The coronavirus pandemic quickly changed how many companies are doing business, especially stores and restaurants that have begun using landline texting to offer curbside pickup to accommodate their customers during the pandemic.
Although Curbside Pickup helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, it can pose extra logistical challenges to busy managers who need to stay on top of pickup orders, strict health protocols, and their usual duties.
Smart business owners know that to keep their customers coming back, they’ll need to offer a seamless experience. One answer has been landline texting – an option that allows you to send and receive text messages with your current landline phone number.
Instead of investing in an expensive mobile app, or asking customers to submit orders through a website, businesses can offer the option to text their main number to place orders and coordinate pickups.
Amazing, right?
Here’s more info on the reasons why businesses are turning to text messaging during COVID-19 and offer seamless curbside pickup services in 2021:
1. Landline Texting is an affordable business investment
It’s 2021 and text messaging has never been more accessible. You don’t need a smartphone or even a new phone number to send and receive text messages on your business phone number. You simply need to subscribe to a reliable business texting service to get started.
2. Business Text Messaging is easy to set up and use
Setting up a texting option for your business is a breeze. You will not have to get a new phone number or any special equipment, simply tell your staff and customers that they can now send and receive text messages using your main business landline phone number.
Landline texting will work across your business’s other digital devices such as computers and tablets using remote access technology. You can also send and receive text messages with an email address.
3. Texting saves your business valuable time while keeping lines of communication open
Imagine you are the owner of a small but popular downtown restaurant. The lunch rush is heating up, and the phone is ringing off the hook as orders pour in. All this business would be great on an average day, but two employees already called in sick today, and lunch is barely getting started.
You need to keep your remaining staff available to prepare orders and greet customers, but you also don’t want to miss out on potential business by ignoring the phone calls.
This is just the situation in which landline texting could make the difference between your restaurant making $500 during the lunch rush, or $2,000.
Instead of keeping your employees tied up answering the phones and taking down orders by hand, they could view landline text message orders as they come in and communicate with customers without needing to stop what they are doing to make a phone call.
4. Your landline calls will not be interrupted by text messages
Like a cell phone, your landline calling service will not be affected by incoming text messages to your business phone. Landline texting allows you to consistently communicate with customers who prefer to call as well as customers who are comfortable with texting.
That means a local bookshop owner can be on the phone with a customer or vendor as they receive a text from another phone number about a curbside pickup order. The telephone call will not be interrupted, and the business owner or clerk can return the text message during the call or when they get done talking.
5. Businesses can connect with their loyal customers from afar
It has been difficult, to say the least, for businesses to keep in contact with their customers during social distancing and other virus precautions.
Landline texting is a simple way to stay in contact with customers and let them know about what is going on with your business.
Business texting allows you to communicate with customers and send out mass, short messages. Landline texting can be ideal for:
- Receiving curbside pickup orders or appointments
- Confirming appointment details
- Announcing your weekly specials or special promotions
- Confirming billing or monthly payments
- Sending birthday or anniversary messages
- Spread the word about a special event
Landline texting versus calling or emailing is a smart strategy considering 85% of consumers say they prefer text messaging over other forms of communication. Plus, studies show that people read 95% of text messages within just three minutes of receiving them.
6. Landline Texting gives small businesses a better opportunity to compete with large chains
Big box stores like Walmart, Target, and many large grocers have seen huge jumps in sales since the start of the pandemic thanks to their curbside delivery options, according to an article in USA Today. The added convenience of curbside pickup helps customers feel safe and still get out of the house to head to the store.
Small businesses can offer the same type of service by adopting a business text messaging program to allow customers to place orders from their phones without physically entering a store or restaurant.
In conclusion
The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges that business owners have needed to overcome. Curbside pickup has been an effective solution if businesses can effectively implement it. Curbside pickup at retail stores jumped 208% in the early days of the pandemic, and online orders remain high a year later, according to an article by CNBC.
Now has never been a better time to invest in landline texting so your business can continue operating during the pandemic while keeping employees and customers safe.
Landline texting helps your business save time and money, work more efficiently, and keep in contact with customers during a challenging time. Landline texting does not require any special equipment or a new phone number – instead, it is through a business texting service.
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