Boring and repetitive tasks can kill your productivity. But it’s not like you can skip them. That’s why many businesses invest in an automated texting service.
Automating SMS marketing allows them to answer queries and increase customer engagement quickly. It also helps you set reminders and create tasks so you never miss anything. However, investing in the wrong service can do more harm than good.
We’ve created this guide to help you choose the best service and set up effective responses. So, let’s dive right in!
What Is an Automated Texting Service?
As the name suggests, an automated texting service allows businesses to send and receive text messages automatically. These services fulfill the main goals of streamlining communication and marketing.
But how do they do that? They have features that make them your right hand in SMS marketing. So, let’s talk about those.
Firstly, a texting service lets you set up automated texts for various occasions. Birthday messages, appointment reminders, and initial query responses are easy with this feature. In fact, an automated text message service is useless without this functionality.
You can even set up drip campaigns based on customer triggers. Or simply schedule the order in which you want to send the texts. It’s a lot like email marketing automation, except here, you’re sending SMS messages with a strict character limit.
One of this feature’s most common use cases involves a customer typing a keyword. For example, you can send further details about an event if a customer types “INTERESTED.”
Moreover, these services allow you to store and manage contact information. You don’t have to store anything manually because these services do that automatically. They can even track your campaign’s performance and provide actionable insights for better decisions.
Lastly, these services easily integrate with your existing systems, like customer relationship management (CRM) WiFi software, marketing automation platforms, etc. This gives you a holistic view of things and provides a more unified customer experience.
Benefits of Using Automated Texting for Your Business
Although we said automated texting takes the boring tasks off your shoulders, that’s not the only benefit. Due to its ease, convenience, and effectiveness, it fits right in with all modern communication strategies.
With automated texting, you don’t have to type each reply separately. You can create a template for each message type, and the service will automatically fill the placeholder text. These auto replies make your communication easier and hands-off. Besides, forgetting about a pending customer message is easy if you don’t have a mechanism.
Moreover, almost all SMS marketing platforms have this feature. The only downside is the money you have to invest. However, services with fewer features cost significantly less than investing in fancy features you might not need.
Getting instant responses to their messages keeps customers engaged throughout their journey. As a result, your text marketing becomes more efficient. After all, engaged customers have a higher chance of becoming loyal.
This powerful tool is also a game-changer for your team. They don’t have to worry about repetitive tasks that reduce productivity. Instead, they can focus on strategies and improving your offerings.
How To Setup an Automated Text Service in 5 Steps
Now that you have been introduced to automated texting services, you must be curious about how they work. It’s not a magical system that sends messages to customers without your intervention. You still have to play your part to set things up.
You must set schedules, wordings, triggers, keywords, and timings. For that, you need a defined process. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use the texting service to its full potential. So, here’s how to set up an automated text service in five easy steps.
1. Choose the Best Text Messaging Service for Business
The first step to automate your texts is choosing the best text messaging service for business. This might seem like a no-brainer, but choosing a service isn’t easy. You will need to research, test, and compare a lot.
So, start by determining your goals and objectives. How much do you want to achieve through the texting service? Your business size and number of customers will also play a role here. All of this is to determine what features you’ll need. However, the service you choose must have the features we mentioned earlier, at the very least.
After knowing what you need, create a list of potential services. Signing up for free trials if the services offer any is a good idea. This way, you can test the software before investing. Some of the best services include Birdeye, Textedly, and Podium.
Once you’re happy with your choice of service, follow the instructions to sign up. Each service will have a different method, but following the setup wizard should be easy.
The next step is to import your contact list. After all, who will you send the texts to if you don’t feed the numbers in the service? Almost all services give you an option to import your contacts. Again, follow the instructions for a smooth process.
However, if you don’t have an SMS list, you’ll have to create one. This process is like building an email list, except you’re asking for phone numbers here. Some ways to do this include website sign-up forms, text-to-subscribe keywords, in-store sign-ups, QR codes, and WiFi marketing.
Successful marketing is only possible when you have rich sources of information at your disposal. For this reason, the service you choose must integrate with your existing platforms.
However, you won’t have to integrate every system. For example, if you don’t text employees using the service, you’ll do fine without integrating your employee management system.
On the other hand, not integrating your CRM platform or loyalty programs would be a bad idea. You need that information to send personalized messages and increase your marketing’s effectiveness. So, integrate all relevant platforms before proceeding.
4. Create Triggers for Automated Responses
The next step is to create triggers for your automated responses. After all, you have to tell the app or service when to send the message.
For example, you can set a keyword to let customers join your contact list. For this, you’ll have to buy a short code and feed a keyword into the service. When people text this keyword to your short code, the service will add them to the list.
On the other hand, you can set triggers, like automated initial responses for customer service. Here, the service will trigger a text when a customer inquires.
You can even schedule SMS workflows without depending on customer action. These campaigns send messages in a logical flow to help customers with their journeys.
5. Forming a Template: How To Setup an Automated Response Text Service
Until now, we’ve been talking about the backend of automatic text messages. You must be thinking, “How do I write the actual text or response?” To do so, you’ll have to learn how to setup an automated response text service.
Fortunately, automated text message services have easy-to-use tools for this. All you have to do is fill in the blank spaces and save your message. The real question, however, is how you should form these messages.
Now, the specific wording will depend on the customer action you’re responding to. But there are a few things you need to keep consistent in all responses that we’ll discuss later. For now, let’s see what you need to do next.
Once you’ve saved the message, see if you have to schedule it. If the text isn’t a response to a customer message, you’ll have to decide when to do it. So, do that and schedule the text to send.
3 Tips To Send Automated Responses That Don’t Sound Impersonal
When sending automated messages, many people fear coming across as impersonal. They think using AI will remove the human touch businesses need to build connections.
While there’s some truth in it, you can’t skip automation for this sole reason. You have thousands of customers, and sending them a manual message every time will make things difficult for you. Following some best practices for bulk text automation is a better option.
So, here are three tips to follow to avoid sounding impersonal:
- Set proper triggers: The worst thing you can do is set the wrong triggers. For example, if a person has asked for a tracking link, they’re expecting a tracking link. Responding with something else, such as product information, would seem like you automated the message without thinking.
- Pay attention to language: If your tone sounds robotic, your text automation might have the opposite effect. Instead, maintain a balance between professionalism and friendly tones. Consider using your overall brand tone for the best results. Plus, keep things short, simple, and easy to understand.
- Personalize the message: You might as well invest in pay-per-click (PPC) ads if you’re not going to personalize your texts. General texts take away the primary purpose of this personable communication channel. Make the customers feel welcome, as if you’re talking directly to them. That’s when you’ll see customer loyalty results.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automated Texting Services
How much does automated texting cost?
Each automated message you send costs between $0.01 and $0.05 on average. However, different messaging services have multiple plans that you can use. Sometimes, opting for these plans reduces your overall cost.
You’ll also need a short code where people can send keywords. These can get quite expensive, with $500 per month for randomly generated and $1,000 per month for vanity codes. On the other hand, toll-free numbers only cost $25 per month!
How can I get a 5-digit text number?
There are two ways to get a 5-digit number for SMS marketing. You can do the process yourself or use a reliable SMS marketing platform to handle things on your behalf. Either way, the first step is to make some choices. See if you want a randomly generated number or a vanity code. Also, decide the numbers if using a vanity code.
Next, apply for a lease from the U.S. Short Code Administration. They’ll ask the purpose of this short code, your target audience, and some information about your business. Once the administration approves your application, you can launch the short code and register it with various telephone carriers.
Is there a free SMS automation service?
Yes, there are a few free SMS automation services that you can use. However, you might still have to pay carrier charges.
Message Automation Can Make Your Work Easier and More Efficient
Now you know the benefits of SMS marketing and an automated texting service. It takes the burden off your shoulders and makes communication more effective. However, it depends on your chosen service and how you set up the automated responses. Following the above steps will help you avoid issues and start well.
Do you want extra help with your automated texts? At Beambox, we are experts in SMS marketing and small business improvement. We can boost your progress and help you build SMS lists. Additionally, you can automate text sending as you like.
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