{"id":45365,"date":"2024-07-18T22:24:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T22:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/messagemedia.com\/?post_type=blog&p=45365"},"modified":"2024-07-18T22:31:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T22:31:25","slug":"sms-and-email","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/messagemedia.com\/au\/blog\/sms-and-email\/","title":{"rendered":"SMS and email: The power couple of customer communications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the world of celebrities, power couples make a perfect pair despite their differences. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban? Sure. David and Victoria Beckham? Why not. But what about SMS and email?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to your customer communication strategy, this duo might be the most powerful of all. A new report from Sinch, The art and heart of meaningful customer connections<\/a><\/em>, has the numbers to prove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research includes survey results from more than 500 consumers, revealing their preferences and expectations around the way brands communicate with them throughout the customer journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing the report makes crystal clear… SMS and email have won the hearts of most consumers<\/strong>. But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 reasons why SMS and email are the top communication channels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Question after question, throughout the survey findings, email and SMS were the channels that came out on top as user favourites. But it\u2019s not just consumers who see value in these forms of customer communication either, so do businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinch also surveyed more than 400 B2C companies to ask about their communication strategies. Results show 92% of businesses use email to reach customers and 73% send customers text messages via SMS.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Sinch research shows businesses uses a variety of messaging channels – but SMS and email top the list<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Businesses focus on these channels because they\u2019re two efficient, effective, and reliable ways to reach a mass audience of consumers. At the same time, these businesses choose to communicate over SMS and email because that\u2019s what their customers expect and prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is it about email and SMS that make them consumers\u2019 favourites?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Familiarity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A big reason that SMS and email are consistently the top choices is because consumers are very comfortable with them. It\u2019s what they\u2019ve become familiar with because nearly everyone uses email and SMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email has been around for decades, and it\u2019s an important channel for brand communications<\/a>. People are used to getting emails from brands, but it\u2019s less common to use email for everyday, peer-to-peer (P2P) communication with family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text messaging, however, is a primary way for people to communicate in their personal lives. At the same time, SMS communications from brands have become very common. That makes it an appropriate channel to create customer connections that feel more familiar and conversational<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a consumer creates a new account, they often submit both their email address and mobile phone number at signup. While you should always obtain consent, new customers are likely expecting <\/em>to hear from you via SMS and email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may not be the same for other mobile messaging channels. Some consumers may not yet be comfortable hearing from brands on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp because they feel it should be reserved for P2P messaging. Still, we\u2019re not saying you should exclude these channels from the mix. They represent excellent opportunities to connect<\/a> when consumers give you permission.<\/p>\n\n\n

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2. Convenience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Throughout Sinch\u2019s report, the research suggests what consumers want from brand communications is a more convenient experience<\/strong>. Your messages should make their lives easier. That could include anything from a personalised email promotion that helps them save on products they love to an SMS notification that a shipment has arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinch found 54% of consumers cited factors impacting convenience as most important when they first connect with a B2C brand. Consumers want companies to be easy to work with, provide useful information, and answer their questions quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumers\u2019 familiarity with email and SMS also makes them a convenient way to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the fastest way to get on a consumer\u2019s bad side is to become an inconvenience<\/em>. The top two \u201cdealbreakers\u201d for consumers were related to getting too many messages (26%) or receiving irrelevant communications from a company (25%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumer communication dealbreakers<\/h4>\n\n\n
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Top “dealbreakers” for consumers after opting in to brand communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Interestingly, only 8% of consumers chose problems with their order or account as a dealbreaker. That means they\u2019re more willing to forgive mistakes than they are to be annoyed by excessive or irrelevant communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Timeliness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speed or timeliness of message delivery is directly connected to convenience. This is an area where SMS communication truly shines. It may be the best way to reach customers and contacts quickly<\/a>. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n