If you’re offering a takeaway and delivery service, it’s important to make sure customers get the same amazing experience they would if they were coming in to eat. If you’ve ever ordered pizza from a certain well-known chain, you’ve probably seen their tracker and maybe even followed your food’s journey to your door. Whilst that functionality is great, it is also a pricey option. Your text message just needs to give customers the ability to know when to expect that all-important delivery to provide excellent customer service. There is nothing worse than placing an order (for anything) and having no communication from the sender until it arrives on your doorstep. Use text messaging to let customers know how things are going and when they can expect their delicious meal to arrive. If things should happen to go awry, just send a text, text messaging keeps customers in the loop.
For many food businesses appointments are the only way they’re able to serve customers. Text messaging is the perfect way to remind customers of their booking while giving them all the key information they need. By including rebooking information with your appointment reminders, you reduce no-shows as, instead of disappearing, customers can rebook at a time convenient for them. Text messages can also improve appointments as, if you do have a cancellation, you can let the waiting list know quickly and easily.
There’s no need to spend ages calling everyone to remind them of their appointment, only to be asked: “Can you call back later?”. Text messaging boasts a 98% open rate, with this being much higher than traditional methods, text messaging means everyone is easily contactable and able to open the message at the most convenient time for them. Craft your message and send it out to hundreds or thousands of people with the click of a button, what could be simpler.
Aside from reminding customers about their bookings and letting them know their food is on the way, text messaging is a great way to communicate promotions and discounts quickly and easily. Unlike emails, which can get lost in inboxes or filtered out by over-zealous spam filters, text messages land right in customers’ pockets. According to Ofcom, Brits check their smartphones every 12 minutes, which means text messaging is a more effective way of sending out promotions than other methods. The important thing to note is that you never want to come off as spammy or annoying - avoid sending out loads of promotions and discount codes; otherwise, customers will start ignoring your messages and will not be thinking too highly of you for interrupting their day either. Keep text messaging for targeted information customers will want to know; if you’re not sure we put together some top text messaging tips.
You might be thinking that text messaging sounds like it could be costly, but the opposite is true. It can have an overall lower cost than other forms of marketing, with the added benefit of being much more targeted. By working with Smart Messenger, you get a package built to suit your individual needs and aims. Prices start from just £10 per month, so whether you’re going to be sending hundreds or thousands of messages a month, we can help.
Get in touch with the team to find out how text messaging can help you keep giving the best service to your customers.
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