What is Inbound SMS and How Does it Benefit Your Business in 2022-23

Business SMS is typically associated with outbound messaging, which is the practice of sending notifications, reminders, and messages to employees’ and customers’ mobile devices.

But did you know that by using inbound messaging, you can let the same recipients start conversations with your company?

Here you can discover what inbound messaging is and how its integration can benefit your business.

Inbound SMS: What Is It?

The most common type of inbound messaging is text-in competitions, in which you text a short code to a predetermined number to enter a drawing.

Inbound messaging refers to this type of messaging in which the user starts the conversation by using a keyword, phrase, or shortcode. Without relying on data or 3G networks, it enables full two-way interactive SMS conversations between a person and a business.

Inbound messaging essentially allows stakeholders to text your internal business systems directly from their mobile devices for communication and engagement.

What it Does

Key phrases or shortcodes can be used to start inbound messaging.

Let’s examine each in more detail to comprehend how it functions.

Short Codes

Short Codes For instance, if you send a message to the number 70707, the system will automatically respond with something like, “Thanks for entering our competition.”

Short codes’ primary advantage is their length. The short number is typically simple to remember and can be quickly recalled when needed.

Keywords

Keywords can also be used to create automated responses. Sending the keyword STOCK to a number, for instance, would produce a current record of the total amount of inventory on hand. Keep your keywords short and sweet and related to your business.

Potential use cases of inbound texting for your business

Inbound texting is the marketing channel that is currently expanding the fastest because it is a quick and effective way to communicate with customers.

●      Improved Customer Service

Communication that is clear and efficient with customers is crucial for establishing bonds and trust, which ultimately leads to business success. Why should you think about incorporating inbound SMS into your customer support initiatives?

●      Can offer multi-channel customer service

Make sure you can hear your clients on any channel they may prefer if you want to communicate with them in a way that works for them. You give your customers another way to contact you whenever they need your assistance with inbound text messaging.

●      Provide a quicker and easier means of getting in touch with customer service

We’re all likely aware of how discouraging and upsetting it can be to have to wait forever for a support agent to pick up the phone. Now think back to a time when you had to repeatedly explain your issue to different agents as your call was transferred before you finally got through to the specialist you required. Such occurrences have a significant negative impact on customer experience.

You can avoid all of these misunderstandings by using inbound texting, which also ensures that your customer’s message is delivered to the appropriate member of your support team.

SMS polling is a time-tested technique for gauging public opinion during political campaigns

Setting up Surveys and Competitions

and allowing viewers to cast their votes during contests and TV and radio programs. It’s not just limited to this use, though. It provides excellent chances for companies of any size to research the market both before and after launching a service, product, or marketing campaign.

To gather feedback on your services and products, you can use inbound text messaging to motivate your current and potential customers to participate in your surveys and competitions.

You could also set up a straightforward competition where customers who submit their votes or register before a deadline win prizes. Such campaigns are very successful as long as you receive enough responses from your audience for the results to accurately reflect their opinions as a whole. The use of text messaging helps to increase the number of participants.

Conduct Customer and Employee Surveys

You can ask customers how satisfied they are with your business or conduct SMS surveys on particular subjects. You can use this knowledge to ensure that you meet their expectations.

Employers can provide insightful feedback through inbound texting to other employees. It can be used to inquire about things like pay, perks, workloads, and more. Making better decisions about every aspect of your business operations will be possible with this kind of insight. This is important for your company because happy employees translate into happy clients.

The creation of employee and customer surveys is made simple and easy with the aid of a comprehensive text messaging platform.

With just a few clicks and the appropriate tool, you can quickly launch a survey. A strong text messaging platform not only makes it simple to send surveys to clients and staff but also enables you to benefit from automated incoming text messages.

As a result, you can easily and automatically send respondents personalized, instant texts or voice messages thanking them for taking the time to complete your survey. Additionally, you can review the survey report using built-in analytics and download all of the responses to process the feedback you have received.

Gather Valuable Details

You can send user notifications and store message data in a database by employing incoming message callbacks. You can get important information from clients who are interested in your goods or services by using inbound texting. If someone sends you a text message with their name and address, for instance, you can look up that information in your database and save it for later use.

Additionally, by using a dedicated virtual number to run an SMS opt-in poll campaign, you can broaden your reach to potential customers who aren’t already on your list of contacts who have permitted you to text them.

Benefits of Inbound Messaging

Even though mobile internet is more accessible than ever, SMS has the advantage of allowing users to send quick, impulsive, and immediate inbound messages from their mobile device when 3G is not available.

The following are a few advantages of inbound messaging:

1. Easily send automated responses from your internal systems, such as stock inventory.
2. Manage all inbound messaging from an enterprise messaging platform that can be accessed anywhere.
3. Allows multi-response campaigns for sophisticated inbound tactics.
4. Route keywords to the relevant areas of your business.
5. Access control (blacklist and whitelist filtering)
6. Seamlessly integrate SMS gateway with your existing systems to improve business operations.
7. Enable inbound SMS campaigns to drive revenue and improve productivity.

Are you prepared to stand out and give your clients a timely, affordable two-way conversation?

Text messaging can be an effective part of your business strategy if you want to outperform the competition and demonstrate to your clients that you are willing to go above and beyond.

Inbound text messaging is still a relatively easy-to-use, highly effective, and reasonably priced tool that will increase customer accessibility and customer relations in general as the digital age continues to bring us more complex technologies. In today’s multi-channel environment, being able to connect with customers and prospects through their preferred communication channels is essential.

Getting Going

Would you like to learn more about how inbound SMS can benefit your company’s operations? Get in touch with Guni, and we’ll assist you in beginning your inbound messaging journey!