Texting is a powerful tool to build and maintain a positive relationship with customers to ensure they get the right information from you at the right time. However, the situation being what it is demands not only empathy on the part of businesses but also respect for the customers and their time. Here are just a few tips to help your business text effectively in a crisis.

Value over noise

The most important question you should ask yourself is whether or not your audience need to hear from you at the moment. So, try to be empathetic to their experience and understand that most customers are already being hit with messages from other companies they have opted into. Text only when there is a valuable information to share and not just because you want to do what everyone else is doing. You can easily lose customers for the future by sending them irrelevant text messages.

Provide verified information or stick to what you know

Many people often use cries like these as an opportunity to spread fear and misinformation. You should only speak to what you know and understand, and for everything else, point to a verified source or simply leave it alone. Even if your intentions are for the best, sharing incorrect information can harm your brand’s reputation and your customer’s trust. Undoing inaccurate statements can be difficult and sometimes, there is no going back. So, be cautious and only send out information that you have 100% confidence in. In the current coronavirus cries, The World Health Organization and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are among the reputable sources you could considering using as reference.

Don’t wait too long to deliver information

Your customers are accustomed to rapid communication and in a crisis, their expectation is even stronger. If you have an important alert, reminder or update to share and you know that your customers need to know it, be proactive and waste no time. Bulk texting is a powerful tool which you can integrate into your website or software application to text all your customers in a single click. Sure, there’s a little programming here and there but this is contingency thousands of businesses would want desperately at this time.

Make sure all stakeholders are informed

Moving fast can lead to errors, including the common error of sending sensitive information externally before all internal stakeholders are informed. For example, informing customers that your store would be open on weekends without first informing your employees that they would be working weekends. In order for your message to be relevant by any means, it needs to be a unified one. Even if customers need the information, it is important to run it through your internal team.

Take an integrated view of your ongoing customer communications

Bulk texting is just one among many methods of communication your audience can have with your business. You can do a quick analysis of other channels like email, automated campaigns, calls and social media to ensure that you are using the right channel to get your message across. If other channels are being overloaded or not cutting it, texting can be a real life saver especially if you have automated templates ready to answer frequently asked questions.

Personalize your message

When things are serious like they are now, audiences expect to receive personalized communications instead of a one-way blast no recipient can respond to. We live in a world where conversational marketing is now a things and two-way bulk texting will lead to more interactive customers.

Read the room

A crisis is no time for emojis or texts in all caps. Your texts should reflect the tone of the current environment and be respectful of the gravity of the situation. You may get the desired attention but it would be at the expense of appearing insensitive to the serious situation at hand.

Be ready for follow-up

Follow ups are important in building and maintaining relationships with your audience. Customers will ask questions and you need to be prepared to answer them. However, please note that follow ups not only require patience but also common sense. For example, if a customer isn’t responding to your calls or emails, you can send them a reminder or follow up on text. With 98% readability rate, you can ensure that that you have engaged with them.

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