In today’s digital world, businesses must embrace faster, more convenient ways to communicate with customers. Landline texting allows companies to use their existing business phone number for text messaging, giving customers an easy and familiar way to reach them.
However, many business owners don’t fully optimize their landline texting strategy, leading to lost opportunities, missed leads, and even damage to their brand’s reputation.
A study by Forrester Research found that 73% of customers say valuing their time is the most critical aspect of good service. Businesses that fail to respond quickly or send poorly written messages risk losing customer trust.
In this guide, we’ll cover five common landline texting mistakes and provide actionable solutions to help you improve response times, boost customer engagement, and maximize your landline texting investment.
What Is Landline Texting?
Landline texting allows businesses to send and receive text messages using their existing phone number. Instead of only handling calls, your main business number becomes a fully functional texting channel, enabling:
- Customer support via text
- Appointment reminders & confirmations
- Marketing promotions & alerts
- Order updates & tracking notifications
- Internal team communication
Text My Main Number is a leading provider of business landline texting services, helping entrepreneurs streamline communication, enhance engagement, and drive business growth.
1. Ignoring or Underusing Your Business Texting Service
Too often, businesses text-enable their landline but fail to use it strategically. They either forget to check their messages or don’t leverage the service beyond basic texting. Every missed message is a missed opportunity for engagement, customer service, or even revenue generation.
How to Fix It:
- Automate responses to ensure customers receive timely replies.
- Schedule messages in advance for promotions, appointment reminders, and follow-ups.
- Train your team to actively monitor and engage with customer texts.
- Integrate landline texting into your CRM to track conversations and improve efficiency.
Related: The Do's and Don'ts of Business Text Messaging Etiquette
2. Sending Texts with Errors or Unclear Messaging
Typos, poor grammar, and unclear messages make your business look unprofessional. 88% of customers say spelling or grammatical errors negatively impact their perception of a brand. A confusing message could frustrate your customers, causing them to ignore or delete your texts.
How to Fix It:
- Always proofread before sending any message.
- Keep messages clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary words.
- Use pre-written SMS templates to ensure consistency and professionalism.
- Use a text message management tool that includes spell-check and AI-assisted messaging.
Need inspiration? Check out these 50 useful SMS templates to improve messaging.
3. Slow Response Times to Customer Messages
Consumers today expect fast replies when they text a business. Studies show that 50% of customers expect a response within 20 minutes. Delayed responses create frustration and make customers feel ignored.
How to Fix It:
- Set up instant auto-replies to acknowledge messages.
- Use a shared inbox so multiple team members can respond quickly.
- Enable mobile notifications to stay on top of new messages.
- Create response time benchmarks to ensure consistency across your team.
Example Auto-Reply:
"Thanks for reaching out! Our team will get back to you ASAP. If urgent, call us at [your number]. Check out our website for quick answers: [your website]."
For insights on perfecting your timing, read: Master SMS Marketing Timing: 7 Proven Tips to Maximize Engagement.
4. Not Using Text Templates for Faster, Consistent Replies
If your business is typing the same messages repeatedly, you’re wasting valuable time. Pre-written SMS templates make responses more efficient, professional, and consistent.
How to Fix It:
- Create templates for frequently sent messages (e.g., FAQs, appointment reminders, promotions).
- Personalize messages using merge tags (e.g., customer name, appointment date).
- Store templates in your business texting platform for easy access by your team.
See our complete list of 50 SMS templates for more efficiency.
5. Failing to Use Landline Texting to Drive Web Traffic
Many businesses overlook text messaging as a powerful marketing tool. If you're not using SMS to drive traffic to your website, you’re missing out on potential conversions.
How to Fix It:
- Include website links in outgoing texts to encourage visits.
- Promote blog posts, special offers, and new services via text.
- Use SMS for retargeting by sending follow-up messages to customers who visited your site but didn’t convert.
Pro Tip: Businesses that use SMS to drive website traffic see a 30-50% higher conversion rate compared to email marketing alone!
How to Get Started with Landline Texting
A business texting service for entrepreneurs helps you:
- Stay connected with customers in real time
- Automate and streamline communication
- Improve brand reputation with professional messaging
Ready to transform your communication strategy? Start landline texting with a 14 Day Free Trial with Text My Main Number today!
Learn more about how to text enable a landline in our step-by-step guide.
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