Using a new, more effective channel to communicate with ALL ages
We know that communication is the key to delivering great customer service and to driving loyalty. So that begs the question, why are we still forcing people to use “two struggling channels” (phone and email) to communicate?
Why not introduce messaging as an alternative to connect with your audience? Since 2014, there have been more cell phones in the United States than people. It is hard to find an adult anywhere that does not have their smartphone within arm’s reach and who does not prefer texting to emailing. The best part about texting is we don’t have to train people how to use it; some can even do it blindfolded and of course “look ma, no hands” for those voice to text users.
It is amazing how many organizations we run into that believe their customers don’t want to text because of their age yet they expect them to navigate a complicated company/patient web portal. Oftentimes, I hear business owners or office managers tell me, I am not so sure our clients want to communicate via text. Think about it, how do you think most of your clients/patients are reaching their children and their grandchildren? Throw in the fact that the average consumer is getting conditioned to NEVER pick up their cell phone because of the ever-increasing number of SPAM and ROBO-CALLS. Note, there are more than 2.5 billion Robo-Calls each month.
If you were to conduct a quick survey of your clients, you will find that a majority of them prefer texting, irrespective of age. In many medical offices, we also hear, “We already text our clients.” Well, that is partially true if you have an automatic appointment reminder system that uses text. Effective texting, however, should be two-way. What if a patient/client wanted to reach your office? Could they text you and ask for an appointment, paperwork or insurance or are you forcing them to call and go through a phone tree or be put on hold?
It’s true; many people rightly believe that a phone call is more personal than a text. However, there is strong research (below) that reveals a major shift in that thinking, especially among those 45-70 years of age.
With emails filling inboxes and spam calls filling voicemails, people of all ages are choosing text as their preferred communication method. In fact, I recently had one of our customers tell me, “If I don’t have a texting relationship with my customer, I probably don’t have a very good relationship”
Consider the following compelling statistics and research
It is amazing how many organizations we run into that believe their customers don’t want to text because of their age yet they expect them to navigate a complicated company/patient web portal. Oftentimes, I hear business owners or office managers tell me, I am not so sure our clients want to communicate via text. Think about it, how do you think most of your clients/patients are reaching their children and their grandchildren? Throw in the fact that the average consumer is getting conditioned to NEVER pick up their cell phone because of the ever-increasing number of SPAM and ROBO-CALLS. Note, there are more than 2.5 billion Robo-Calls each month.
If you were to conduct a quick survey of your clients, you will find that a majority of them prefer texting, irrespective of age. In many medical offices, we also hear, “We already text our clients.” Well, that is partially true if you have an automatic appointment reminder system that uses text. Effective texting, however, should be two-way. What if a patient/client wanted to reach your office? Could they text you and ask for an appointment, paperwork or insurance or are you forcing them to call and go through a phone tree or be put on hold?
It’s true; many people rightly believe that a phone call is more personal than a text. However, there is strong research (below) that reveals a major shift in that thinking, especially among those 45-70 years of age.
With emails filling inboxes and spam calls filling voicemails, people of all ages are choosing text as their preferred communication method. In fact, I recently had one of our customers tell me, “If I don’t have a texting relationship with my customer, I probably don’t have a very good relationship”
Consider the following compelling statistics and research
- “Sixty-six percent of Baby Boomers send text messages.” (Forbes)
- “45 to 65 year age range, soon to meet or exceed messaging by those in their 20’s” (Skywire)
- “In the 50-64 age range, 88% own a cell phone, and in the 65+ age range, 74% own a cell phone. Out of all cell phone users, 81% use their phone to text message.” (Pew Internet)
- “On average, Americans exchange five times as many texts as they do phone calls.” (Informate)
- “Of Baby Boomers who use text messaging, 57% would have a positive view of a company that offers texting, and 42% agree that it would be convenient for any company to use texting for customer service.” (Harris Interactive)
- “Sixty percent of over-45-year-olds say that they are just as likely to use texting as voice calling.” (Mobile Marketer)
- “People aged 45-64 are the fastest growing demographic on the mobile frontier.”(Nielsen)
- “Texting is on the rise for small businesses, as 58 percent text for business at least once a month.” (Forbes and Cisco VNI Update)
- Outbound Calls
- “64% of respondents say they NEVER answer calls from unknown numbers.” (TrueCaller)
- “Only 33% even listen to voicemails from business contacts.” (Forbes and Cisco VNI Update)
- “Over 50% of voicemails are not listened to for at least 8 hours.” (Nuance Communications)
- “Over 30% of voicemails linger unheard for 3 days or longer” (NY Times)
- Inbound Calls Live Answer
- “Customers form an impression of your business in the first 7 seconds of contact.” (Forbes)
- “The average person spends over a year of their life on hold.” (Woman’s World Magazine)
- “7 of 10 business callers are still placed on hold before the call is completed.” (Inbound/Outbound)
- Inbound Calls Auto-Attendant
- “75 percent of customers believe it takes too long to a reach a live person.” (Harris Interactive poll)
- “67% of customers have hung up the phone out of frustration because they could not talk to a real person.” (American Express Survey, 2011)
- “80 percent of callers sent to voicemail simply don’t leave a message because they believe their message will not be heard.” (Forbes)
Let’s face it. Regardless of age, no one likes listening to long voicemails, playing phone tag or being left on hold. Everyone appreciates the efficiency of texting. It is now the most often-used application on the hundreds of millions of smartphones in the United States.
WHAT POSITIONS THE CAPTIVATED SOLUTION ON THE CUTTING EDGE?
Captivated has taken into account all of the aforementioned research and statistics to design an offering that comprehends much more than texting. We connect with Chat and Text-Us widgets on your website and directly with your Google My Business Listing. Soon, we will be adding Facebook Messenger, Twitter Direct, and Apple Business Chat so that all of your Messaging Channels are covered. No one else offers all this.
WHAT POSITIONS THE CAPTIVATED SOLUTION ON THE CUTTING EDGE?
Captivated has taken into account all of the aforementioned research and statistics to design an offering that comprehends much more than texting. We connect with Chat and Text-Us widgets on your website and directly with your Google My Business Listing. Soon, we will be adding Facebook Messenger, Twitter Direct, and Apple Business Chat so that all of your Messaging Channels are covered. No one else offers all this.
More importantly, Captivated is the most powerful messaging platform designed for client engagement, business efficiency, customizable communication, and more:
- Text-to-pay (allows you to invoice and collect payment quickly)
- Scheduled Messaging (perfect for following up)
- Group send (do you need to reach a targeted group quickly)
- Transfer and Invite (quickly add a co-worker into a conversation or transfer to a different queue)
- Form Request (allows you to easily collect information, receive an order, or take surveys. Customizable)
- Location Request (need someone’s location? Send a quick link and immediately get their current location)
- Variable Data Templates (Hi {{salutation}}, just a quick message to confirm your appointment on {{date/time}}. Please reach out if you have any questions.
- Subject Matter Expert and Department Queues (use Captivated queues to easily match your teams or your workflows)
- Share Contact Card (Sending your digital business card to everyone’s smartphone is a great best practice regardless of your business)
- Employee to Employee (improve communication internally with one-on-one or group conversations)
- Text-to-SecureChat (point-to-point encrypted chat for Medical and Financial conversations. No portion of the conversation remains on the contacts cell phone after the conversation is completed)
- Text-to-Secure-Video Chat (instantly connect Face-to-Face with your patient or client by sending a simple text invitation. No software download is required on the guest’s smartphone. There is no recording of the video.)
Three years from now, two-way messaging between a business and its customers will be commonplace. Now is the time to be a leader in this revolution. Join Captivated in making a difference!
