Would You Rather: Text or Email?

On average, people have about two email inboxes each, but that does not account for texting, calling, and social media inboxes. How do businesses choose the best way to connect with customers with so many ways to send and receive communications? To answer this question, we must uncover the truth about texting versus emailing when building a customer service solution.

Email is No Longer a High Priority

The email was once a medium used frequently for personal communication and enjoyment. Users could write long-form, letter-like messages that would send instantly, instead of waiting for the postal service to deliver the text. But email quickly transformed into a professional communication tool. Our inboxes are often tied to our workload, making emailing outside of work hours feel like a hassle.

Customers place a high value on getting reminders and updates from businesses. While email works well for some types of marketing and communication, customers do not prioritize it like they do a text message. For example, the average consumer has approximately 96 unread emails in their inbox and only 0.5 unread text messages at any given time. A text message from their doctor, dentist, mechanic, or their favorite service company could be the difference between closing a sale or losing a customer.

SMS is the New Email

The fact is your customers prefer texting over email for business communication by a wide margin. The average consumer will send about 15 texts per day, compared to 12 emails, while 67 percent would instead communicate by text about appointments. But wait, there is more, 74 percent of consumers have zero unread texts, versus 41 percent who can say that about their email inbox.

The numbers make it clear that SMS is dominating the email. As a business, it would be easy to ignore the figures and keep forging ahead. But without harnessing the power of information and new technology, it isn’t easy to move forward and make progress.

Making Progress with Human Connection

What makes texting the more popular communication channel? The human touch. Often our email inboxes and social media feeds are overflowing with one-way reminders, requests, and recommendations. But with texting, a dialogue opens. The reality is that customers want more than just another tool. They desire a communication channel that allows them to connect with their favorite brands and service providers. They do not want to download another app or check another inbox. People want to communicate with people, not be burdened by one message after the other.

So, in the battle between texting vs. emailing, the most effective customer service solution is connecting with your customers through text. Understanding your customer’s behavior and preference is essential, and communicating with them in the way they want is crucial to building long-term, sustainable growth in your business.