5 Types of Texts You Should Send Your Customers

By Kathryn Brill, AccuLynx. 

The key to customer satisfaction is communication. Here are the texts you should be sending to improve customer service. 

Answering questions and keeping your customers up to speed with a project goes a long way towards growing customer satisfaction. While email and calls are great ways to stay in touch with your customers, it is important to contact them via their preferred communication method so they will actually see your messages in time.  

Text is quickly becoming the standard for contacting customers on projects, 69% of customers across all age groups prefer to communicate with your roofing business via text messages and 54% are reported to be frustrated when they can’t do so. With text’s growing popularity as the preferred way to get in contact, adding text messaging to your toolbox can make a world of difference when it comes to improving customer service.  

Here are five types of texts you should be sending to your homeowners to keep them in the loop: 

Text #1 - the appointment reminder 

More and more businesses are sending appointment reminders via text message — and as a result, your customers are coming to expect them. 83% of customers want to receive a text as an appointment reminder. In addition to being preferred by homeowners, reminder text messages help ensure that appointments are kept and your customers are always prepared for you. You’ll not only be reaching out using a preferred method, you’ll also save yourself time and avoid having to play phone tag if a customer can’t make an appointment. 

Appointment reminder text messages don’t need to be long. Just include the date and time of the appointment, a brief description of what the appointment is for, and how to confirm or reschedule. If you use a roofing software system that includes the option to automate messages, you can even automate these texts to send within one day of every appointment scheduled in your system, saving you even more time. 

Text #2 - the “change of plans” message 

Heavy rain in the forecast? Accidentally double-booked? Material delivery delayed? At your roofing business, there are a lot of reasons you might have to change your schedule. When it happens, it’s important to update your customers in a timely manner and work together to find a new time that works. 

Recent surveys found that 98% of text messages are opened. Sending a roofing business text message when there’s a change of plans will get the information in front of your customers more quickly than an email or phone call. Customers will be grateful that you’re keeping them in the loop, and you’ll get things rescheduled more quickly. 

Text #3 - the progress photo 

Your customers know that work is moving forward — but they can’t get onto the roof and see it. One great way to keep them in the loop on your progress and help them understand the work you’re doing is to show them photos of the job. Since your business is likely already taking lots of photos for your own documentation, getting photos to share with your customers won’t require any extra tasks on your part. 

Sending a text message with a photo or two of the job is a great way to get those photos in front of your customers. We’re all used to receiving photos over text, so it will seem natural to your customers. And since it’s quick and low-effort, you can keep customers in the loop without adding more work to your busy schedule. 

Text #4 - the quick question 

Sometimes, you need a fast answer to a simple question about the job. When you need a speedy response and the question is straightforward, calling or emailing the customer can slow you down — and the customer might not respond in a timely manner. 

When it comes to these types of questions, the best way to reach customers is via text message. 78% of customers respond to texts in 10 minutes or less, so you’ll get your answer quickly (vital if you’ve forgotten the gate code or you’re trying to figure out if you can lean your ladder against the fence). Quick back-and-forth communication is a natural fit for the medium of text messaging, and you won’t take up too much of the customer’s time (or yours!) for something that can be answered easily. 

Text #5 - the follow-up message 

Checking in with customers at different stages of the project helps improve customer service, gives homeowners opportunities to provide feedback, and establishes a connection that can be leveraged for more business in the future. In particular, if you’re working on a complex job with many stages, regular check-ins and follow-ups will help your customers stay in the loop throughout the process. You can also send a follow-up message after a meeting with the customer to keep the conversation going and give them an opportunity to mention anything they forgot in the moment. 

You may be used to sending messages like these over email or making follow-up phone calls, but your roofing business can easily send text messages as well. Keep it short, simple and personal. For example, “We just finished installing the gutters. How do they look?” Sending simple follow-up messages over text not only connects you to customers using their preferred method of communication, it also helps customers feel more comfortable expressing their concerns and asking questions. Instead of waiting until a job is done to find out what your customer thought, you’ll receive real-time feedback that can help you adjust if a customer is unsatisfied. 

Serve customers more effectively with roofing business text messaging 

Great customer service is essential to the growth of your roofing business. Using text messages to communicate throughout the job process will help establish your reputation as a business that is committed to customer satisfaction. From the first meeting to the final invoice, you’ll stay connected and build great relationships with your customers that you can leverage for positive reviews, referrals, or future business. 

Many contractors are using software systems like AccuLynx to send roofing business text messages. Texting through roofing software enables contractors to see past messages easily, keep business information secure, save a record of all messages associated with a given job, and set up automated text messages. To learn more about using AccuLynx to send business text messages, visit their texting page. 

Learn more about AccuLynx by seeing a Demo or visit www.acculynx.com. 

Original article source: AccuLynx