Texting has become the most natural form of communication for most of us. Some 5.1 billion people on Earth own a cell phone, but most of us aren’t using them to make phone calls all day. Let’s say I want to reach a group of friends to plan a girl’s trip. Or maybe I need to ask my husband to pick up dinner on his way home from work. I send a text. Why? Because texting is a reliable, convenient, and fast way to reach someone. It doesn’t disrupt life like a phone call and doesn’t require formality like an email.
Companies are starting to take note of the benefits of using business texting from a computer to reach customers. Sure, you may be feeling some hesitation — is business texting worth the cost? Is texting our customers too invasive? Do our customers actually want to text us?
We’ve gathered 12 statistics that’ll answer your questions and prove its practicality. We’ll see why it’s actually one of the best ways to reach and engage your customers.
>> Read Next: 5 Ways Business Texting Supports a Better Customer Experience
Business Texting from a Computer Gets More Customer Engagement
1. Text messaging has a click-through rate of 19%, while email has a CTR of 3.2% on average. (CallHub)
2. 78% of US consumers say receiving a text message is the fastest way to reach them for important service updates and purchases. (The Vibe)
3. 82% of text messages are read within 5 minutes, but consumers only open 1 in 4 emails they receive. (Flowroute)
4. Business texting response rates are 295% higher than responses from phone calls. (99firms)
5. 86% of companies that use business texting say texts engage customers more than email. (G2)
>> Read Next: 6 Signs it’s Time to Invest in Text Message Marketing
Customers Prefer to Text Your Business
6. 78% of consumers wish they could have a text conversation with a business. (Text Request)
7. 85% of customers prefer receiving text messages over a phone call or email. (PC Magazine)
8. 91% of customers who opt-in to receive texts from a brand see those messages as “very useful.” (Salesforce)
9. 47% of consumers say that, in general, they prefer texting to talking on the phone. (Nielsen)
10. 60% of consumers say they’d prefer to book their hair care appointments over text. (PR Newswire)
Business Texting Leads to More Conversion
11. Prospects who are sent texts convert at a rate 40% higher than those who don’t receive any text messages. (InsideSales)
12. 72% of customers are more likely to purchase a product from a site while communicating via texting in real-time, with a real employee. (PR Newswire)
>> Read Next: 5 Things to Look for in an Online SMS Tool to Offer an Incredible Customer Experience
This article was originally published on June 27, 2018 and was updated on June 23, 2022.