We have learned a lot about texting over the pandemic, and some of the most interesting data is centered around how customers interact with businesses.

During the pandemic, people had to find new ways to communicate, rather than face-to-face conversations. What emerged was a better understanding of technology and an increase in texting.

Customers quickly realized that they could text a business, rather than call, and get a quick response, sometimes within seconds. This has now shaped what customers expect from businesses.

New data on how texting has changed

According to a Pew Research study, more than 81% of Americans own a smartphone. That is more than 300 million people with a smartphone in their pocket in the US. This didn’t seem possible even just five years ago, but now the trend is showing more people are embracing technology.

The G2 Learn Hub also took a closer look at what this new surge in smartphones actually means.

They found that 78% of buyers say checking, sending, and answering text messages is the primary way they use their phones. Also, 61% of people admit to spending more time texting daily since 2020.

This goes along with the data from Kenect, which shows an upward trend in text messages. We have seen 55% increase in text message volume per dealer year over year. This is just within the last couple years during the pandemic.

Customers want you to text them

Convenience and simplicity are the key here. Customers saw how easy it was to send messages, make payments, and get questions answered, so now they expect businesses to have this option.

The same G2 survey found 60% of customers say they want to write back to businesses that send texts, but they don’t have a platform in place. Customers appear to be moving faster on the texting front because they are seeing the benefits of it and some dealers are still not sure.

Also, 54% of consumers say they would like to get promotions via text, but only around 11% of businesses send them this way. This can be easily fixed with Kenect’s broadcast messaging feature. It allows you to send messages to a group within your contacts, without having to send them one by one. Customers can then respond to the texts and you can quickly respond back.

Overall, the report shows that not enough businesses are offering texting to customers. Around 60% of customers say they got a text message from a business, but could not respond to it because they had no platform in place.

The Kenect platform is added to your existing business line, so if you have sent texts in the past, but don’t have a way to respond, this is key. You add the platform to your business number, and now customers can respond to any text you send.

Texting may seem daunting to a lot of smaller businesses because they are not sure how customers will respond. Now, as more people get smartphones, we are seeing the trend move towards acceptance. Customers now expect businesses to offer texting because they have seen it during the pandemic.

There is no learning curve for the customer and adding texting to your existing business phone line is quick and easy. You will find that the transition to texting may be a lot faster than you think!

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