Why Doesn’t SMS Get The Love It Should? Mark Oppermann of customer outreach tech leader VoiceSage reflects on why texting is here to stay.
You could be forgiven for thinking that text (SMS) is just about ready to join the fax or maybe even the telex in the dustbin of business technology history. After all, aren’t we all just sending emojis and SnapChats to each other?
While that is possibly true if you’re a teenager talking to other Gen Z types, the surprising truth is that text is even bigger now in 2015 than it was at its supposed height, in the mid 1990s.
There are all sorts of metrics and proof points for this. Let’s start with this article published last month, for example, that found that 76% of respondents are likely to read a text message sooner than an email – noting that the ease and speed of text messaging make it increasingly popular for senders, as well as recipients. In fact, MailChimp confirms that on average, only 20% of emails get opened, compared to 99% of texts – usually, within the first three minutes!
Another study, meanwhile, says that texting is the most popular form of communication for adults under the age of 50. And, in fact, the stats and facts just keep coming, if you spend any time at all on the subject. 97% of Americans text at least once a day; and Planet Earth’s going to send itself 8.3 trillion text messages in just this year alone, or 23 billion messages per day, or almost 16 million messages per minute, and so on (I don’t want to make your eyes glaze over with too many facts here!).
No wonder that 38% of contact centres currently offer SMS outreach, and 23% have plans to add it to their mix in the next 12 months – which means 61% of all contact centres will offer SMS support in 2016.
Don’t ignore this important feature of modern life!
The truth is text is a fantastically important, central fact of all our communications lives, despite all the amazing fun emojis that apple keep adding to iOS. And any brand ignoring its relevance for its target demographic is making a mistake as a result.
Where are you in the texting game? Looks like you’d best make sure you aren’t slipping behind.
Additional Information
For additional information visit the VoiceSage Website
Mark Oppermann is Development Director at VoiceSage, a business services company working with a range of firms on customer outreach options
