15 Business Text Messaging Examples for Customer Communication

If you want to reach and engage customers today, you’ll need to adapt to the changes in their communication preferences — here are business text messaging examples that prove the impact of taking your brand to customers’ fingertips.

As an efficient method of communication, businesses big and small have adopted business text messaging in full force. Traditional communication channels such as email, direct calling, and mail just don’t hold up quite as strongly. Customers can (and should) still be served by those other communication channels, but text messaging is how they want to connect with you now more than ever before.

In a research study conducted by SMS Comparison, 48% of consumers said they prefer text messaging over any other communication channel. Asked to choose between text messages or phone calls, 90% of consumers surveyed said they prefer text messages.

Not really a surprise, right? In your everyday life, you likely spend a significant amount of time on a smartphone. Just like you, your customers do exactly the same. And one of the most common activities while on a smartphone is text messaging. It’s quick, easy, and casual. Now apply this level of efficiency to the interactions between your business and its customers.

Look at this two-way, real-time communication channel as a competitive advantage. It’ll allow you to build brand loyalty, increase customer satisfaction (CSAT), and earn recurring revenue from repeat purchases all through operational efficiencies.

Business Text Messaging Examples to Reach & Engage Customers

Here are 15 business text messaging examples that demonstrate the versatility of this communication channel with use cases you can leverage for your brand.

1. Appointment Scheduling

Customers shouldn’t be left on hold just to schedule an appointment, and business text messaging ensures they’re able to do so immediately.

In the example above, Atlantic Golf Course uses text messaging software to let the customer text the date they’d like to play golf and how many people will be in the group. Once the customer responds, the text messaging software reads the information provided and issues a follow-up with available tee times on the specified date.

Atlantic Golf Course could have an employee on their side of the conversation, but artificial intelligence and machine learning along with integrating its scheduling software mean the conversation could occur automatically. AI understands keywords and the intent behind text messaging, freeing up employees to focus on other tasks requiring their attention.

Overall, the ability to schedule appointments via text message reduces time-consuming phone calls for both the business and customers.

2. Check-In Reminder

What you do know is that you never know where your customers are and what they’re preoccupied with at any given time. What happens if a customer misses a phone call or doesn’t check their email inbox? You’ve failed to reach them, let alone engage them.

Feel confident that your customers will see and respond to reminders. As seen in this example, the business would like the customer — perhaps a patient at a doctor’s office — to confirm that they’re able to attend an appointment.

The business didn’t play ‘phone tag’ at all. Instead, they reminded the customer of the appointment and received a simple confirmation in seconds.

3. Contest Entry

Contests in and of themselves are engaging, so pair any promotional endeavors with business text messaging to improve response rates. It doesn’t require a customer to go through the hassle of visiting a separate website and filling out a long form.

95% of text messages are read and responded to within just three minutes of being delivered, which tells you how successful this communication channel really is.

4. Content Engagement

IEHP, a California-based healthcare company, used this business text messaging example in the past. It aimed to connect with members and improve their health with tips promoting healthier habits. Here you can see IEHP introduced a challenge for members to eat a piece of fruit daily for five days straight.

90% of members found the text messages from IEHP improved their overall knowledge of the healthcare company’s services, and its challenges received a 33% completion rate.

5. Customer Service Interaction

Customer service makes or breaks a brand. If customers struggle to have their issues addressed and resolved in a timely manner, not even the best service recovery will get them to stay. And then you’ve lost them to the competition.

Business text messaging, however, makes your brand even more accessible and reduces the time agents spend on the phone answering calls and putting customers on hold while they work toward a resolution. In addition, the use of text messaging for a customer service team allows agents to engage in multiple service interactions simultaneously.

AI-powered technology could even address and resolve an issue without an agent. Once the inquiry is received, its keywords and intent are analyzed to deliver an automated response that saves your business time and makes customers happy.

6. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Survey

In order to improve customer experience (CX), collect and analyze customer feedback. It can be challenging to get customers to respond to surveys, but text messaging reduces customer effort and increases response rates.

Notice in the example above how the customer gave a 3-star rating, which automatically triggered the business to follow up and ask what went wrong. It’s a surefire way to prevent negative reviews from spiraling out of control.

7. Text-to-Donate

Running a non-profit that relies on donations? Text messaging is a trusted method to allow people to donate to your cause.

Often you’ll see this during natural disasters and other catastrophic events that occur around the world. Organizations such as the American Red Cross rely on text messaging, as well as other communication channels, to receive funding for their efforts.

The best part of it is that donors aren’t forced to enter a payment method such as a credit or debit card. Wireless network providers just add the donation amount to a customer’s monthly bill seamlessly.

8. Emergency Alert Notification

Quick communication is essential when it comes to emergencies. Being able to quickly text an alert notification to employees and customers about emergencies can potentially save lives, affording everyone the chance to protect themselves.

Real Star Property Management did just that during the 2021 Texas power crisis. It kept residents safe and saved nearly $1 million in costs by having a text messaging platform at the ready to update everyone throughout an unpredictable deep freeze.

9. Picture Message (MMS — Multimedia Message Service)

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages are text messages with images embedded that have many uses including showcasing products, coupons, maps, alerts, and even for customer service when there is a need to share receipts or images of damaged products.

In the example above, a family lost track of their two young children at a hotel. The panicked parents were able to text a picture of their kids to the resort, which was able to immediately spread that message to staff and the two children were quickly found safely playing in the arcade.

10. Payment Reminder

People usually need to be reminded when a payment is due. Even though email is the most common communication channel businesses use to issue payment reminders, text messaging has been an increasingly popular way for many businesses to send these reminders.

11. Promotional Offer

In a world full of marketing messages both online and offline, trying to reach customers is getter harder than ever. Thanks to the ease and personal touch of text messaging, businesses of all types are using texting to engage customers with promotions and drive sales both online and in-store.

In the example above, the pizzeria uses geofencing. Mobile geofencing, sometimes called ‘geotargeting,’ is a location-based service (LBS) that enables a brand to use the location data of an SMS subscriber. This makes it easy for brands to send out highly relevant local offers to their customers.

12. Social Media Integration

Today’s consumers engage with brands on almost every channel including web, email, and social media. Being present where consumers are provides businesses more visibility to their brand and helps increase sales. In this example from Redbox, they used text messaging to promote their Instagram account and provided a special code to provide an incentive to check it out. Very clever, Redbox.

13. Service Request

Text messaging provides a convenient way for people to request and approve services. One common example is the car repair shop. Texting allows technicians to quickly inform customers of the issue and also confirm any work that is to be done with written approval, vs. just on the phone where it can become cloudy in terms of what repair work was agreed upon.

Repair shops can also send images of the damages that need to be repaired to provide some proof of the work that needs to be done. This is also applicable to other types of businesses that provide a tangible service.

14. Text-to-Order

Speeding up and easing the purchasing process is a way to improve sales. Allowing customers to place an order via text message means they can buy from you anytime, anywhere without any limitations.

Text-based ordering has been popular among restaurants, coffee shops, and alike to reduce long lines and phone wait times, but retail and e-commerce businesses like Dirty Lemon have also adopted text messaging for customers to place orders by simply sending a text message.

15. Branded Chatbot

Here is one of the most unique business text messaging examples: The Cosmopolitan Resort of Las Vegas took business texting to another level by creating a persona called ‘Rose’ that embodies the style and tone of the hotel.

Not only does Rose serve as a digital assistant to guests, but Rose also comes with a personality of her own and engages guests with interesting conversations that promote the hotel’s on-site amenities without coming across sales-y. It’s more than just fun and games as The Cosmopolitan saw an increase of 38% in spending for guests that interact with Rose compared with those who don’t. This is a prime example of boosting revenue by improving customer experience.

Start Using These Business Text Messaging Examples Today

Medallia Concierge is an in-app messaging solution that personalizes and heightens customer and employee experience and builds loyalty. Create opportunities for your brand to engage in a two-way dialogue and uncover deep insights into how people interact with your brand in real-time, allowing for swift service recovery and building “wow” moments that delight.