Good customer service is adaptable, responding to customers'
needs as they develop and change. For this reason, companies
across industries are incorporating SMS into their customer
service as texting rises as a preferred mode of communication,
even across age groups. This holds very true in utilities,
where communication with customers is essential. Texting
can provide utilities with a boost in quality of service
and customer satisfaction by pushing it a step further
into the 21st century.
Utilities companies need to keep in contact with customers
about important information such as billing, and events
like deadlines or interruptions in service such as power
outages or severe weather. Additionally, customers need
a fast and reliable line of contact with utilities providers
in the event of a service failure. Texting offers just
that.
SMS is a rapid and effective way to communicate, and
is accessible to most Americans, with at least 91% of
American adults owning cell phones. Increasingly, text
messaging is preferred over more traditional phone calls
or other modes of communication, such as email. And
text messaging is reliable; though texts cannot be sent
absolutely anywhere and everywhere, SMS can often still
be used under conditions where Internet access or landline
use are unavailable, such as severe weather.
Automated text messages are a powerful way for utility
companies to reach their customers efficiently with
important information and updates. Mass texts are an
effective and reliable vehicle for emergency alerts,
as well as more everyday content such as bill reminders
and deadlines.
Communication between utilities and their customers
does not end there; automated texts do not fall on deaf
ears. Two-way communication allows customers both to
follow up with utilities and to text the company when
problems with their services arise. In a 2013 study
by iFactor, utility companies sent 5.5 million text
messages to customers using iFactor's system, and the
companies received an equivalent 5.5 million texts from
customers.
Text messaging also allows utilities to make basic
functions more convenient and accessible. Functions
such as requesting an account balance or information
about bills and services are often available online,
but Internet access is cutting it less and less today.
Many, especially the rising generation of young adults,
are inseparable from their phones, but may not have
constant access to a computer, where online services
are most convenient, or even to the Internet. Additionally,
a noteworthy portion of the population does not have
reliable access to the Internet outside of a phone,
and thus depends a great deal on their phones; for this
population and many others, texting is a far more convenient
alternative.
For this reason, more and more utility companies are
allowing customers to text keywords to a designated
number in order to access information one might otherwise
access online or by calling their provider. This added
level of accessibility and convenience, and the increased
breadth of options for customers seeking access to their
information, contributes to a greater quality of service
and happier customers. With the incorporation of two-way
texting into customer service, it seems the only way
to go is up.
About the Author -
Sharon Housley is the VP of Marketing for NotePage,
Inc. a software company for communication software solutions.
http://www.notepage.net
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