7 ways to use business SMS to improve customer communication

Did you know that the average person sees up to 10,000 ads per day? It’s no surprise then that people are becoming harder and harder to reach due to an ever-expanding attention deficit.

With that in mind, it’s crucial that you choose the right method of communication to suit your purpose. While email and social media are great for long-form and visual content, such as newsletters or videos, SMS is ideal for short, sharp and punchy messages, including those that require more urgent attention, like a last-minute cancellation, booking reminder or overdue invoice.

Plus, with people checking their phones up to 160 times a day, it’s a no-brainer to at least trial some text blasts.

If you’re looking for ways to use business SMS, look no further - we’ve got you covered with 7 examples, plus a whole host of free templates that you can copy, edit and send out in minutes.

1. Welcome new customers

Sending a welcome text to newly enrolled customers can help extend that positive first impression and put them at ease before their first class. Your text can include brief information about their booking, as well as a link to your online portal where they can manage their membership from their mobile.

Top tip: Use a link shortening tool like Bitly or TinyURL to reduce your character count.

2. Send timely reminders

While you can just as easily send out bulk emails for important reminders, the open rates for SMS are around 390% higher. This makes it a more effective channel than email or social media where your message might be missed. With SMS, it’s much more likely that your customers will open, read and take action (where necessary).

You can send reminders for:

• When fees are due (about a week in advance)
• Outstanding invoices
• Assignment deadlines
• Facility closures/reopenings (such as scheduled maintenance or public holidays)
• Class cancellations

Many of these events can be triggered in your school management system, automating the process to save you even more time. You can also filter your sender list by different categories to ensure your message reaches the right people.

3. Send an emergency alert

Text messages provide a direct and low-cost way to reach your customers in seconds, making them an ideal option for unforeseen emergency updates, such as a viral outbreak, last-minute closure or crime.

You can send as either a mass message or target certain customer/staff segments depending on who needs to receive the alert.

4. Notify students/parents about achievements

SMS doesn’t just need to be saved for emergencies - instead, use it to celebrate your student’ wins, such as a new personal best or course achievement.

This will not only give them a motivational boost but also demonstrates to parents that they are progressing in class.

Top tip: Does your business have a mascot? If so, sign off your text to parents with younger children with your mascot’s name to make them feel even more special.

5. Share a promotion or limited offer

An attractive promotion is a great way to nurture relationships with current, past and prospective customers. Current students would appreciate a loyalty offer for example, while with your past students, you could run a re-engagement campaign to encourage their return to classes. A promotion directed at potential students spreads brand awareness while also whetting their appetite, increasing their chances of attending a trial class that could lead to them becoming regular customers.

6. Advertise an event

Another benefit of SMS compared to other marketing tools is that it’s an informal way to promote an upcoming event, such as a tournament or fundraiser and boost attendance and ticket sales.

7. Ask for feedback

Collecting feedback is one of the best ways to gain insight into how well your business is operating from a customer perspective.

A quick and easy solution is to send customers a link to your preferred review site via SMS. For example, you could send a text blast to customers at the end of a course thanking them for joining and asking if they would mind sharing their experience.

Alternatively, if you have specific questions in mind that you’d like feedback on, you could send out a survey link instead.

Top tip: It’s not recommended to send out these types of messages too often as they can come across as spammy. As a benchmark, plan to send one per quarter via SMS (you can always use other marketing channels that are less personal such as social media to ask for reviews in between).

With the majority of phone owners never far away from their mobile, business SMS remains a successful (and often underutilised) service that you can tap into, whether you have an urgent message for your customers or want to send something a little more personal.

Take your customer experience to the next level - chat to Udio about how automated SMS technology can integrate with your school management software to make the whole process a breeze.