With Expresso, you create business text communications along with print/mail and email on a single platform so you can analyze ROI from each channel or combination of channels and modify as needed.
Americans spend nearly 5 hours a day on their mobile devices1, and they check their text messaging app more than any other on their phones.2 Increasingly, those messages are about business: 70% of consumers have opted to receive business texts from companies.3
Expresso makes business text messaging an effective channel for critical communications. You can draft and distribute recurring, compliant text messages using our omnichannel customer communications management platform, deployed by industry leader Solutions by Text (SBT).
Key business text messaging features
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- Support for both short and long code.
- SmartURL with shortened and branded URLs delivers the most up-to-date and effective text communications for business.
- Branded domain, allowing you to integrate your custom domain name and create unique URLs specific to your brand.
- Integrate bulk SmartURL functionality as part of your existing file process automation.
- Robust archiving, reporting and tracking in Expresso
- Text message development and distribution along with email and print/mail from a single CCM platform and using the same business rules
- Expert compliance guidance
1 App Annie, State of Mobile 2022 report | 2 SimpleTexting, 2022 consumer survey | 3 SimpleTexting
Business text messaging for third-party collectors
With Nordis and SBT, third-party collectors can confidently add business text messaging to their communications outreach.
Unlike other text messaging companies, SBT has secured agreements with wireless carriers, ensuring data security in transit and at rest to meet all applicable regulations, including HIPAA and FDCPA. With business text messaging guidance from SBT and its library of messaging templates, collectors’ Expresso users can compliantly text consumers and take advantage of growing consumer demand and response to mobile interactions.
Shortened URLs increase click-through rates while custom URLs strengthen brand awareness, engagement and consumer trust.
Optimize effectiveness with SmartURL™
SmartURL from SBT allows Expresso™ customers to create, brand and use customized shortened URLs, giving you more characters to convey your message and engage consumers. We leverage this feature to deliver document links to letters and statements that are composed by our Expresso CCM platform. Additionally, if you have long encrypted links for automatic sign-in, you can convert them into SmartURLs for your customers’ secure ease of use.
Our business analytics let you track each customer’s activity, so you know who clicks on a communications link to view the document or a payment link to settle the bill.
Connect with more consumers through business text messaging.
Improve consumer experience
Most consumers want texting: 2 out of 3 people would switch to a company that offered business text messaging as a communication channel.4
Save money
Business text messaging lets you save on postage, paper and printing costs. Postal rate increases will continue as will the potential for supply chain disruptions for paper and increases in paper prices.
Accelerate payments
When text notifications include links to payment portals and statements, consumers can make payments faster. A full 85% of consumers check text messages within 1 to 5 minutes of receiving them.5 More than half, or 51%, respond to texts in 1 to 2 minutes and another 33% in 5 to 10 minutes.6
Increase effectiveness
Business text messages have an impressive click-through rate of 20% to 35%.7 Texts also beat out other forms of communications for many consumers: 58% say texts are a better way to reach them quickly than phone calls or emails.8
Consolidate tracking, reporting and archiving
Just as with other paper and email communications, Expresso lets clients measure engagement, produce reports as needed and store business text messages for an agreed-upon length of time.
Keep compliant
You don’t have to become an expert on business text messaging and regulations. SBT provides industry guidance and best-practice language, drawing on its proven track record with the Federal Communications Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CTIA, and Mobile Marketing Association as well as regulations including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
4 Avochato, December 2019 consumer survey | 5 SimpleTexting, 2022 consumer survey | 6 ZipWhip, 2021 State of Texting report | 7 SimpleTexting, 2022 consumer survey | 8 SimpleTexting, 2022 consumer survey
Texting Beats Phone Calls
One company sent 200,000 texts and compared the consumer response to a similar volume of phone calls and mail.
The result: 50% more texting consumers made payments than those contacted using other communications channels.
Business Text Messaging FAQs
What is business text messaging? Texting is a secure, permission-based communication channel. Sometimes called Short Message Service (SMS), business text messaging is a quick, convenient, cost-efficient and effective way for businesses to connect with customers.
When would we use business text messaging? It’s easy to start by sending customers automated payment reminders, notifications, alerts and account statements via text. You can include links to secure account and payment portals for self-service, secure document links to view statements or letters, and add a phone number that customers can tap to reach a service representative quickly.
Why would we want to start business text messaging?
As consumers, we want to text. Industry research found that 58% of consumers say texts are a better way to reach them quickly than phone calls or emails, and 63% say they would switch to a company that offered texting as a communications channel.
Business text messaging is effective for cost and engagement:
- Improve engagement. With 95% of all text messages read and responded to within 90 seconds on average, texting should absolutely be part of your omnichannel customer communications strategy.
- Reduce costs. Business text messaging makes your communications management program more efficient and helps you save on paper, printing and twice-yearly postage increases.
- Increase collection rates. A seamless mobile payment process drives higher response and collection rates and improves on-time payments.
Do I need the customer’s consent to text them?
Yes. For account-related messages such as payment reminders or confirmations, you’ll need customers’ prior express consent or “opt-in.” This is a consumer’s agreement, in writing or verbally, to receive texts at a particular number. For marketing-related messages, including promotions or special offers, you’ll need prior express written consent. Business text messages should always identify your company or brand as the sender and offer a STOP opt-out option at least monthly, and in some industries, with every communication.
How do I gain customer consent to send business text messages?
There are many effective ways to obtain consent. With new customers, you can gain written consent and collect cell phone numbers while onboarding, such as on loan applications or patient intake forms. The consent language can also explicitly include agreement to be contacted via text by third parties that represent you, such as healthcare revenue cycle management firms. Existing customers can consent while talking to a customer service representative or any time you verify location and contact information, such as at a doctor’s visit. You can also develop proactive campaigns on your website, customer portals and written documents to promote texting and secure consent and cell phone numbers.
If a customer opts out of business text messaging, can they opt back in?
Yes, customers can always opt in again at a future date. It works like this: When a customer opts out of texting by replying STOP or requests to unsubscribe from texting another way, your texting provider should move the customer’s contact number and information to a suppression list. The provider will maintain the list and not deliver text messages to that customer unless a subsequent opt-in request is received.
What about compliance with other business text messaging rules and regulations?
You don’t have to navigate without a map. Our texting partner, Solutions by Text (SBT), complies with all applicable standards, rules and regulations and provides our clients with business and industry guidance. Here’s what SBT has to say:
The SMS industry is overwhelmingly spam-free thanks to safeguards and regulations set by applicable law (TCPA, Regulation F of the FDCPA), the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), and wireless carriers. The wireless carriers develop individualized rules that everyone must follow. The CTIA sets best practices and rules. Lastly, federal and state laws apply to text message programs depending on industry and vertical.
Is business text messaging difficult to set up?
With Expresso™, our omnichannel communications platform, clients can add a digital communication through a texting channel quickly. Step one is your sender code, the phone number from which the text will be sent. Not sure you have one? Our team can help procure a long code or short code on your behalf. You’ll need customer consent to receive texts, and your data file needs a field for a phone number where you’ll send SMS messages.
Next, provide SMS message content and any URL links, and fields and rules. Expresso lets you leverage the existing data, rules and content that are part of your core configuration. You can also include document links that when tapped will present a document that is archived in Expresso. This link can also be sent securely, which requires authentication, similar to our secure emails.
What about record retention, reports and analytics?
Like all communications you create and send with Expresso, a record of your text is digitally archived for the amount of time you choose. Expresso users can call up any record instantly to service a customer. You can create custom reports on demand or schedule reports to run and distribute automatically.
Long codes and short codes, which is right for me?
An SMS long code is a 10-digit number used to send and receive one-to-one or one-to-a-small-group text messages, faxes and calls. An SMS short code is 5-6 digits and can only send and receive texts. Long codes transmit one message per second, while short codes can send 40 messages per second and are well suited for mass notification, alerts and marketing. Short codes were devised with organizations in mind, and while well supported by carriers, the regulations for short code users are more detailed than for long code users. Short codes are also more costly and generally used for high-volume text notifications.
I’m in! How do we get started with business text messaging?
Contact us to learn more or to schedule a demo.