My boyfriend and I met some friends in College Town last weekend. We saw the usual post-finals, pre-graduation shenanigans that happen in a college community — drunken bathroom selfies, beer kegs, costumes. I’m sure you remember!

But one thing that really stood out was the number of people scrolling on their phones. Looking around, I saw lots of faces lit up by phone screens without a care in the world of what was happening around them.

I went home and did some research. Did you know that the average American checks their phone 344 times a day?

The top reason for all of this screen time? You guessed it — texting.

But it’s not just besties Sam and Hannah spilling the tea on the latest TikTok trend or influencer drama. It’s Devyn texting a rep from their favorite small business because there was a problem with their latest order and Tyler reaching out to his doctor’s office to reschedule his annual exam (again).

SMS and texting have morphed into something much bigger than personal interactions. It’s become the go-to way to communicate with brands and businesses.

Are you stumped on which customer contact channels you should be using? Check out this blog post.

As a manager or business owner, you need to get on the texting bandwagon. Using business texting, sometimes called SMS for business, you can streamline processes, automate tasks, and provide a stellar customer experience.

Let’s dive into six ways you can use SMS for business.

6 Ways to Use SMS for Business

1. Appointment Reminders

Your agents and employees will thank you for this one. With an SMS for business solution, you can automatically schedule and reschedule appointments and then send reminders to make sure customers actually show up.

No more manually dialing each phone number, waiting to see if the person on the other end will answer, and leaving a voicemail. This frees your team for critical, high-value tasks. Plus, it guarantees consistent messaging and follow-up, so there’s no room for misunderstandings.

2. Order Status Updates

As a customer, I want to know exactly where my order is from the minute it’s confirmed. With a business texting platform, you can keep your customers in the know on their order status.

Automatically send a tracking link for their order so they can track ‘til their heart’s content. This means they won’t constantly reach out to your team for updates or tracking information.

3. Customer Support

Let’s face it: customers want support at their fingertips. With SMS for business, you can provide round-the-clock, 24/7 assistance. Whether they reach out at 3 AM with a burning question (I’m guilty of this!) or that one last question that comes to mind just two minutes before you close, you can be there for your customers. This will do wonders for your customer experience.

4. Event Alerts

Customers want to be in the loop about upcoming events like product launches, webinars, and in-person conferences. SMS for business makes it easy. Instead of calling or mailing information about upcoming events, you can text them all the details. And with the ability to add graphics and links, customers can RSVP and get detailed information about the event. Plus, they can chat with your team directly if they have questions.

5. Polls and Surveys

Customer feedback is vital to a business. SMS for business makes it easy to gather insights from your customers. Quickly send out a quick poll or survey to get a pulse on what’s working (and what’s not). This valuable information lets you fine-tune your strategies and make data-backed decisions. The end result? A better experience for your customers.

6. Marketing Campaigns

Take your marketing campaigns to the next level with SMS campaigns. With a 98% open rate, SMS is the most effective way to reach your audience. Share information, product updates, promos, and event invites directly with customers. Plus, with the ability to personalize your messages, you can make each customer feel like a VIP.

Want more information on business texting? We’ve got you covered in our blog post.

SMS for Business with Bubble by Broadvoice

Business texting is a great way to meet customers where they are. Bubble by Broadvoice is a game-changing business texting platform that lets you send and receive texts from your business number.

With Bubble, send personalized messages at scale, schedule bulk messages, and use keywords to route texts to specific teams.

This post was originally published on March 2, 2020, and was revised and refreshed on May 2, 2024.