is having an impact on the way small businesses do business.
Communication in the business world has rapidly changed over the last few years from pagers, fax machines, and telephones to emails and online video chats. Small business owners must be willing to adapt and embrace new methods of communication or their company will quickly become outdated.
Text messages offer an alternate yet effective way for clients and business owners to keep in quick communication of each other. As a method of increasing customer service through rapid response, text messages can be relayed instantly and are usually responded to just as fast. Customers no longer have to call a company for information about a product or send an email via their home computers, cell phones, or the like.
When businesses offer a “text messaging” line for customers to initiate an inbound contact, they can alleviate any time consuming telephone conversations and give prospective customers immediate response to their queries. Think this is impersonal? Think again. The text message itself is evolving to be one of the most highly personal and frequently used methods of communication.
Texting also means that there is virtually no downtime in waiting for someone to read the request and respond appropriately. Small businesses owners are often glued to their cell phones. They become extensions of their person. Because of this, cell phones become an excellent method of communication when contacting a small business. Cell phone communication via voice can be somewhat intrusive if the business owner is meeting other clients, engrossed in their daily operations, or otherwise unable to speak.
The beauty of the text message is that cell phones can be checked practically everywhere in a noninvasive manner. There is no need to leave the room, worry about cell phone ringers, or insult any parties you may be engaged with by answering your phone. In addition, if a small business is using an answering service to manage their phone calls, most services be willing to offer text messaging as a means of communication.
Text messaging also serves as a great way to let people know about longer requests that may necessitate an email. Most telephones are equipped to receive emails but the text message can give the business owner a quick “heads up” limiting the need to read or correspond with the email. Imagine how convenient it would be to schedule to communicate with your local plumber and schedule an appointment via text message.
Text messages are essentially a guaranteed, noninvasive means of communication in the business community. As a whole, small businesses benefit from text messages because they serve as quick alerts, reminders, mini messages with names and phone numbers, short questions, and can be used when it is imperative that contact be made. Seating text messages in a more prominent position at your communication table means you will be keeping up with the changing genre of communication as well as embracing new ways to improve customer service.
Author’s Bio: Howard Gibbs of Specialty Answering Service has been reading, writing, and breathing telecommunications for the last 25 years.
