It was not long ago when the phrase “artificial intelligence” would bring to mind images of robots, science-fiction movies, lines of code across a computer screen, or even time travel! However, as technology has evolved, so has the way companies have adopted AI to perform tasks and create automated workflows. Think Siri (Apple), Alexa (Amazon), and Google Assistant, which have become integral parts of making our lives easier. The same concept can be applied to texting. SMS is evolving as the amount of money behind mobile channel strategies continues to grow. In this 3-part series, we will examine the top automation and AI trends for SMS.
Artificial intelligence
By using AI in your SMS strategy, you’ll find that communication is smarter, integration is more convenient, and your customers can interact with you on a more efficient level. All of these elements come together to create an improved customer experience. Customer experience is a major influencer in consumer retention. Another benefit is when your customer submits an inquiry or reaches out, they receive the best experience regardless of whether they are talking to a person or a machine. In fact, most customers will not be able to tell the difference.
One of the best advantages is scaling with the power of AI, automation, and bots. The Human + AI approach means your sales or marketing team can build meaningful relationships with buyers at previously impossible scales. Let AI handle lead qualification, scheduling of meetings or follow-ups, routing your prospects, and much more so that your team can focus on the most valuable parts of the conversion. Additionally, thoughtfully designed bots can scale your team quicker since there is no limit to the amount of conversations a bot can handle at any given time. This strategy helps expand the bandwidth of your team by allowing them to converse with and tend to many customers at once.
When implementing bots, your mobile messaging strategy should convey a clear purpose, such as a lead conversion, flash sale, customer upsell, application completion, etc. Consumers are more likely to adopt mobile messaging that includes a clear call-to-action. For example, one of our partners saw their combined conversion rate via phone and email increase from 8% to 40% when they implemented a strong text messaging strategy in addition.
Ready to streamline communication with your customers?