One of the first companies to enable texting on business phone numbers, ZipWhip, recently launched a new report into the way that we interact with texting in 2020. The comprehensive analysis examines the way that both businesses and consumers rely on texting to communicate. According to this research, for the first time ever, businesses and consumers are relying on texting as the primary form of communication for their needs.
Of the people surveyed, 91% said that they received texts from businesses, while 68% of companies reported texting their clients. The annual report also highlighted the fact that consumers now expect texting to be an option for communication. More than 40% of consumers said that they have proactively texted companies, even though they might not have been sure whether the company could accept texts. Around a third of clients said that they texted a company and didn’t get a response back. However, 22% of companies say that they believe their clients don’t’ want to be texted.
The Rise of Texting in the Business Landscape
According to CEO for ZipWhip, John Lauer, companies can no longer just assume that customers don’t want texting anymore. It seems increasingly crucial for companies to implement this kind of technology in an environment where 77% of consumers said that they use texting more than all other forms of messaging communication. Using native texting solutions on the phone helps to keep messages properly organised, according to the consumers.
Lauer believes that companies who don’t allow texting are simply sending their clients to another customer. According to ZipWhip’s study, texting delivers instant support and gratification that consumers demand. Around 75% of clients say that they check their phone within minutes of waking up. Additionally, around 69% of people check their phones more than 20 times per day.
Although some businesses are already catching on to the growing demand for text, around 88% of those surveyed by ZipWhip said that they’re using a personal or company-provided cell phone for this process. Using this kind of technology instead of business texting technology could put customer privacy and company assets at risk.
Overcoming the Texting Conundrum
Lauer said that he understands why individual employees are beginning to text from personal cell phones to reach customers. However, companies need to consider implementing the right software that allows them to safeguard customer and business data. If a phone is stolen or lost, or an employee leaves a company, then the risk of TCPA compliance issues is much higher without the right text systems in place.
The rising demand for texting solutions has appeared at a time when phone calls and emails, historically the most popular channels for communication, are falling out of the spotlight. ZipWhip previous surveys found that around 96% of people see calls as disruptive. Additionally, 97% of people ignore calls from unknown numbers completely. Additionally, while customers do have about 0.5 unread texts at various times, they usually have more than 100 unread emails.
Research from ZipWhip reveals that emerging alternatives to phone calls and email aren’t always hitting the mark either. Around 64% of consumers have said that they’re unlikely to download business branded apps for communication. Those who do download the app said that they were very likely to delete soon after (64%). Additionally, nearly 3 in 4 consumers said that they would much prefer to communicate with a person when contacting a business, rather than getting queries solved by a chatbot.
The Landscape is Changing
The 2020 State of Texting survey conducted by ZipWhip offers an excellent insight into how the landscape is changing to support different kinds of communication between businesses and consumers. The research shows that around 68% of companies are using some kind of texting today, and 91% of respondents on the consumer side said they’d received texts from a business. Additionally, of all the consumers who said that they use text to interact with a business, 35% said that they do so around once a day or once a week.
ZipWhip also believes that the arrival of Rich Communication Services will improve texting experiences for businesses and consumers going forward. As RCS gains ground with phone manufacturers and carrier networks, around 30% of consumers say that they’re somewhat familiar with the concept of RCS today.
You can find the full State of Texting report online today.
