10 reasons your business should send text message appointment reminders to clients

One of the biggest challenges for local businesses such as restaurants, salons, veterinary clinics, automobile service centres and estate agents is to get customers to show up for their appointments. The solution? Conversational marketing through an appointment reminder app.

Small business owners understand the importance of using top-rated mobile-friendly small business apps. But some are still unaware of the need for an appointment reminder app. That could be because the power of the simple text message is still under-appreciated.

The importance of SMS marketing

The reason you should be interested in top appointment scheduler apps is that SMS is one of the most effective mediums to reach and engage with customers as these statistics show:

• Three-quarters of customers want to receive text messages that have offers

• Almost 30 per cent of recipients click on the link in SMS messages

• Instead of calling customer support centres, 60 per cent of retail customers have shifted to text

• Close to 65 per cent of customers prefer texting instead of calling

• SMS marketing has been found to increase engagement by 88 per cent

• Once they consent, 75 per cent of customers don’t mind receiving SMS from businesses

The benefits of sending appointment reminders via text

So, SMS is an important business tool for small businesses. But they’re particularly effective in scheduling appointments. Here are ten reasons why your small business needs to use an appointment reminder app:

1. They're automated

You don’t need dedicated staff for coordinating with customers when an app can send automated reminders to the selected people using pre-written templates. This helps your team members focus on other important tasks.

2. Greater access

All devices support SMS, from the basic feature phone to the most advanced smartphone. So, customers would have no problem accessing a text message. This makes it probably the most universally used format of communication.

3. Instant communication

You never know when an email would be opened or a social media post would be read. But an SMS is read almost immediately since it requires little effort. According to Adobe, 90 per cent of SMS messages are read within three minutes of receiving them.

4. They are non-intrusive

If a customer is driving or in the middle of a meeting, your phone call will come across as intrusive. A text sent via an appointment reminder app will not interrupt whatever they would be doing. Plus, they have the freedom to check it later.

5. High open-rates

The maximum open rate for emails is 30 per cent while for texts, it’s at a whopping 98 per cent. It’s not difficult to understand why. It’s immediate, requires little effort and importantly, the customer knows that it probably won’t take long to skim-read.

6. They're informative

The SMS from an appointment reminder app will have the date, time and the individual the customer is set to meet. This makes it easier to refer to it later. What’s said in a phone conversation can be easily forgotten.

7. Easier to add to a calendar

When a customer receives an SMS reminder, they can easily integrate it into their calendar. All they have to do is copy and paste.

8. No room for error

A team member might get the date and time wrong. An appointment reminder app won’t. Even if you have confidence in your staff, remember that they could be preoccupied when making phone calls. Automation gets rid of potential human errors.

9. They're cheaper

Unless you have a dedicated second line for work, phone calls can be an expensive proposition. Multiple calls to all your clients can add up to be a sizeable expense. But with an appointment reminder app, all you have to pay is your monthly subscription fee.

10. Greater privacy

A phone call can be overheard by others, which might discourage your clients from taking them in offices or public spaces. A text is a private medium. No one else will get to know its content.

Chalkboard: Allowing you to chat with customers like friends

The future belongs to conversational marketing where you talk to your customer like a friend. Chalkboard’s advanced messaging feature makes it exceedingly easy to talk to your customers about everything from customised offers to appointments.

You can organise your contacts and send them broadcast SMS without having to type out each message manually. What’s more, as an appointment reminder app, it’s way more cost-effective than standard SMS or phone calls since you only have to pay your monthly subscription fee.

Download Chalkboard today for greater customer engagement.