How SMS AI Chatbots Can Boost Customer Outreach

More and more people are on their phones every day. So if you want to reach your customers, SMS campaigns are a great way to go. In fact, according to Textsanity, SMS open rates are recorded to be as high as 98%. But running SMS campaigns isn’t always a piece of cake. Luckily, an SMS AI Chat Bot can help.

In this article, we’ll discuss what AI chatbots are and how they can help boost your SMS customer outreach. Through automated conversations, an SMS AI chat bot can provide personalized responses to questions and make efficient recommendations. And this can ultimately level up the customer experience.

Are SMS Outreach Campaigns Still Worth It?

Before we get into what an SMS AI Chat Bot is capable of, let’s first debunk the notion that SMS is dead. A lot of people think this, but the numbers say otherwise:

• In 2022, 6.65 billion people owned smartphones
• Around 75% of clients are in favor of receiving offers via SMS.
• The CTR rate for marketing messages is higher by 9.18% compared to other digital channels.
• SMS has a 98% open rate
• After receiving text messages, 60% of customers read them within 1-5 minutes.

All this data only proves that SMS is still very much alive. And it can be an incredibly powerful tool in modern businesses.

What is an AI Chat Bot?

A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users through natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Its purpose is to engage in automated conversations using user text or voice commands. The goal is to provide an easy way for customers to get information from companies without talking to a live person.

Through Natural Language Processing (NLP), the bots can detect what the user is saying and can understand and respond to requests. For example, if a customer asks about store hours, the bot can answer that question and provide the relevant information. Additionally, more advanced AI chatbots can learn and evolve as they interact with users. They become better at recognizing patterns in human speech, allowing them to anticipate needs and provide faster responses.

Why You Need an SMS AI Chat Bot Service

SMS AI Chat Bots aren’t new. You may have already seen them running live on many businesses’ websites, phones, and messaging apps. There’s so much that you can gain by leveraging these technological tools in your business. Here’s a look at some of its advantages:

Extensive coverage

All mobile devices have an SMS option as long as it supports access to mobile networks. It is estimated that with over 7.26 billion phone users globally, 9 out of 10 people can receive a text message from a business. 

The number of popular messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger) is only 3.32 billion worldwide. This just goes to show that SMS is the most widely used messaging channel over other apps. 

A simplified offline touchpoint for all

Users do not need to download apps to receive SMS. It does not require an Internet connection – users receive it immediately without entering any website or checking mailboxes. SMS also works even on late-model phones, so you don’t have to worry about adaptability, plain text versions, and QA before launching your campaigns. This allows businesses to reach a wide demographic of any age, country of residence, or level of digital literacy. 

Higher open & response rates

It’s much easier to stir user engagement via SMS than other online channels. SMS response rates are estimated to be about 20%, far more than emails only at 6%. Nearly 20% of people could enroll in a marketing activity or begin a chat via SMS.

A lot of businesses underestimate SMS.

In today’s competitive market, SMS can be a valuable competitive advantage because most businesses prefer messaging apps or web-based communication. You can send important notifications through SMS, and you won’t have to worry about them getting lost in a sea of marketing emails. With high open rates, as indicated above, you can be confident that your messages will be read. 

No time or app-related limits

Unlike WhatsApp, SMS does not fall under 24-hour limits. You are welcome to reach and engage with users as long as they consent to receive SMS messages from you. But it’s important to note that SMS regulations might differ per country. In general, you must have consent from the user, or the user should initiate the conversation.

How SMS Chatbots Can Boost Customer Outreach

SMS AI chatbots are a great way to amplify your outreach and expand your customer base. By providing automated, personalized conversations with customers through text messages, you can capture more attention and foster greater engagement than traditional methods. 

A chatbot can perform automated actions boosted by Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This allows computers to respond to user input in a relevant way.

An SMS AI chat bot can help boost your outreach by performing the following tasks for you:

• Automated Customer Support: SMS chatbots can be used to provide automated customer support 24/7. And respond to frequently asked questions, freeing up time for customer service representatives to focus on more complex requests. 
• Personalized Content Delivery: An SMS chatbot can be programmed to deliver personalized content to users based on their preferences and interests. This ensures that customers receive relevant information from the company without having to search for it manually. 
• Lead Generation and Qualification: By using an SMS chatbot, companies can easily generate leads through user-initiated conversations. They can then qualify them by asking specific questions about what they’re looking for to route them to the right department effectively. 
• Market Research & Insights: Companies can use an SMS chatbot to survey their customers. This will help them learn more about their opinions towards a particular product and make necessary improvements.
• Campaigns & Promotions: An SMS AI Chat bot is also ideal for running campaigns and promotions, such as loyalty programs or discounts. They allow businesses to reach out to all their customers quickly and efficiently with minimal effort.

To Wrap Up

SMS AI chatbots represent an increasingly significant component of modern business operations. Through their ability to deliver reliable output, reduce operational costs, and build customer relationships, these tools are becoming integral to the customer experience.