OneReach is enabling companies to directly convert incoming calls to text conversations by introducing a new customer service offering called SMS Call Center.

This new channel helps companies to engage in two-way communication with their customers and is also cost-effective for companies, as the cost per interaction for SMS customer service is 25 percent less than a phone call through Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

According to a study from J.D. Power & Associates, 93 percent of IVRs have led to a decrease in customer satisfaction as compared to talking with an agent.

Although Web chat channels can improve satisfaction by up to 65 percent, customers who call to discuss their problems cannot be transferred directly to chat.

This problem has led to an increased popularity of text messaging and as per a Pew (News - Alert) Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project report, 31 percent of mobile phone owners prefer text instead of talk.

OneReach’s SMS Call Center service transfers callers to a text message conversation with a live agent –a cost-effective conversation that can be held anywhere.

“Our SMS Call Center application provides a smart bridge from an expensive, sometimes frustrating phone interaction to an efficient engagement that is cost-effective for businesses and convenient for the customer,” said Rich Weborg, CEO of OneReach.

This is how it works -- once the OneReach SMS Call Center platform receives a customer’s call to a company, it offers the person an option to use text messaging instead of holding or using IVR prompts.

If the caller decides to press a button he is promptly transferred to text-based communication to resolve the request through a live text conversation with an agent.

An automated text interaction option is also available for customers.

More businesses are demanding Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solutions to reduce communication costs and improve customer satisfaction.