A Different Perspective

There’s a lot written about why text messaging is effective for businesses … high read rates and high conversion rates top the list, along with automation and efficiencies. I think that more needs to be said about why it’s good for people. Here are some things that separate text messaging from email, voice calls, and voice mail (from the perspective of a person): It’s time to look at text messaging from a different perspective. I can read or send a text message in the middle of a meeting … almost unnoticed. I don’t want to create a distraction, but sometimes I do need to get a message out there … like “I’m going to be late for lunch because this meeting is going over time!” I can read or send a text message in a loud environment without any loss of effectiveness of my message … for example, if I’m in at a sporting event, it’s too loud to make a voice call. I can read or send a text message in an environment where it could disturb others. A golf course is a good example … I don’t want to make a telephone call – it’s just not appropriate – but a text message works great. My preference is a text message when it’s appropriate. For example, my physiotherapist called me today to see if I could come early for my appointment. The call was intrusive and unnecessary … a simple text message conversation would’ve sufficed; it would’ve been faster. Plus, if they would’ve needed to leave a voicemail, now I need to listen to the voicemail and call them back; all inefficient and unnecessary. I can manage multiple message conversations more easily. I simply can’t do that if it’s a telephone call. I can stop and restart a conversation when it’s more convenient. I may be driving; I can acknowledge the message but pick up the conversation when I’m parked. I have a transcript of my conversation. I use this all the time to reference specifics from a text message conversation. My memory is good … it’s just not that long! I’ll often ask people to text me the specifics instead of writing them down on a piece of paper or making a note on my phone. These are just a few common situations where my preference is to send or receive a text message. It comes down to convenience. Convenience for me … your customer. So … from a business perspective: if it’s good for my customers … then it’s good for my business. About Pulse Retail Systems We’ve been providing and managing technology solutions for over 40 years, with an emphasis on text message automation and retail inventory management. We have demonstrated strengths in customer service, automation, and scalable systems. We’d love it if you’d register to receive ongoing valuable information relating to industry advancements, strategies, and best practices. Click here to sign up to receive our newsletters. We’re also available to discuss your specific situation and how we can help you! Click here and someone will reach out to you.