SMS Customer Service: Benefits, Templates, and Setup Tips

In today’s fast-paced world, keeping customers wait on hold or endlessly refreshing an email thread can feel like a hassle, as they expect immediate responses and seamless interactions with your business.

Traditional methods like phone calls and email exchanges can often slow things down. That’s where SMS customer service steps in.

SMS support offers businesses a simple, quick, and convenient way to engage with customers directly through their mobile devices. With just a few taps, support teams can resolve issues quickly and provide real-time updates.

In this blog article, we will discuss how you can leverage SMS customer service to enhance your support messaging strategy and some ready-to-use message templates to help you get started.

What is SMS customer service?

SMS customer service is the use of text messaging to interact with customers quickly and conveniently.

It allows businesses to communicate in a personalized, direct way using short, concise messages sent straight to a customer’s mobile device.

Businesses can use text messages to:

• Send appointment confirmations and reminders
• Address customer issues in real-time
• Communicate service updates or maintenance windows
• Answer common queries
• Provide order status updates and delivery notifications
• Collect immediate feedback

Why SMS for customer service is important?

Customer service messaging isn’t just a convenience – it’s the breakthrough for excellent client support. Businesses that offer text support are paving their way to success.

According to MSPowerUser, approximately 18.7 billion text messages are sent daily across the globe.

This clearly shows that text messaging outnumbers the normal phone calls or emails to a business or brand. Customer service messaging is more personal and thus makes it appropriate for some business functions.

Let’s look at some of its benefits to business.

Texting is instant and convenient

With text messaging, customers can contact support team anytime, from anywhere, using their mobile devices. It fits seamlessly into their daily routine, making interactions quick and stress-free.

This flexibility makes SMS a suitable platform to send vital notifications to clients such as order updates, delivery confirmations, appointments and be sure they are received.

SMS requires no apps or internet connection

Unlike messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Apple Business Chat, SMS doesn’t require an internet connection or any app installation.

All your customers need is a mobile device with basic texting capabilities. This means you can reach them reliably—even in areas with poor or no Wi-Fi or internet access.

Faster responses

A report by Electro IQ states that, 95% of text messages are read and responded to within three minutes of being received.

SMS customer service enables instant communication, allowing support agents to quickly receive and respond to customer inquiries. Automated replies and message templates further streamline responses, reducing wait times significantly.

SMS enhances customer engagement

According to CTIA report, SMS boasts an impressive higher open rate (98%) compared to emails (21%).

With its speed, directness, and personal feel, texting offers a powerful way for support teams to connect with customers in real time. It enables two-way conversations that are easy to read, quick to respond to, and more likely to keep customers engaged.

Messaging helps support teams save on costs

SMS customer service is more cost-effective and flexible than other support channels like live chat.

It reduces costs by minimizing the need for expensive call centers and lowering operational expenses. Plus, SMS requires minimal setup, resources, and maintenance, making it a budget-friendly support solution for growing teams.

8 Ready-to-use SMS templates for effective customer service

You don’t need complex setups to start offering great SMS customer support. Knowing when to use text messaging—and having the right templates ready—can go a long way in creating quick, clear, and helpful customer interactions.

Here are some common use cases and message templates to guide you through delivering quality SMS customer service.

Welcoming new customers

Use warm and friendly SMS welcome messages to set the tone for a positive relationship and show customers that they’re valued.

This also provides an opportunity to share essential information and next steps, helping them get started smoothly.

Troubleshooting a problem

When a customer is experiencing a technical glitch, product malfunction, or process confusion, SMS customer support makes it easy to resolve problems quickly.

With concise back-and-forth text messaging, support teams can gather the right details and guide customers to a solution in real time, ensuring a smooth and efficient resolution process.

Providing order confirmations and updates

Texting enables you to send timely order confirmations and updates, ensuring customers are informed about their purchase status and delivery details.

This proactive communication reassures customers that their purchase is complete, and their order status is being tracked, enhancing their overall shopping experience.

Sharing personalized promotional offers

SMS marketing allows you to send personalized offers directly to customers, enhancing engagement and driving sales.

By analyzing purchase history, brands can deliver targeted discounts or deals right to customers’ phones.

Real-life example
Sephora used SMS to target customers with personalized offers based on purchase history—like restock alerts for their favorite lipsticks or skincare products.
One campaign offering 20% off a customer’s most purchased item had a conversion rate 3x higher than their email campaign. Over time, SMS campaigns contributed to a 20% increase in repeat purchases from loyalty members.

Sending appointment and payment reminders

Customers can easily forget demo schedules, subscription renewals, or payments. Timely SMS reminders help them stay on track and avoid missed appointments or deadlines.

Reminders are perfect for due payments, upcoming meetings, and any other event of customer’s interest, ensuring they stay informed and prepared.

Reaching out to potential buyers

When consumers show interest in a product or service on your website, they may want more details before making a decision. Make it easy for them by offering a keyword they can text to instantly receive the information they need.

This proactive approach ensures potential buyers have all the necessary information at their fingertips, enhancing their decision-making process and increasing the likelihood of a purchase.

Service updates and maintenance notifications

Customers appreciate being informed in advance about service interruptions or changes. A quick text message not only keeps them in the loop but also shows that you value their time and trust.

This proactive communication helps maintain transparency and fosters a positive relationship with your customers.

Real-life example
During planned outages or upgrades, Slack began sending SMS alerts to admin users for high-priority workspaces. This transparency reduced inbound complaints during downtimes by 50%. Admins appreciated the proactive updates and found it easier to communicate internally with their teams, improving overall customer trust.

Following up on customers

SMS is a quick and effective way to gather feedback after resolving an issue or completing a purchase. It shows customers you care about their experience and helps your team improve service quality.

How to implement SMS customer service

While SMS customer service offers flexibility and instant communication, implementing it as part of your client service strategy requires careful planning. To get started successfully, consider the following steps:

Choose a reliable SMS customer service solution

Select a robust platform like Twilio or Ringover, that supports two-way messaging, ready-to-use templates, automation, multimedia (MMS), seamless integrations, and reporting and analytics, for efficient and scalable SMS support.

Set up a dedicated business number

Provide a common number or short code for texting your business and promote it on your website, social media, email signatures, or other marketing channels for customers to know.

Configure your SMS workflow

Define the types of customer issues to handle via SMS, who on your team will respond, and establish response time standards for organized and streamlined SMS support.

Create message templates

Develop a library of pre-written templates for common scenarios, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, reminders, and survey requests to ensure consistency and speeds up response times.

Set up automation rules

Implement automation features like autoreplies, routing, and keyword-based responses to streamline support. This ensures you manage conversations efficiently without overloading your team.

Train your SMS support team

Provide your team with guidelines on crafting relevant, timely messages based on customer needs. Train your team to send professionally written text messages using effective templates.

Turn SMS into a power tool for customer support

SMS support is fast, direct, and convenient, making it ideal for meeting customers where they are. It is easy to implement and offers the quick, responsive service that today’s customers expect. Start with simple use cases such as updates, reminders, or quick replies and expand as you grow.

Choose a platform that supports automation, integrates with your help desk, and stays compliant. With SMS, you are not just adding a channel—you are enhancing the entire customer experience with more human and accessible support.

BoldDesk® platform makes it easy to deliver text-based customer service through seamless integrations with leading messaging platforms like Ringover and Twilio—helping you keep every conversation connected and personal.

We hope this article has helped you understand the need for incorporating SMS into your customer service strategy. Feel free to share your thoughts or ask any questions in the comments section below—we’d love to hear from you!

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