We’ve spoken before about how awesome texting can be for your business: it’s brief but to the point, and cheaper without skimping on the essentials.

Still, a lot of businesses find it hard to get things right over texting, or to even get things going at all. Some are worried about adding a new channel, and still others are worried if texting is the right new channel to add.

In our experience, we’ve found that a lot this fear stems from a lack of knowledge about texting and what it can do. So, if your business is still on the fence about texting, here are five additional text benefits for your consideration:

It’s preferred

A recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of OneReach found that 64% of consumers prefer SMS over voice for customer service. In addition, over 80% of consumers agree that it’s frustrating being tied to a phone or computer to wait for service help. Finally, 55% percent of 18-34 year olds would rather text chat with an agent than wait on hold. Put simply—your customers really want a text option.

It satisfies customers

According to a 2011 report by J.D. Power and Associates, 93% of IVRs decreased customer satisfaction. That’s partly because a phone call makes you to sit and wait for an agent to respond while you twiddle your thumbs. Since texting is all about communication on the go, automation via SMS can be navigated at one’s own pace without being fastened to a call – which increases satisfaction (even if it’s the same automation).

It’s a global phenomenon

SMS trends are hard to keep tabs on, but resources like Portio Research and others offer insights about texting on a worldwide scale. For example, did you know that China is the second largest SMS market in the world after the U.S., or that SMS traffic is growing steadily in Africa (especially useful in light of the Ebola crisis)? Portio predicts that people worldwide will send a record 8.3 trillion messages in 2015 alone. If your business hasn’t looked in to texting, it’s potentially missing a lot of opportunities in operations, sales, customer satisfaction and efficiency

It can be used in any industry

We’ve talked a lot about using text in the contact center, but the truth is it can—and is—being used to improve any industry. Are you a restaurant owner? Try using texting for reservation reminders. Doctor? Make sure your patients take their medication on time with text alerts. City official? Text citizens about upcoming events and let them send you questions back. Whatever industry you’re in, text messaging can give your business a boost.

It’s for everyone

Every age or demographic you can think of uses texting. You probably know that millennials make up the lion’s share of texting traffic, but that doesn’t mean other demographics should be ignored. Over 83% of Gen Xers use text messaging, as do 69% of Baby Boomers. In addition, 85% of African Americans use text messaging, and 87% of Hispanics use it as well. What’s more, households that make under $30,000 a year send twice as many texts as households that make over $75,000. No matter who your client is, you can bet there’s a pretty solid chance they’re using text.

Conclusion

Despite the research cited above, the most important data will be how it impacts your business and your customers. This data can be captured in a lightweight and quick to deploy pilot, and that data can inform future decisions. The ease and speed with which such pilots come together consistently amazes our enterprise customers.

To learn more about text-enabling your business, professionally designed or do-it-yourself, visit onereach.com.

Photo from Media Bistro.