BLOG
Salesforce SMS Messaging 101: Why It Matters
• Date: October 2024 •
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Subscribe for more useful content
We promise we'll not spam your mailbox!
By submitting you agree to receive a newsletter from Twistellar. You can unsubscribe anytime.
This guest article is written by Theodor Nørgaard from LINK Mobility Group.
Salesforce text messaging is an effective method of engaging your customers straight from your CRM.
In this blog, we will outline why you should consider it for your business, how to make your SMS campaigns pop, and how to send SMS through Salesforce with minimum technical complexity.
Contents:
What is Salesforce SMS?
A Salesforce SMS is a feature that allows users to send SMS messages from within Salesforce. The Salesforce SMS integration will position a business to communicate directly with customers, using the power of SMS messaging to increase customer engagement and streamline operations.
Text Message Marketing Stats
Is SMS Marketing Worth It? Benefits and Use Cases of Using Salesforce SMS
Every business needs effective ways to engage with its audience. The Salesforce SMS integration can be an efficient tool integrated with your Salesforce org. Here are a few of the key benefits of using Salesforce SMS:
Enhanced Customer Engagement
Engaging with customers on frequently used channels is key to long-lasting brand-customer relationships. With a 99% open rate, SMS is one of the universally most used channels. With Salesforce SMS, businesses can:
- Reach customers instantly: About 90% of all SMS messages are read within a few minutes, ensuring the message gets the desired attention
- Get higher response rates: SMS has faster response rates than various other channels, making interactions via SMS timely
- Improve customer relationships: Consistent, short, and gripping SMS communication is key. SMS can be an excellent touchpoint for increasing customer engagement
Real-Time Communication
Timeliness and relevance are the keywords in business communication. Salesforce SMS allows businesses to send time-sensitive information directly to their customers. This capability is particularly beneficial for:
- Appointment reminders: Reduce no-shows by sending automated reminders of upcoming appointments
- Order confirmations and updates: It provides real-time updates about orders or shares important information, improving the customer experience
- Promotional offers: Send SMS messages to inform customers about special offers, sales, or promotions. This will encourage them to take action and boost sales
- Event invitations: Invite and inform customers about webinars, conferences, and other business events, increasing attendance and engaging customers
- Surveys and feedback: Get constructive customer feedback through surveys delivered via SMS, enhancing your services or products based on real data
- Billing and overdue reminders: Send reminders of upcoming bills or overdue payments to keep every transaction on time and avoid cash flow disruptions
- Customer support: Quick responses and support through SMS enable customers to seek help instantly without holding the line
- Product launches: Announce new product launches directly to customers' phones, making them aware of the latest products at once
- Contract signing and confirmations: Provide links for contract signings and confirm via SMS, making reaching an agreement much faster and easier
- Share payment links: Share protected links via SMS so customers can complete transactions easily and conveniently
Automation and Efficiency
One of the unique features of Salesforce SMS capabilities is that it automates SMS messages, campaigns, and flows. In addition to saving time, automation can also reduce human error. Here are some benefits of this function:
- Scheduled SMS messaging: Send Salesforce SMS messages at optimal times for maximum impact
- Workflow integration: Integrate SMS into existing Salesforce workflows to automate tasks like following up and requesting feedback
- Consistency: Automated SMS messages help maintain perfect consistency in communication, transmitting relevant information to customers in an accurate and timely manner
Personalized SMS Messaging
The power of personalization can be enormous. Customer data stored in Salesforce allows businesses to enrich Salesforce SMS messages with highly personalized content. Content that fits the customers' preferences and behaviors—helping businesses in:
- Segmented campaigns: Ensure relevant campaigns with different segments of target customers
- Customized content: Personalizing the content of each message using customer data from Salesforce makes the SMS message more relevant for the recipient
- Greater customer satisfaction: A personalized message is said to have the positive implications of showing that you understand your customers’ needs and desires, leading to a more positive experience
Use Your Salesforce Customer Data
Use Salesforce SMS to drive more targeted engagement by utilizing the richness of your customer data in Salesforce. Benefits include:
- Better understanding of customer Interactions: Use customer information for meaningful, relevant messaging
- Data-driven decisions: Use data captured in a CRM to create an analysis for SMS campaigns for success and thus refine the messaging strategy
- Integrated insights: Combine the SMS data with all other CRM insights for an integrated view of customer engagement and behaviors
Easy to Use for Employees
Integrating SMS into a system that sales reps and other employees know makes the adoption process smoother and more efficient. Benefits include:
- Salesforce-native UI: The ability to use SMS functionality within the familiar Salesforce interface reduces the learning curve for the people who will be using it
- Increased productivity: All customer communication will be stored in a single place, easily accessible, and analyzed for operational efficiency
Additional Advantages of SMS in Salesforce
Besides these significant advantages, Salesforce SMS offers the following:
- Cost-effectiveness: Messages through SMS are very inexpensive compared to other traditional media used for marketing purposes
- Two-way communication: SMS allows customers to respond to messages quickly. Enables real-time interaction that improves customer service
- Analytics and reporting: You will receive detailed analytics about your campaigns' performance, which will help you refine and optimize your strategy
Best Practices for Salesforce SMS Messaging Campaigns
Remembering and maintaining best practices when implementing Salesforce SMS campaigns to maximize one-on-one engagement with your customers is important. This ensures that your Salesforce SMS campaigns are effective and compliant.
Obtain Explicit Consent
Getting explicit consent from your customer is one of the core principles of effective SMS messaging and marketing. This is not a regulatory compliance issue but a best practice in building trust and ensuring your SMS messages are well received.
- Regulatory Compliance
- Make it Easy to Opt-in
Just customers intending to message the business is a signal of trust. Make the opt-in easy and explicit about the type of messages and the frequency at which those types of messages will come in.
- Opt-out Options
Provide customers with the option of opting out at any time. Replying with "STOP SMS" to any of our messages to unsubscribe from all further communication could be enough. Ensuring easy opt-out options maintains trust and compliance.
Add a Call to Action
Adding a call to action in any SMS campaign is very important. It guides the recipient on what to do next, increasing engagement and driving desired outcomes.
- Actionable Language
Strong verbs combined with clear instructions set the tone for immediate action. "Click here," "Reply now," or "Buy today" leaves very little room for misinterpretation.
- Relevance
Be sure the CTA is relevant to the message. For example, if you're running a promotional offer, include a link to the product or a unique discount code.
- Urgency
Build urgency to allow for increased response rates. Use sentences like "Limited time offer" or "Only a few available" to prompt them to act immediately.
SMS Marketing Benchmarks vs Email Marketing Benchmarks
Monitor and Analyze Performance
SMS campaign improvements must be made through continuous monitoring and incorporating the learnings.
- Key Metrics
Key but basic metrics that need to be monitored are the open rate, click-through, and response and opt-out numbers; they show the average message performance.
- A/B Testing
Test different message formats, CTAs, and sending times to see what works best. This can give you insight into what customers prefer and act on.
- Customer Feedback
Use customer feedback to refine your approach. If many customers regularly opt out after a particular message, consider what could be changed to optimize your Salesforce SMS messaging.
LINK Mobility Salesforce SMS Integration
LINK Mobility's leading mobile messaging solutions play well with Salesforce. Its robust SMS functionality enhances your Salesforce SMS campaigns.
- Integration with Ease
The LINK Mobility SMS solution is designed to work directly within Salesforce CRM. This means that SMS campaigns can be managed in the same way as other customer interactions. Everything can be found in one spot, simplifying complexity and ensuring consistent customer communication.
- Advanced Features
Automate SMS workflows, schedule your messages, and customize! The LINK Mobility Salesforce SMS integration targets content with Salesforce data. Not only does that make things simpler, but it also makes them more effective.
- Global Reach
LINK Mobility ensures businesses' global reach and high reliability. You can be sure the message is uniform and compliant across the globe.
- Comprehensive Local Support
LINK Mobility offers comprehensive local support to help you navigate any challenges in your SMS strategy.
Salesforce SMS: How to Enhance Customer Engagement and Operational Efficiency
Utilizing Salesforce SMS creates a foundation for building better relationships with the customer base by sharing time- and context-relevant SMS messages. Automating workflows on communication enhances consistency and efficiency.
SMS sent via Salesforce enables real-time engagement, especially in keeping up with appointment reminders, order updates, promotional offers, and other important services for perfecting customer experiences and improving operational efficiency. This can be personalized with rich Salesforce customer data. Personalization functionalities empower your customer engagement and make increasing their satisfaction and loyalty easier.
To Wrap Up
If you're having trouble configuring SMS in Salesforce or need expert assistance to get started with Salesforce in general, don't hesitate to reach out to Twistellar. We're here to help you maximize the benefits of Salesforce SMS integration and ensure seamless customer communication.
FAQ: Salesforce SMS Messaging
Yes, Salesforce can send SMS messages. Salesforce allows businesses to integrate SMS messaging into their workflows through various methods, such as using native Salesforce features like Salesforce Mobile Messaging or by integrating third-party SMS applications available on the Salesforce AppExchange.
With these tools, users can send SMS messages directly from Salesforce to their customers, leads, and contacts, making communication more efficient and streamlined.
With these tools, users can send SMS messages directly from Salesforce to their customers, leads, and contacts, making communication more efficient and streamlined.
To enable SMS in Salesforce, follow these steps:
- Decide whether you want to use Salesforce’s native SMS functionality or a third-party SMS app from the Salesforce AppExchange. Salesforce’s native options include MobileConnect and Digital Engagement for SMS, while AppExchange offers 200+ third-party SMS apps.
- If you choose a third-party app, install it from the AppExchange and set it up according to the developer's instructions. You may need to configure settings such as SMS templates, sender IDs, and API keys.
- You need Salesforce Digital Engagement licenses for native SMS functionality. Navigate to Setup > Messaging Settings, and follow the prompts to enable SMS channels. Configure message templates and assign permissions to users who will send SMS messages.
- Set up SMS templates for frequently sent messages to save time and maintain consistent communication.
- Don’t forget to send a test SMS message to ensure everything works correctly before sending messages to customers.
The best Salesforce SMS add-on depends on your business needs, budget, and integration preferences. Some popular options available on the Salesforce AppExchange include:
LINK Mobility
LINK Mobility enables businesses to connect with their audiences through various channels, such as SMS, WhatsApp Business, voice, email, and more. Their platform supports mobile communications for purposes like notifications, marketing, promotions, and customer service. With an easy-to-integrate SMS API, you can begin sending SMS messages immediately.
Mogli
If you want to integrate text messaging into Marketing Cloud Engagement, consider the app Mogli. It provides similar core Salesforce SMS Marketing functionality but also offers a unique capability: the ability to send audio files with live voice narration.
LINK Mobility
LINK Mobility enables businesses to connect with their audiences through various channels, such as SMS, WhatsApp Business, voice, email, and more. Their platform supports mobile communications for purposes like notifications, marketing, promotions, and customer service. With an easy-to-integrate SMS API, you can begin sending SMS messages immediately.
Mogli
If you want to integrate text messaging into Marketing Cloud Engagement, consider the app Mogli. It provides similar core Salesforce SMS Marketing functionality but also offers a unique capability: the ability to send audio files with live voice narration.
To send SMS using Salesforce to a mobile device, follow these steps:
- Ensure you have enabled SMS functionalities by installing a third-party SMS app from the AppExchange or setting up Salesforce Mobile Messaging.
- To create or use a template, navigate to Setup > Messaging Templates.
- Send SMS through Salesforce:
- Manually: Navigate to the contact, lead, or account record in Salesforce. Click on the SMS app component or action button (like “Send SMS” if using a third-party app). Choose the SMS template (if any), type your message, and click “Send.”
- Automatically: Use Salesforce automation tools like Process Builder or Flow Builder to set up triggers that automatically send SMS messages based on specific actions or criteria. For example, you send a welcome SMS when a new lead is created.
Twistellar's team has carried out a number of industry-oriented projects and we are always open to discuss yours!
Our deep understanding of Salesforce platform ensures successful handling of projects in any domain
By submitting you agree to receive a newsletter from Twistellar. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Our Best Articles and Salesforce Overviews
Feeling like teaming up with us at Twistellar? We are excited too! Whether you'd like to customize your org, build a bespoke application or integrate a third-party tool, Twistellar is ready to help you.
Get in touch to discuss your Salesforce ideas!