Two-Way SMS Messaging: A Beginner’s Guide

Have you ever sent a text to a business and received a response within minutes or are you planning to set one up for your business?

Two-way SMS

Try two-way SMS messaging. With Two-way SMS, your customers can send and receive SMS from you through a dedicated number via a web-based messaging platform.

What is Two-way SMS messaging?

Two-way SMS is done using shortcodes or virtual mobile numbers to reach a large number of customers effectively. It turns the most convenient medium for messaging into a channel for conversations and expands the functionality of text messaging by giving your business a platform for two-way communication with your customers.

A major advantage of two-way SMS is that it lets you send messages and receive replies on the same number at a minimal cost to your business.

How can you use Two-Way SMS?

To make your conversations truly interactive, two-way SMS affords you the means to keep customers engaged in back-and-forth exchanges using certain keywords, choices of response, and natural-language conversation. Almost similar to chat windows or instant messaging apps, two-way SMS lets your customers talk to you with what we are all familiar with: SMS.

Now let’s talk about how Two-Way SMS can work for your brand:

Send Out Exclusive Offers and Coupons

You can give your customers and prospects exclusive information on how to take part in offers and get incentives like discounts and coupons using two-way SMS. If they respond with a YES, they get custom codes that can be used when shopping on your website or in-store.

Get Prompt Customer Feedback

You can collect feedback from customers promptly. To make it even more interactive for them, you can use emojis to measure their experience and level of satisfaction. Their responses can also be graded by asking customers to give your business a score on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is “poor service”, 3 means “average” and 5 means “ amazing service”.

Set and Confirm Appointments

Most of your customers have their mobile devices on them and SMS is one of the best ways to ensure they get your message at the right time. When they set appointments, it’s important to confirm their booking instantly and you can go further by giving them a booking number and additional info like your store address and time.

Customer Service

Two-Way SMS can serve as a medium for deeper interactions with your customers. It’s very efficient when dealing with and resolving issues your customers may encounter while using your products or services.

A/B Testing Offers

Two-Way SMS makes A/B testing straightforward and automated as you can send the same promo albeit worded differently to separate customer bases and see what variation works best and translates to conversion.

Advantages of Two-Way Messaging

  • Instant delivery: SMS usually gets delivered within seconds, which means your business can deliver time-sensitive messages straightaway. Also, SMS enjoys considerably higher open rates and response rates than emails. The faster your messages get to them, the quicker your customers can come to a decision.
  • Automation: By identifying your customers’ preferences, two-way SMS saves you considerable time and resources by setting up automated and dynamic responses that are based on predefined keywords.
  • Low cost, high conversion: SMS conversion rates are high because they are short, clear, and don’t contain many links or images. SMS campaigns are known for having lower setup and running costs when compared to email marketing and other channels.
  • Easy-to-understand APIs: Omnichannel communication platforms that provide two-way SMS usually offer accessible APIs that can be easily integrated with any third-party tools or applications.

Final Word

Two-way messaging guarantees your customers an interactive experience and a faster way to reach your brand. Get started today with BSG.

We offer 2-Way messaging software with the highest security standards that help businesses keep up with their ever-dynamic customers on their channels of choice.

Shares

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *