Month: December 2017

There is a vast repository of statistics out there that support the increasing popularity of text messaging for business. You may be convinced that your customers want to text you, but still unsure if messaging can really change your business for the better. Let’s stop the hand wringing and sweaty palms about text messaging and really talk about what’s in it for you.

Your customers already use messaging everyday, and we mean Every. Single. Day. to message everyone and anyone that they want to communicate with. With 94% of Americans owning a mobile device and 86% of them using them to send 23 billion messages daily, it’s no wonder that companies are employing this channel to engage with their prospects and customers. In the study, “Customer Preference for Messaging”, research shows that 71% of consumers find text messaging to be an extremely or very effective C2B communications channel.

All signs point to your customers preference to send and receive text messages from businesses. Here are five reasons your business should enthusiastically embrace text messaging:

“Calling in to customer service is the best. I love being placed on hold and explaining the same thing over and over again.”
~No One, Ever

1. Make customer service appealing again

You generally won’t find a lot of people waxing poetic about their Customer Service experience. Mostly because people who are dissatisfied with your product or service won’t bother to tell you. In fact, 96% of unhappy customers don’t even complain, they just leave and 91% won’t ever come back.

Those are startling statistics. We all read the stories about terrible customer experiences with brands and hope it won’t be our company that is spotlighted next. What we all want is to be recognized for the hard work and effort our customer service teams put forth. Not only that, we want people not to dread reaching out for help. Think about it. Would you want to call or email a company for help? Or, would you rather shoot them off a text message and get on with your life while you are simultaneously getting help?

You want to hear from your customers so that you can help them, so you can answer their questions, so you can make whatever went wrong, right again. Make it easy and convenient for them to contact you. Text messaging provides that channel and creates a better experience for customers. In fact, text messaging interactions have at least a 5-7% point higher customer satisfaction score than any other channel. That is certainly more appealing than the alternatives.

2. Get customers to actually take advantage of offers

Increasing number of smartphone users are redeeming offers on their phone. Source: Koupon

People generally don’t get tired of saving money, but coupons in newspaper inserts or mail-In rebates can be too cumbersome for customers to take advantage of. If you have an offer that could get a customer to try your service for the first time or to come back for repeat business, then use outbound messaging to grab their attention.

Research shows that 55% of smartphone shoppers used a mobile coupon on their phone (Nielsen) and that statistic is bound to climb with the proliferation of mobile devices. Check out these other stats: When you compare that to the 20% open rate for emails and 6% response rate, the choice becomes clear. It makes sense to use messaging as the method to get relevant offers in front of your customers.

Consumers trust that the messages they have opted-in to receive from brands are valuable to them. Send a 1-to-1 personalized outbound text to a customer or send the same offer to all your customers. Chances are high that they will take advantage of that offer or promotion and your top and bottom lines will benefit.

3. Be able to handle more inbound inquiries, while actually saving time and money

While you want to hear from your customers, you also want to alleviate some of the burden on your call center by reducing the time it takes to answer frequently asked questions. Phone calls can cost $3-4/call to upwards of $12/call. Once a call comes in, the meter starts running, whether an agent helps a customer work through a password reset, check order status, or troubleshoot a more complex problem.

Customers know when they have a fairly easy or straightforward question. The vast majority of those customers do not want to pick up the phone to call for help when their issue isn’t very complex. They would actually prefer to use messaging to get help with order and shipping status, password resets, and other simple questions. Messaging allows customers to get the answers, while getting on with their busy day, without having to be tied to the phone.

With a phone call, agents can only help one person at a time, making it a “synchronous” channel. With messaging, agents can handle multiple, simultaneous conversations with ease, which makes it an “asynchronous” channel. Companies have found that their messaging work time is 25% less than the next closest channel. Not only do customers prefer to reach out to your company this way, it will save your contact center money by shifting 1-to-1 phone calls and emails to the 1-to-many messaging channel, where agents can handle more questions, faster.

4. Set yourself apart from your competition

Customers have a lot of choices and just meeting their expectations just isn’t enough to get a great review. When you anticipate your customer’s needs, help them avoid frustration and go above and beyond to deliver an exceptional customer experience, you provide them with something that will stand out from the status quo. Quiq clients are adding text messaging to their mix to wow their customers with proactive, time-sensitive communications.

These innovative companies are not only thinking long term and making sure they keep customers coming back but are also getting the benefit of immediate word of mouth. A satisfied customer will tell at least three friends and with social media that number grows exponentially.

Text messaging invites your customers to engage with you by putting them in control of the conversation. Customers are able to text you at the pace and place that works best for them. Let’s face it, no one is going to hate the idea of more convenience and control.

5. Generate immediate ROI from Facebook ads

Your Facebook ads are working hard to drive traffic to your site, but if your customer wants to speak with you immediately, there could be multiple clicks before they even find how to contact you, let alone find the time to email or call you. You can minimize that delay by allowing customers to click-to-message directly from your Facebook ads.

The faster you can help customers take action on their purchase desires and find the item they are looking for on your website, the faster you’ll win that customer over. Quiq Messaging makes it easy to integrate messaging within your Facebook ads. With Quiq Messaging, it’s now even easier to encourage your customers to contact you directly from an ad, when they are most excited about your product or service.

Maybe you’re fine with the status quo, chugging along with the tools you have. We’re seeing innovative companies take their business to the next level with the experience they deliver to customers. If you’re looking to propel your business into the inevitable future then messaging is the next frontier. See our demo page or text us at 646-887-8398 to schedule a demo.

Get a Demo Today.

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:

1. It can be 5-25 times more costly to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one
2. A business can boost profits by 25% to 95% by increasing customer retention by as little as 5% (HBR).
3. 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.

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.

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.