The Keys to Professionally Using Texting to Communicate

There are several standard practices you should follow while using texting to communicate with your consumers. The law is particular regarding how businesses should communicate with their clients by text message, and any infractions will result in monetary penalties. Using texting to communicate with leads and clients is a way to take your business even deeper into the digital age.

Following these rules of SMS texting etiquette can help you comply with regulations and provide value to your clientele.

Learn If They Are Okay With Receiving Texts

You should either acquire your clients’ permission to SMS them or wait for them to contact you first. If they needed help with customer service, they probably messaged you first. However, this should never be interpreted as permission to begin sending them promotional material outside the scope of their legitimate customer service requests. Customer consent is required before they will get promotional communications from your company. Any time a client approves, they can alter their mind. The key to a successful customer service strategy and avoiding spam filters is to make it simple for customers to unsubscribe from your marketing communications.

Avoid Diverging From Your Brand’s Identity

There may be dozens of online platforms associated with your corporate. Even while it’s easy to forget about texting, having written writing guidelines in place can help keep your team on brand. Guidelines may allow emojis and GIFs in MMS replies if the company frequently utilizes “fun” language. Use complete phrases and a more formal tone if you want people to take your business seriously. Your text messages should be the same as the rest of your correspondence.

Stay Away From Autocorrect!

When sending private messages via text, autocorrect can be a lifesaver. However, it is not as crucial for professional use. That’s because autocorrect’s modifications aren’t always spot-on, and they’re even easier to overlook when there’s no bright “red underline” to draw attention to them. Autocorrect can make mistakes when dealing with business jargon because companies often use their acronyms and spelling for certain words. Verify messages thoroughly before sending them.

Never Share Private Details Over Text Message

Compared to other forms of electronic communication, texting lacks some safety measures. Even if your texting service provides extra security for your messages, it’s best not to send sensitive information by text. While it’s fine to contact clients to remind them of upcoming appointments, it’s preferable not to include sensitive information like credit card numbers or other personal details. However, proper business telephone use permits the sharing of confidential information (so long as it is not discussed on speakerphone) and the observance of sector-specific rules and guidelines.

To The Point!

Not even if you take the time to explain everything in detail about your insurance. Quite the contrary. The ability to simplify complex information for the benefit of your customers is a must. You can only use up to 140 characters, so make everyone count. Try to keep your explanations brief and to the point when explaining something. This is a good rule of thumb to follow if you’re trying to figure out how many texts to send. Instead of sending one long text message, sending between one and three shorter ones is preferable if the answer requires more detail.

A lengthy paragraph to your insurance leads risks having its final words omitted entirely. Paragraphs that are too long are difficult to read and often leave the reader feeling lost. If you need to respond with more than two or three short messages, you might want to consider calling or sending an email instead. Having a lengthy conversation with you is not in anyone’s interest. If you anticipate the response to be lengthy, inform the other party and suggest you connect via phone or email. Make sure your client knows what you want them to do or ask in the first text or a separate message.