A Complete Guide to Conversational Messaging
Companies are continuously assessing the benefits and drawbacks of various conversational messaging platforms. Customer service, sales, and marketing have all been empowered to have real-time, personalized interactions with prospects and customers across multiple channels, whether through chatbots on a website or app, SMS messaging, or popular messaging apps WhatsApp.
Conversational messaging, (typically via SMS of messenger apps), has some serious benefits regardless of the use case. Conversational messaging via SMS has up to 98% open rates. And you can reach out to virtually anyone anywhere.
Conversational messaging channels allow companies to take the lead with two-way on-demand interactions for virtually everything from customer service, to order notifications to answering frequently asked questions. This is made possible by a mix of rich media capabilities, AI and machine learning capabilities, and an asynchronous implementation strategy. Eventually, most businesses have a large number of use cases that can be supported over conversational messaging.
The Growth of Conversational Messaging
For most businesses, messaging isn't really a novel form of communication. Numerous firms have adopted messaging methods as a result of the growing number of cellphones on the planet and the widespread use of apps like WhatsApp.
Nonetheless, a lot of the communications that companies send to their contacts are usually one-way. Many businesses employ automated texting to notify contacts of deals and promotions or to provide them with real-time order status updates.
Conversational messaging changes the game. It allows for two-way communication. It opens the door for businesses and customers to have conversations about sales, marketing, and customer service in a setting that they are accustomed to and feel at ease in.
The Benefits of Conversational Messaging
While SMS is still important for business messaging, conversational messaging offers a number of new features that can help businesses build stronger customer relationships. For example, if users are already familiar with a specific messaging platform owing to regular daily use, it is much easier for a business to reach them through that channel. Consumers can have a single, seamless, and easy-to-use conversation with a on their preferred chat app rather than alternating between email, mobile apps, and support phone calls.
The biggest benefit of conversational messaging is that it allows businesses to integrate customer conversations within apps that they are already acquainted with. Customers don't have to download and install a new app anymore.
Conversational messaging has several inherent business benefits:
Increased revenue opportunities: Industry research indicates that over 88% of consumers demand one-on-one interactions via texting, and businesses who embrace personalization drive revenue growth and have an edge over their rivals. This implies that companies who engage in two-way conversational messaging with their audience will give them tailored experiences translating to increased sales.
Wider reach and higher engagement: Businesses can make sure that all communications are relevant to customers' needs and interests by sending them personalized, targeted offers on their preferred messaging app.
New opportunities to promote a company's products and services: Personalized messages can help businesses inform customers about new and upcoming offers and launches and keep their audience excited and engaged.
The importance of conversational messaging
The term "conversational messaging" describes how a company uses digital platforms to offers two-way interactions at scale. Delivering more tailored conversations that improve the user experience on the channels that they choose is the primary goal.
Because they give consumers a choice in how they interact, conversational messaging holds the key in defining an omnichannel communication strategy. Customers have access to useful updates and notifications, and round-the-clock support across multiple touchpoints. To easily make purchases and obtain the information they require, customers simply tap and enter.
How to Develop an Effective Conversational Messaging Plan
Thankfully, it's not as difficult as it appears. Here is a step-by-step guide to getting started, albeit the exact stages you take will depend on your industry and your business objectives.
1. Select the Channels for Conversational Messaging
As previously stated, two-way texting encompasses more than just conversational messaging. Nonetheless, it is unquestionably worthwhile to adopt SMS first. Recall that around 90% of people worldwide frequently use SMS, and 98% of individuals read SMS messages in less than three minutes of receiving it.
Today's top messaging channels such as WhatsApp and SMS are used for business interactions. Find out which channels your audience prefers, then connect with them on those channels. For example, some subscribers prefer WhatsApp since it allows them to search for your company and initiate a chat right away.
GirikSMS, being a 100% native Salesforce messaging app, integrates with SMS and WhatsApp with just a few clicks, making it the ideal choice for enabling conversational messaging on these channels.
2. Establish Your Conversational Messaging Strategy
The next step after selecting your channels is to determine the type of one-one-one interactions you will be engaging in. Conversational messaging is typically used in customer service.
You can utilize conversational messaging to have personalized interactions with customers rather than merely using transactional SMS to send them status updates about their orders. Furthermore, this two-way communication can result in a far better user experience if AI technology is leveraged.
Conversational messaging can also be used for:
Marketing activities to promote a new product or services. For instance, you can send your subscribers a marketing message asking them to reply with more details about a particular offering.
Engagement can take the form of communications asking subscribers for their opinions on your goods or services or for suggestions for improvement in the overall experience.
Service delivery: For instance, an insurance company can connect with its customers and ask them about product upgrade offers or offer product recommendations.
Sales: Merchants can leverage conversational messaging to facilitate transactions, nudging prospects and customers to make purchases with offers and deals.
3. Select the Right Tool for Conversational Messaging
You need the best-fit platform now that you have defined your two-way messaging use cases. Two-way communication isn't the only feature of a great conversational messaging app. It will provide you with the resources you need to scale your operations, maintain security, and deliver tailored experiences at scale.
For example, with built-in data security, sophisticated AI technology, a library of pre-defined messaging templates for multiple business use cases, with GirikSMS you can personalize every interaction for all your conversational messaging campaigns. Using GirikSMS, you can:
Leverage AI: With the GirikSMS AI Assistant, you can easily set up auto-responses to customers even during non-working hours. GirikSMS enables you to be accessible even when no human agents are available.
Go multi-channel: Embed SMS and WhatsApp conversations easily into your workflows. GirikSMS is a 100% native Salesforce SMS app, which means you can integrate your two-way messaging directly with your CRM.
Adhere to compliance: Stay complaint with 10DLC guidelines, acquire consent, and allow subscribers to opt-in and opt-out easily.
Evaluate performance: Track the outcomes of your conversational campaigns across marketing, sales, and customer service by utilizing powerful analytics and reporting features.
Scale your operations: Add new flows for all types of two-way communications. With GirikSMS you can cover transactional SMS, promotional SMS, and other types of messaging to boost your messaging strategy.
4. Prioritize Delivering Outstanding Customer Experiences
People feel more comfortable interacting with brands they can text. Enhancing relationships with prospects and customers should be your primary goal when using conversational messaging.
Follow these tips to enhance the customer experience:
Personalize: Integrate your two-way messaging platform with your CRM. This will enable you to track important data, provide each customer with a relevant, tailored experience, and maintain conversational context as they move from one channel to another.
Be accessible: To provide your customers more ways to get in touch with you, use a variety of messaging platforms. Keep in mind that not every contact will have a WhatsApp account.
Simplify: Make it effortless for customers to reach you. Give them options when they first reach out to you. For example, if you have enabled automated messaging in your financial service business, make it easy for them to reach out to the right representative.
Automate with AI: By leveraging automation and AI, you can supercharge your conversational. You can deploy AI enabled messaging over SMS and WhatsApp to learn more about your customers, which will help you tailor future communications.
With GirikSMS, can also automate parts of your conversational workflows, enabling you to provide round-the-clock service and support or proactively contact consumers to gather information and provide tailored product recommendations.
Get conversational with GirikSMS
For today's enterprises, conversational messaging is a game changer. It facilitates growth, increases engagement, and even opens up new revenue streams.
Businesses can quickly go live with conversational messaging with GirikSMS. GirikSMS integrates seamlessly with SMS and WhatsApp, the world's two most popular texting platforms.
Want to test drive GirikSMS. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today.
