December 2017

3 Ways Software Companies Accelerate Time-to-Value With SMS Messaging

Posted on December 11, 2017November 15, 2024 Max Fortis

Helping your customer realize the value of your software, app, or game as quickly as possible is the cornerstone of successful adoption and retention. As a SaaS company, we understand how critical it is to maintain momentum with a customer while they are excited about your solution and accelerate Time-to-Value (TtV).

We are starting to see a lot of software companies accelerate TtV for their users using social media and other digital technologies, including sending outbound messages via Quiq Messaging.

Here are a few best practices we’ve learned along the way about TtV and outbound messaging, as well as how consumer software companies put messaging to use:

1. Set your new users up with ease

More and more, companies are starting to leverage Quiq’s outbound messaging to deliver successful experiences with their software, app, or game. It is a fact that outbound text messaging has a higher open and response rate than any other channel. With an average open rate of 96%, far higher than email, text messaging ensures your customers see and open the important messages that will improve their early experience with your technology. You can help your customers get setup and started with outbound notifications that remind them to complete a profile, link an account, create a password, or whatever needs to be done to begin realizing value immediately.

Quiq’s clients find that sending timely hints and tips via outbound text messages help end users get more out of their product in much less time. What’s more, if a user is having trouble during setup or implementation, they can simply reply to the original text message from the company to initiate a 1-to-1 text messaging conversation with your customer service team. Customer service agents can easily handle multiple, simultaneous text messages just like they would any other channel. This kind of proactive, 2-way messaging is helping Quiq’s clients become even “stickier” with their end users.

2. Accelerate adoption and usage with proactive notifications

Onboarding is one of those moments of truths that can make or break the long-term adoption of your software. Once you get past the initial set-up, your new customers may need a little extra help along the way. We all know that people get busy and distracted. Making sure everything is running smoothly , especially for consumer-facing SaaS companies, can easily be affected by overly busy users who don’t have time to figure out how to use your solution to its fullest capabilities.

Beyond initial adoption, software companies can stay top of mind by engaging in two-way conversations with customers via messaging. Allow end users to initiate conversations with your company to get help with any questions. Add “text us” to your mobile website and list of “contact us” sources on your desktop website. Take advantage of outbound SMS messaging to keep users engaged and active after onboarding. When a user tries to jump in and “figure it out” as they go, it can lead to frustration and premature abandonment. Proactive, outbound messages with bite-sized tips and tricks and best practices keep users engaged and helps them take full advantage of all the functionality you built for them. This type of bilateral communication helps the user continue to recognize value from your product and keeps their momentum going.

3. Get ahead of any dreaded “churn”

When you turn on your faucet, you expect water to flow. When you flip a switch, you expect light. When a consumer downloads an app, they expect it to work. The internet, smartphones, and apps have become utilities like other modern conveniences that consumers expect just to work. When they don’t, cries of outrage can be heard far and wide.

When something isn’t working as expected, whether the source of the issue is on the customer’s end or yours, you’ll want the ability to help as quickly and painlessly as possible. There is a strong possibility that the customer may never find the time or want to deal with the hassle of giving you a call, sending an email, or filling out a “contact us” form on your website. With text messaging you can provide support 24/7, giving them a way to quickly send in their question or issue when it’s convenient for them.

Recognizing the issue is the first step in helping your user get back on track to value as soon as possible. Engaging others in the company that may be better equipped to resolve an issue is the next critical step. With Quiq, messages can be routed and transferred so that you get the best resources for a quick resolution and eliminate the risk of users getting frustrated and looking at competitive solutions.

Keep the momentum going

Emails are often ignored, and updates on your website can be easily missed. Even if you have an app, users can turn notifications off. So how do you best keep your customers informed? From tips and tricks, to new feature announcements, to planned downtime, your customers can stay in the know about essential updates with proactive 2-way outbound SMS notifications.

Text messaging is pervasive and continues to prove to be the channel of choice for end users to send and receive messages. Companies that establish text messaging as a two-way communication channel can realize higher adoption rates, while reducing TtV, all by delivering messages on a pervasive, preferred, and convenient channel.

Quiq Messaging is how consumer-facing software companies are cutting through the noise to deliver critical messages to their customer’s mobile device. We help companies engage with their users where they already live – on their phone, on the web, and on social media.

About Quiq

Quiq makes it easy for customers to contact a business via Messaging, the preferred channel already in use with our friends and family. With Quiq, customers can now engage with companies via SMS/text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Web Chat, In-App,and Kik for help with their pre-sales and post-sales questions. Learn more about Quiq today at quiq.com.

Improving Customer Retention for Your Service-based Business

Posted on December 7, 2017November 15, 2024 Mark Kowal

Our hyper-connected culture has built a consumer eco-system where raving fans help bolster a brand’s reputation and new customer acquisition through word of mouth. In addition to that, there are a plethora of reasons that make a compelling case to focus on improving customer retention as much as, if not more, than customer acquisition.

By no means are we advocating that you ignore customer acquisition. In “Ways to Increase Your Customer Acquisition for Service Based Businesses” blog post, we talk about how important these efforts are.

The case for customer retention is pretty strong and demands attention:

It can be 5-25 times more costly to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one
A business can boost profits by 25% to 95% by increasing customer retention by as little as 5% (HBR).
Existing customers spend 33% more than new customers

The math has been around for awhile, but few companies have solved the problem of keeping existing customers happy and coming back for more.

Service-based businesses are uniquely poised to create a remarkable experience that starts with adding value for the customer and keeping them engaged for additional purchases in the future. Quiq is helping companies do this every day by employing text messaging, opening a channel that is pervasive, comfortable, not to mention, the preferred method of communication for consumer-to-business interactions.

Improve customer retention with messaging

Whether the service is home security, lawn care, commercial cleaning services, or residential moving, consumers are placing trust in you, the service provider, to deliver the expertise that will get a job done right and at a reasonable cost. Sometimes initial consultations between the consumer and the company can get cumbersome and lengthy with multiple phone calls, emails, and scheduling. Many of the service-based businesses we work with are looking at Quiq Messaging to make communications with customers faster and easier.

Everyone has their phone with them all the time, but can’t always find the time to have a phone conversation. This is where messaging comes in. Text messaging conversations are better than phone calls, since they can happen asynchronously, at the pace the customer wants to have the conversation. Even better, photos, videos, and links can also be shared via messaging, unlike a phone call, making the conversation more fruitful. We’ve also found that consumers overwhelmingly prefer text messaging as a way to communicate with businesses.

Let’s consider that home security company for a second. A customer who has purchased motion sensing lights is having trouble positioning the lights around their home. That customer can start a text with customer service agent and send pictures and videos of where the lights are located and how they are positioned, giving the agent better context of how to solve the issue, all while the customer is still on the phone.

Providing real-time interaction through media rich text messages makes it easier to do business with your company and is a value add to your busy customers. We’ve witnessed customer satisfactions scores skyrocket among companies who have implemented Quiq. These companies are laying the foundation for engaged, satisfied customers to come back.

Grow retention through engagement

Companies are most successful increasing customer retention when they focus on excellent customer service and engagement. Encouraging customers to interact with your business 24×7 from anywhere, not only improves the customer engagement, but it also provides an unprecedented opportunity to enhance customer retention and loyalty.

Quiq clients have found consumer engagement and interaction levels increase across their clients upon implementing Quiq Messaging. Communication is more accessible for customers because conversations can take place anytime and anywhere they have their smartphone – which is always and everywhere.

Your business can also use outbound messaging to keep current customers engaged with you. Sending timely notifications can help keep your company top of mind when your client is ready to buy. Perhaps the home security company would like to send quarterly reminders to customers to check the batteries in their lights and cameras or recommend other products that may complement what they already have. This type of proactive communication anticipates the needs and wants of your customers and keeps the lines of communication open.

Dig deeper wells not higher fences

There’s a story about a traveler who visits an Australian outback cattle ranch and finds that there are miles and miles of farming country with no fences. The traveler asks the rancher how they can contain their cattle without barriers. The answer was simple. The rancher replied that they dig wells instead of fences. Why would the rancher need to fence the cattle in when they are highly motivated to stay close to water, a necessary and highly desirable resource?

The moral of the story: If someone has decided to do business with you, the chances that you can convince them to do more business with you are much more likely than convincing someone brand new. Use the tools and technology that create an exceptional experience to motivate them to stay.

You can dig a deeper well and retain more customers with Quiq Messaging, which provides an easy way for customers to contact a business via Messaging, the preferred channel already in use with their friends and family. With Quiq, customers can engage with service-based companies via SMS/text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Web Chat, In-App, and Kik for help with their pre-sales and post-sales questions. Learn more about Quiq today at quiq.com.

About QuiqQuiq makes it easy for customers to contact a business via Messaging, the preferred channel already in use with our friends and family. With Quiq, customers can now engage with companies via SMS/text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Web Chat, In-App,and Kik for help with their pre-sales and post-sales questions. Learn more about Quiq today at quiq.com.

Increase Customer Acquisition for Your Service-based Business

Posted on December 5, 2017November 15, 2024 Mark Kowal

Usually, a buyer’s journey starts with an initial thought – a question that often begins something like “I wonder if…” “I wonder if I could add an alarm system to my home?”

From there, a buyer may start to passively look around to see if that “what if” scenario they’re envisioning could become a reality. “I wonder how much these new wireless monitoring systems cost?”

Sometimes, there’s a compelling event that motivates the buyer to search for solutions immediately. For the majority of purchases, the journey begins with a thought that eventually turns into actively looking for answers.

Our hypothetical buyer above will eventually want to ask questions, set up an appointment, and get quotes. Imagine when our buyer starts looking for options during their lunch hour and your security monitoring business pops up as a contender. Now imagine that instead of our buyer jotting down your phone number to call later, he sends a quick text message to ask if someone could come by and take a look at his home.

Later that day, before he’s even called anyone else, he checks his phone and sees you’ve responded. This conversation can continue as he goes about his day. Convenience – that’s just one of the reasons consumers prefer text messaging over calling to communicate with businesses.

As the number of consumers who are comfortable with the quick, efficient, responsive nature of mobile messaging continues to swell this method of engagement will continue to grow and scenarios like the one above will become commonplace. Many of the service-based businesses we talk to have already spotted this trend toward mobile messaging and are looking at Quiq Messaging to make the pre-sales process easier for customers.

Text Messaging opens a Sales Channel

In the report, “Customer Preference for Messaging,” we found that nearly half of the people surveyed “would choose one product/service over another based on mobile messaging availability.” Consumers are looking for products and services that fit into their busy lifestyles and clicking around a website or waiting on hold to get questions answered just doesn’t work for them anymore.

Consider our home security example above, today’s buyer interested in adding a security system to their home want to text in questions like “Do I need a landline to set up your system?” or “Do I need to sign a contract to get started?” Buyers today want to get those pre-qualifying questions answered on their terms – on the channel and at the pace they prefer. Later, our buyer, interested in getting a quote can text “When can someone come by to give me a quote?”. This kind of convenience can set a company apart from other service providers.

Text Messaging raises your Brand Perception

In this wired day and age, we’re finding more and more consumers are expecting the brands they prefer to provide exceptional customer experience across all of the channels they are on (web, social, text). While many companies are still trying to optimize outdated channels like IVR systems and email, others are looking for more innovative ways to set themselves apart from the competition.

Quiq Messaging allows you to add a level of sophistication to your communication channels that will raise the perception of your brand among prospective customers. Our research shows that a majority of buyers “would pay more for a product/service if it is supported by a mobile messaging channel.” This preference and willingness to pay a premium for the convenience of text messaging puts a spotlight on the high value placed on mobile messaging across all age demographics.

In addition to raising the perception of your brand, service-based businesses have the opportunity to amplify their word of mouth efforts. Now, more than ever, consumers are influenced by the recommendations of friends and family, and even social media.

Leaving customers happy and satisfied with their experience by providing a convenient, easily accessible way to engage with your business throughout the entire buying process will help support positive word-of-mouth for your business.

Raising the Standards for Customer Acquisition

Twenty years ago, banner ads could grab someone’s attention and get response rates north of 70%. Ten years ago, receiving an email from a company was an innovative way to drive a customer back to your business. Now, only about 20% of emails even get opened, let alone read. Today, those two methods have become what most people consider noise and are often overlooked.

Businesses must now think of more innovative ways to differentiate themselves and earn business. As research shows, buyers want and expect companies to provide them with personal, timely, and convenient communication to build a meaningful two-way relationship. Quiq Messaging is how innovative companies are making that happen.

Quiq presents a unique opportunity to open a new, preferred channel to customers by allowing consumers a way to contact your service-based business via messaging. The added ease and convenience will make your business the more attractive choice within a hyper-competitive market.

Quiq allows you to be where your customers are and enables engagement with service-based companies via SMS/text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Web Chat, In-App, and Kik for help with their pre-sales and post-sales questions. Learn more about Quiq today at quiq.com.