Text messaging can be a powerful asset for your moving company. For customers, SMS is a personal, quick and easy way for them to ask questions, book their move and get updates on the process. For your company, SMS solutions boost efficiency by improving communication. You can also use SMS to upsell and offer promotions, helping you grow and improve your bottom line.
This guide explores the benefits and uses of SMS for moving companies, how you can use it and best practices for a successful implementation.
The Power of SMS for Movers
Text messaging can be a powerful communication method for all kinds of companies, especially movers. In today’s digital world, more and more consumers desire texting as a way to communicate with businesses—91% of consumers prefer texts from companies more than any other form of communication. Bringing this type of messaging channel to your business can help you start the conversations you need to close your moving appointments.
Advantages of texting for movers include:
- Enhance customer service: Texts are fast and convenient, and they can provide your customers with all the information they need to know about your services. They also offer a more personal touch that customers appreciate. Keep them updated on moving dates, times and delivery details—all important for a smooth, pleasant customer experience.
- Improve efficiency: SMS can reduce your workload, helping you communicate with your team and stay on top of your tasks for the day. With two-way SMS, you can also quickly address your customers’ needs through text rather than multiple phone calls throughout the day. This can free up the time you need to spend on other tasks and projects.
- Maximizing revenue: SMS can also be a great way to increase sales, as you can use it to upsell services or offer promotions to loyal customers. Staying in touch with customers can also encourage them to schedule with you again if they ever need moving services again in the future.
There’s a reason more and more moving companies are leveraging text messaging. As it improves your team’s communication and helps you stay in touch with customers, you can maintain a strong reputation, speed up your processes and grow your business.
How to Use SMS at Your Moving Company
Moving companies use SMS in several ways, from sending reminders and updates to customers to keeping in contact with team members and even hiring new movers. Here are just a few ways you can use SMS at your company:
Support Your Sales Process
When you start a conversation with a prospect, it’s up to you or them where it goes. While some people might respond better to a phone call, others might prefer to continue texting to book their move. When you offer texts as an option, your customers can appreciate having the choice between staying on the SMS conversation or moving to another channel like email or phone to wrap up the details.
Younger generations, for instance, have shown a preference for text as their primary communication method. They might find it more convenient and faster to book services and get updates. If a customer messages you about your services, you can send a moving quote form to them by text. They don’t have to hunt it down and can easily follow up with you if they have questions or want to book.
The bottom line is that by giving your prospects and customers the option, you meet them halfway, providing a smoother sales process. Just make sure you have explicit consent from customers before sending any promotional or marketing SMS messages.
Update Customers
Keeping your customers informed throughout the moving service is essential. Make your customers happier by sending regular updates and reminders about their move through SMS. No one wants to guess or spend time asking for updates, which is why this easy solution can be so valuable for moving companies. With automated messages, you can use SMS to keep customers updated on:
- Moving dates and confirmation
- Timing reminders
- Delivery details
- Same-day schedule updates
Frequent and correct communication with customers can create a better moving experience. These great experiences can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and 5-star online reviews—which you can request through text, as well.
Improve Team Communication and Efficiency
SMS can do more than add convenience for prospects and customers—it can also improve communication among your staff. Use it to update your team when they’re out in the field, keeping them informed about timing and other details. Your staff can also leave notes about a customer or job within your customer relationship management (CRM) software, so you can use those notes for future SMS interactions.
Aside from communication between teams, SMS allows your sales and support staff to handle multiple conversations with customers at once rather than spending too long on a single phone call. Transfer conversations between team members to best route the customer and keep your operations running smoothly.
Upsell and Offer Specialized Services
As a direct line to your customers, SMS can also be a great way to upsell services and offer promotions. The key is to personalize your offers and make them relevant. Consider the offers and services a customer might sign up for based on their initial booking and tailor your message from there.
- Add-ons: Imagine a customer books a basic moving package—you might send an SMS message offering packing services as an add-on and how they could save a certain amount by signing up quickly. They can then choose to reply to the text if they want to learn more.
- Specialized services: SMS can also promote specialized services. If you have climate-controlled transport, for example, you might send a message about the advantages of choosing it if a customer is moving valuable items like art.
- Time-sensitive promotions: Time-sensitive promotions can also work well, such as offering a discount for last-minute moves and asking customers to call or text the number to take advantage of the lower price.
SMS makes sure your offers are seen instantly, ultimately helping you boost your revenue.
Hire and Staff Movers
Hiring can be a challenge in the competitive market, but you can make the hiring process as easy as possible with SMS. Offer texting to potential job candidates so they can ask questions and apply through their phone. Once the process is started, you can keep that line of communication with your applicant and send interview reminders and onboarding details if they’re the right fit.
SMS can be a game-changer if you’re looking to hire quickly, as well. Instead of relying on traditional job boards, SMS lets you target your outreach to potential candidates. Imagine one of your movers calls out sick. A quick SMS blast to a pool of prequalified, on-call movers can fill the gap.
With SMS, your company can make the hiring process a lot easier and make sure you have the workers needed to meet customer demand.
SMS Messaging Tips for Moving Companies
Now that you’re ready to reap the benefits of SMS, we’ve compiled tips to get your messaging campaign started:
1. Segment Your Customer Groups
Personalization is an essential part of great marketing, and to personalize, you’ll need to segment your customers. This means grouping customers based on their needs and history to make communication more engaging and relevant. An example would be sending an SMS message about downsizing or decluttering services to a customer moving from a large house to a small apartment.
You can segment your customers by:
- Age, location and gender
- Purchase history
- High-value customers
- Purchase frequency
- Service preferences
- Engagement levels
- Interests
Start broad and then refine your groups as you gather more data with your SMS. You can also continuously test your segments and campaigns to see what works best. Send out surveys or questionnaires after they do business with you to see what they liked about your SMS messaging and the move in general. You can then tailor your messages better in the future.
2. Keep Texts Clear and Straightforward
Your SMS messages should be clear and to the point, conveying your message as concisely as possible. Common SMS templates for moving companies can include:
- Confirmation and reminders: You can start these messages with a greeting and confirmation of the time and date for the customer’s move. End the message by telling them when your crew will arrive and to reply ‘CONFIRM’ or call to reschedule. You can also let your customers know when your moving crew is en route.
- Upselling and promotions: These messages should be quick and urgent, something like, “Simplify your move! Add professional packing services and save 15%. Reply ‘PACK’ for a free quote.”
- Customer service and feedback: Following their move, you might send out a short message asking if the move went well and to rate your services. If the customer mentions certain issues, you can ask them to call you to get them resolved.
Be sure to personalize your messages with the customer’s name and any relevant details.
3. Craft Compelling CTAs
Your SMS messages should include a short, clear and actionable CTA. The CTA guides your customers on the next steps to take, whether it’s confirming an appointment or providing keyback. Evoke a sense of urgency, including a direct link or keyword to grab your readers’ attention. Effective CTAs are:
- Clear and direct, like “Get Started” or “Claim Your Discount.”
- Urgent, such as “Don’t Miss Out.”
- Personalized, with the recipient’s name.
- Tailored to the recipient’s interests or past behavior.
4. Send Messages at the Right Times
When it comes to using SMS as a customer service tool, timing is everything. You’ll need to make sure you send your messages at the right times so they’re read and considered. Generally, avoid early mornings or late nights.
Aim for regular business hours—9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. You can send reminders a few days before a customer’s move, as well as same-day updates to let them know about the status of your moving truck and team, especially if there are delays. Avoid sending messaging before 8 AM or after 8 PM since customers could consider it disruptive.
Be sure to make it clear how customers can opt out of the messaging, too.
SMS Implementation Best Practices
Now that you’ve decided to use SMS, here are some best practices to implement at your moving company:
Choose the Right SMS Platform
Choose the right provider for your SMS platform. You’ll need a quality solution that has the features you need, like:
- Two-way messaging: With two-way messaging capabilities, you can better personalize your SMS and answer any questions your customers might have by integrating SMS with an application programming interface (API). An SMS API for your moving company will connect your Gmail or Microsoft 365 accounts to the SMS gateway, which then connects to your customers’ phones to deliver the texts.
- Automation and scheduling: Choose a platform with automation and scheduling features so you can send messages at the right times.
- Compliance and privacy: Make sure your chosen platform complies with relevant data privacy regulations.
Automate Your SMS
Make sure you implement technology to automate your sales through SMS. This can improve your productivity, letting you send pre-scheduled messages, follow-ups and reminders without needing to lift a finger. It can simplify your communication and make sure no customers are overlooked.
Secure Your Data
Data security is essential, as it ensures your customer conversations, sales leads and contacts stay within your organization’s control. With text messaging software like CompleteSMS, you secure your customer data to build trust and a stronger reputation.
You’ll need to follow the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other relevant regulations, keeping records of consent and opt-out requests for compliance purposes. You also must take steps to protect your customers’ personal information.
Regularly Test and Optimize Your SMS Strategies
The right SMS platform will let you track your metrics. It should help you learn from your SMS data, adjust messages as needed and meet your performance goals more easily. For example, you can look into your response rates, customer feedback and engagement levels to properly change your approach if needed.
You can also use SMS to send surveys following a move, where your customers can rate your services and offer feedback. Determine areas where your SMS is thriving and where it might need work. That way, you can better tailor your messages for each customer and create a better experience.
Improve Communication for Business Success With CompleteSMS
Text messaging for moving companies can boost business growth and customer satisfaction. A simple SMS software can make communication much easier, so customers can reach out to you when needed, and you can respond as soon as possible. It also helps you message your team, update them on moves or hire movers when needed.
When you’re ready to transform your moving company’s operations, turn to CompleteSMS. Explore how CompleteSMS can help you improve customer satisfaction, optimize your operations and build a strong reputation. Learn more about CompleteSMS and request a demo today to see how we can help you grow your business.
