Telemarketing Software Featured Article

A new blog by Scott Amerson, vice president of sales at VanillaSoft, explains why texting has become an import new medium for businesses to interact with their customers and prospects. And it offers best practices that organizations should consider in formulating their live online chat and other texting strategies.

Texting is generally considered a more convenient way to communicate than many other mediums. And it’s a good way to reach people, considering that the average person looks at his or her cell phone 150 times daily. Indeed, text messages are commonly read within the first five seconds of being received.

As the article by Amerson also notes, millennials are increasingly populating the workforce and leadership roles in these business environments. And studies indicate that 76 percent of millennials prefer texting to calling when it comes to business interactions.

What’s more, texting enables businesses to see when their messages have been delivered and read. And texting increases sales conversion rates by 40 percent.

Online chat is effective at increasing sales as well, Amerson notes. It can be used to increase conversions 20 percent by enabling contact center agents to answer questions and address prospects’ buying objections as they arise, he says.

Amerson adds that online chat is an especially effective way to engage with prospects early in the buying process. And he notes that online chat helps improve customer satisfaction due to its ability to allow for real time response.

As I mentioned in a piece posted last week, Josiane Feigon, president of TeleSmart Communications, recently did a blog offering advice on how to write an effective text. She says to first identify yourself. Paying attention to tone, using proper grammar and spelling, avoiding over-used text acronyms like “LOL,” and using links sparingly are among her suggestions.