1. The medium is the message
Consumers care about companies’ values more than ever – and this is particularly true of the Millennial and Gen-Z age cohorts. SMS messaging alerts, reminders and delivery updates are a nimble and effective way for brands to communicate, and can go a long way to building a trusted relationship with customers.
“Younger generations place a high value on authenticity and innovation, and expect brands to align with their values and causes.” Eileen Carroll, Púca CEO
2. Make it easy to access information
If customers need information don’t make them scroll through endless online options or wait on hold to talk to a live agent. Instead consider self-service “MyAccount” apps, chatbots or SMS. Mobile operators, banks, energy companies and other utilities can all benefit.
3. Integrate voice and messaging
Call deflection is an exploding trend we’ve noticed over the past year or so. Sudden influxes of calls can be tough for small contact teams and lead to dropped calls and unhappy customers. By combining voice with messaging options, you can give customers the flexibility to receive information via SMS instead. Banks, insurance companies and utility companies have been quick on the uptake.
4. Don’t forget reminders
We all suffer from information overload from time to time and forget things. A quick SMS reminder about an appointment or delivery can help us manage our busy schedules, and it’s definitely a win for your business if you can reduce missed appointments. This DHL Ireland customer story is a great example.
5. Jump on the AI bandwagon
Automating repetitive but important customer interactions with AI can save your business time and money. And as AI technologies like Open AI become increasingly accessible through chat applications and APIs, even small businesses can benefit.
6. Always keep it Personal
More and more businesses are adopting messaging, so it’s important that your messages stand out to keep your customers engaged. This can be achieved through the use of personalized content and even emojis to make your messages more appealing and relevant to the recipient.
7. Encourage feedback
2-way messaging can be a great way for businesses to gather feedback from customers, identify areas for improvement and create a better customer experience. Whether you use an interactive SMS survey, email or a chatbot – don’t be shy of asking your customers to rate their experience and provide feedback.
So there you have our checklist. We hope it helps you get the most out of your messaging strategy and stay ahead of the game this year!
Eileen Carroll, Púca CEO
