Text and messaging as follow up channels, used carefully

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

Messages sent to a phone are read, and read quickly. That makes them the most effective follow-up channel available on one measure and the most dangerous on another, because the same immediacy that gets the message seen also makes an unwanted one intrusive in a way an email never is.

Used for the right things — a confirmation, a reminder, a short practical update, a question that needs a quick answer — they work extremely well. Used as a marketing channel, or at the wrong hour, or too often, they produce an irritation that attaches to the business rather than to the message.

1. Text and messaging as follow up channels are read, which cuts both ways

The defining property.

Near-certain readership within minutes. That is valuable for something time-sensitive and inappropriate for anything that could have waited. The test before sending is whether the message genuinely needed to arrive now.

2. Use them for practical rather than promotional content

The scoping rule.

Confirmations, reminders, arrival times, a short question, a document sent. Promotional content in this channel is where the damage happens. Appointment reminders in particular are welcome and reduce no-shows measurably.

3. Keep it short and identify yourself

The format.

Two lines and your name. A message from an unrecognised number requires the recipient to work out who is contacting them, which is the first thing to remove. Include the business name as well as your own.

4. Mind the hour

The courtesy that matters more here.

A phone message at nine in the evening is intrusive in a way an email is not. Business hours, and preferably not the very beginning or end of them. Scheduling messages rather than sending them when you happen to be working avoids most of this.

5. Do not use it for the first contact

The sequencing.

An unexpected message to a phone number from a business somebody has not yet dealt with is poorly received. Establish the relationship in the channel they used first. A number given for a quote is not an invitation to message.

6. Ask before you start

The permission step.

"Is it all right to send you a message about this?" takes a second in an existing conversation and resolves both the etiquette and much of the compliance question. Record the answer alongside the number.

7. Expect replies and be able to receive them

The practical requirement.

People reply to messages, quickly, and frequently outside your hours. A channel you send from and do not monitor is worse than not using it. Decide who watches it before you send the first one.

8. Keep the record

The administrative point.

These are business communications and they frequently contain commitments. A conversation living only on somebody's personal phone is lost when they leave. Use a business number or a shared account where you can.

9. One message, not a sequence

The frequency discipline.

A single message asking a question is fine. A series of follow-ups to a phone becomes harassment much faster than the same series by email.

Rules on electronic marketing by text and messaging are generally stricter than for email, differ by jurisdiction, and frequently require prior consent with a clear opt-out. Practical service messages are usually treated differently from marketing, and the distinction is worth understanding before you begin.

Conclusion

Use them for practical, time-sensitive things and keep marketing out of the channel.

Keep messages to two lines and identify yourself, send only during reasonable hours, never use them for a first contact with somebody who has not dealt with you, ask permission within an existing conversation, be able to receive and answer replies quickly, keep the exchanges as business records rather than on a personal phone, send one message rather than a sequence, and check the consent rules that apply where you are.