Before we go further, we need to define business texting.
And no, it's not this: 😂
Business text messaging is the act of using SMS technology to communicate with your clients (or potential clients) and create a channel for two-way dialogue.
People generally use a technology platform to make the end-to-end process more efficient than manually writing and sending texts on your phone.
It's important to note that texting is one of the most informal and personal forms of communication available to businesses.
Why?
Because SMS messages are usually reserved for friends and family.
With this knowledge comes great power, but also a great responsibility.
You need to treat your clients' SMS inboxes like they were your own.
The key to success is to only ever send helpful messages that demonstrate value and show you're willing to go above and beyond to secure your business.
That said, let's look at the five key ways this communication channel can transform your sales strategy.
Time is money, especially when it comes to leads. Business text messaging ensures you respond to prospects quickly—often within minutes.
Studies show that responding to leads within 5 minutes can increase conversion rates by up to 400%.
Imagine sending a quick "Hi [Name], thanks for your inquiry! Let's set up a time to chat" text and closing the deal before your competitor even hits "Send" on their email. That's the leverage you have when using business text messaging.
Engagement is about meeting your customers where they are, and for most people, that's in their text inbox. Business SMS allows you to nurture relationships with consistent, casual, and timely communication.
Whether it's a friendly reminder, a product update, or a special discount, texting creates a sense of connection that emails just can't replicate.
Missed appointments and forgotten follow-ups are lost opportunities. Business text messaging apps make it easy to send automated reminders, cutting no-shows dramatically.
A quick "Don't forget your appointment with us tomorrow at 2 PM!" or a "Following up to see if you're ready to proceed" text ensures you stay top of mind without being intrusive.
Who doesn't love a deal tailored just for them? With texting software for business, you can craft personalized promotions based on customer preferences or purchase history.
A message like "Hi [Name], enjoy 20% off your favorite [product/service] today only!" makes customers feel valued and more likely to convert. Plus, the immediacy of SMS creates a sense of urgency.
Nobody wants to wait on hold. Business texting simplifies customer support, offering quick and convenient resolutions. From answering FAQs to resolving complaints, business text messaging software allows you to deliver exceptional service in real-time.
Your customers will appreciate the efficiency, and happy customers translate to loyal customers—and more revenue.
An SMS-enabled CRM opens up a nearly endless world of communication possibilities. But since you don't have all day, let's just cover the six major types of texts.
This knowledge will help you use your future business text messaging software far more efficiently.
|
Type of Business Text Messaging |
Why You Need It in Only One Sentence |
|
Offers and Promotions |
To let your customers know that an unmissable offer is available |
|
Appointment Reminders |
To gently remind your clients that a scheduled meeting is coming up and reduce no-show rates |
|
Contests |
To run contests that are engaging and strengthen business relationships |
|
Surveys |
To gain better feedback from your customers in a non-invasive, non-time consuming way |
|
Lead Nurturing |
To stay in touch with your leads during the entire customer journey, making them feel like a VIP |
|
Automation Sequences |
To automate menial tasks that eat up your time, energy, and mental capacity |
People love special offers and deals.
Remember that:
Imagine the incredible cut-through you could achieve with a timely, personalized offer delivered via SMS.
Your customers would see it, get super excited, and take immediate action.
Just don't overdo it and bombard your clients with sales messages — they can quickly get annoyed and stop looking at what you have to say.
Stick to fewer but more powerful messages.
Did you know that businesses that don't remind their customers about their upcoming appointments suffer from up to 90% higher no-show rates?
It makes sense. People are busy these days.
But don't merely complain, do the intelligent thing:
Send your leads and clients a quick SMS that reminds them of any scheduled meetings and gives them a chance to either confirm or reschedule.
Something as straightforward as ‘Please reply Y to confirm our call or N to reschedule' works like a charm.
It's an easy (and fully automated) way to optimize your productivity because there's no bigger waste of time and energy than preparing for meetings that don't happen.
Business text messaging allows you to grow your contact list and/or have a bit of fun with your existing database.
So why not organize a contest and send it out via an automated SMS?
Something like a sweepstake where you offer the chance to win a three-month plan for free could be the perfect bait for increasing customer engagement.
It'll also put you at the top of your leads' minds and get them seriously thinking about patronizing your business…
After all, there are few things better than having a company care enough about you to give a little something back.
Speaking of caring about customers brings up another important point:
Business SMS can be an invaluable tool for collecting feedback and insights.
This is true for three simple reasons:
You can expect response rates of about 45%, with most people answering within less than six minutes of receiving your survey.
Impressive.
Simply press send, have yourself a little coffee break, and then start analyzing the results as soon as you sit back down at your desk.
Every good salesperson knows that making a sale takes time and perseverance.
Your leads won't buy after the first contact.
It often takes up to eight touches to close a deal.
This is why nurturing your leads by using a time-saving solution like business texting is a good idea.
You can automate some of the initial touchpoints.
You can have timely conversations.
You can provide guidance and tips when they need it (and not in some future meeting).
All in all, it's ideal for gently guiding customers through your sales pipeline.
We've mentioned automated text messages a couple of times in this article.
It's undoubtedly caught your attention.
Because why should you do work that an algorithm could do for you?
SMS-enabled CRMs allow you to send a wide range of automated messages that are triggered by events of your choice.
Some of the most popular automated sequences include:
All of these are solid ideas you should integrate into your contact strategy.
But don't stop there; analyze your sales process, get creative, and add some more custom sequences that'll wow your prospects!
Now that you know all about business text messaging, it's time for us to talk about the important stuff.
Here are five bulletproof ways texting can boost your sales and increase your commissions.
It's elementary, my dear Watson.
Conversations drive sales.
The more high-quality touchpoints you have with your prospects, the more likely you are to convince them your product or service is the best one for their needs.
And business SMS is a phenomenal tool for having more conversations because:
This means you can remove bottlenecks in your pipeline, leave no lead untouched, and nurture your hot leads faster than ever before.
More sales and higher customer satisfaction are one ‘send' away.
Nearly 92% of buyers expect a response within just 10 minutes.
Those are some pretty high expectations.
But this is the age of convenience, and you can't afford to get left behind because you rely on slow processes.
You need to get faster, and text messaging software can help.
Imagine this situation:
Several people with questions text customer service or a sales representative about an issue they've encountered.
Their messages don't just sit in an inbox waiting for someone from your team to see them.
They automatically get forwarded by your SMS-enabled CRM to the relevant agent's work phone, laptop, desktop, and any other logged-on device.
This vastly increases the chance that the agent picks up the messages immediately.
But that's not all, your CRM also sends the customers an automated response that lets them know that you've received their query and are working on it right now.
That's what we call service — the kind that'll grow customer loyalty and sales.
Remember the scary first statistic we brought up in the introduction?
Let's remind you just in case you've intentionally forgotten it:
30-50% of sales go to the business that acts first.
And while this makes you want to say ‘Yikes,' it doesn't have to.
Because with business text messaging software, you can be the business that acts first.
With automated messages, you can get in touch lightning-fast and position yourself first and foremost in your lead's mind.
Business 101, being first is good.
Then it's up to you to capitalize on your advantage and close that sale.
If you do a good enough job, we might even have to update our stat to ‘more than 50% of sales.' 🤝
Salespeople have a lot to do.
Whenever we get a spare moment, most of us look like this guy:
And trust us, we know how frustrating it can get.
Especially when you realize that you're wasting up to 65% of your precious time on non-revenue-generating tasks.
It's one of the main reasons we built Ringy and integrated cutting-edge business text messaging capabilities into its DNA.
We want to make your lives easier and far less hectic, so you can focus on what matters most — having conversations with your leads.
And while we aren't rocket scientists, we do know automating your business texting to generate leads will save you time and money.
Would you like more time and more money?
Thought so.
Sales is an art, and like any art form, practice makes perfect.
Just think, Pablo Picasso used to paint thousands of variations of the same picture until he created the perfect one.
We know you must be wondering how you can do that with sales.
The answer is simple:
Analytics.
Reports, charts, and dashboards help you review your campaigns and understand what worked and what still needs improvement.
You can use this information to kick off a journey of continuous improvement, one where your sales process becomes more robust with every single contact you make.
Perfection is finally within reach.
You don't want to break the bank on software.
Nobody does.
You want to find a reasonably priced solution that's guaranteed to deliver a better selling experience and a handsome ROI.
We suggest you carefully review the different providers, paying close attention to two things:
Here's a quick link to our pricing page, so you can get started on your research!
This one might sound silly, but it's not.
You want to make sure that the texting platform you pick is mobile-friendly and not just a desktop-bound application.
Modern sales teams spend loads of time either working from home or on the road visiting clients.
They deserve to be able to monitor everything from the comfort of their phone.
Whether it's through a business text messaging app or a mobile-optimized website, you'll appreciate the freedom to connect with your leads on your terms.
When it comes to sales software, poor user experience (UX) is our pet peeve.
Stuff like this drives up the wall:
Which way should you go?
Back.
Back to a better provider that makes sure you don't need to ask yourself these questions.
Good user experience saves you time, but most importantly, it allows everyone in your team to make the most of the advanced capabilities on offer.
How can you check a CRM's UX?
First impressions are crucial, especially when you're cold-calling or texting.
You'll want to pick a CRM that offers solid phone number management.
The handiest feature around is smart local ID, where your call or text is automatically routed from a number that's local to your lead.
Because people are four times as likely to answer someone local.
Analytics is one of the primary reasons why you should get text messaging software for business.
They enable you to learn from your past campaigns and commit to a continuous improvement mindset.
Fundamental stuff if you want to boost your performance, both individually and as a team.
So don't forget to check the analytics functionality on offer by reviewing screenshots of the program's reports, charts, and dashboards.
And that's it.
You know what to look for in an SMS platform.
But since we're here, let's look at some of the best business text messaging app recommendations.
Choosing the right business text messaging app can transform your customer communication strategy. Here's a quick overview of five top apps, each offering unique features to meet your business needs.
|
App |
Key Features |
Best For |
|
Our very own CRM with integrated SMS marketing, automated workflows, two-way messaging, and contact segmentation. |
Businesses seeking a powerful all-in-one CRM solution with seamless text-based lead nurturing. |
|
|
Customizable messaging APIs, scalability, and global reach. |
Developers and tech-savvy businesses in need of tailored SMS communication solutions. |
|
|
Customer review requests, payment collection via SMS, and centralized messaging. |
Local businesses aiming to improve reviews and simplify customer transactions through texting. |
|
|
Bulk SMS, contact management, and SMS drip campaigns. |
Small businesses looking for affordable and easy-to-use mass messaging tools. |
|
|
Two-way messaging, SMS surveys, and email-to-text capabilities. |
Teams in need of flexible text messaging software for both customer communication and internal use. |
Just follow these short and sweet instructions:
Not sure where to start?
We recommend taking it from the beginning — build an opening sequence.
Something straightforward like this can wonder wonders:
Business text messaging is a powerful tool, but like any strategy, it comes with its own set of challenges. But here are some effective ways to overcome any challenges related to business text messaging.
Compliance is non-negotiable when using business text messaging software. Regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S. and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe dictate how businesses can communicate via SMS. For instance, obtaining explicit opt-in consent from customers before texting them is a must.
As a business text messaging platform, we emphasize the importance of SMS opt-in compliance to align with Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulations, which require explicit customer consent before sending text messages. Here's how you can adhere to regulatory compliance:
While texting is an effective communication channel, overdoing it can annoy customers and lead to unsubscribes. Striking the right balance is key. Use business text messaging software to schedule messages thoughtfully, ensuring you're providing value rather than overwhelming your audience.
For example, limit promotional texts to one or two per week and mix in valuable content like reminders or updates. Personalization also helps—customers are less likely to view tailored texts as intrusive.
Customers appreciate prompt replies, but high message volumes can make this challenging. A business texting app like Ringy can help by automating responses for FAQs and flagging high-priority inquiries. Ringy's CRM capabilities ensure no message goes unanswered by organizing conversations and providing instant access to customer details.
Additionally, consider dedicating staff or time slots to manage incoming messages efficiently. Timely responses show customers you value their time, enhancing trust and loyalty.
SMS marketing is slowly becoming a must-have for modern sales teams.
Because, as you've learned in this article, this simple bit of technology equips you with quite a few superpowers.
In the same amount of work hours as before, you'll finally be able to:
Does that sound good?
You bet it does.
So do yourself and your entire team a big favor…
Strongly consider signing up for texting software.
And since you're bound to be thinking about CRMs with excellent automation, don't forget about Ringy and our 7-day free trial!
It's completely obligation-free.
We'd be honored to count you as one of our valued users.
But no hard feelings if you aren't ready yet, just remember that you can drop us a note whenever — we're always happy to help.
In the meantime, thanks for reading, and see you soon back here on our blog!