Photographer: charlesdeluvio | Source: Unsplash

When using business texting services, companies must be mindful of data protection and client consent. In 2022, for instance, TikTok came under fire for security vulnerabilities that enabled hackers to gain access to user accounts through a simple text message. And of course, Facebook saw a slew of user data scandals in 2018. As social media has bloomed as a pillar of society across the world, consumers have begun questioning various marketing strategies and their legality.

Before social media, customers and regulators scrutinized how companies were marketing via phones, fax, and text or SMS messages. In response to these concerns, numerous regulations were enacted for SMS marketing. So, before launching an SMS marketing campaign and selecting a text service provider, you should ensure you’re protecting your company and customers.

When It Comes to Texting Services, Your Provider Matters

Text messaging has become an essential way for businesses to communicate with their customers. Not all users engage with social media, and SMS marketing quickly delivers messages directly into the consumer’s hands. It also opens new avenues for clients to communicate with you.

Automating parts of this process and choosing a service provider who can help you manage all facets of your SMS marketing campaigns is critical. However, with so many options available, selecting the right service provider to meet your business needs can be difficult.

The wrong business texting service provider can have serious consequences for your company, including financial losses, legal issues, and reputational damage. So, let’s go over the risks and red flags to watch out for so you can confidently choose a reliable vendor for your business texting services.

Photographer: NordWood Themes | Source: Unsplash

Business Texting Services Red Flags to Watch Out For

Your partnerships directly reflect your company’s integrity. So, when selecting business texting services, ensure you’re selecting a service provider that will follow all compliance metrics and not put your client data at risk.

Obviously, a company won’t publish “we steal data” on its home page. However, you might spot a few red flags throughout its website and in your interactions with its sales representatives. Warning signs can include:

• Poorly constructed or even no data and analytics features
• A complicated or poorly designed user interface
• Questionable security settings or policies
• Little-to-no expert support

Avoid these red flags to protect your company’s reputation. You’ll also engage more efficiently and effectively with your clients through SMS marketing.

No Data Insights and Analytics Features

A lack of data and analytics features could indicate a major security problem. If you can’t access information about how the company obtains and uses data, you could be engaging with a company that’s not following safety protocols. The business could also be utilizing data that you provide. But if there are no tools to help you monitor usage, how can you be sure?

No transparency in a company’s data could be a symptom of an even more troubling problem: data misuse. Simply put, if the texting services don’t have a feature that tracks data insights and shares analytics, stay away.

Data and analytics are critical tools that help you drive current and future marketing campaigns. Every project and marketing goal demands data. It helps you measure the effectiveness of marketing strategies and gain insights into future strategies. At the end of any marketing campaign, your team will want measurable data.

A high-quality texting services provider will help you track and measure this data. The company might even have services you can integrate into your existing software.

Complicated User Interface

When selecting any new tech platform, you want to keep it simple. If the vendor requires your team to be experts in their platform—or if their team has to hold your hand through all changes—consider this a red flag. A user interface that’s too complicated can cost you time and money spent on training or even introducing minor updates.

A complicated user interface can also open the door to more human error and might even conceal more significant problems.

Underneath an overcomplicated user interface, you may find software that you can’t integrate into your other systems. What’s more, the software may not be backward compatible either. This means that, over time, you’ll continuously have to pay for new updates. Companies can also sneak hidden fees into complicated interfaces by charging you for additional hours of customer support to help resolve even the smallest issues.

Questionable Security Practices

Security should be your top priority—for you and your clients. Questionable security settings can cost you both financially and legally. The most important security feature to look for is transparency. Policies and agreements should be easy to understand and readily available.

Privacy policies should include:

• A detailed description of the types of information being collected
• The purpose for collecting the information
• Details on data storage, security, and access
• Details of data transfers
• Statements on affiliated websites or organizations
• Use of cookies

In addition, your company and clients should be able to opt out of any unnecessary features.

Consider the company’s practices around sending and receiving messages as well. To build trust and confidence with your clients, you want interactions with them to be trustworthy. For instance, does the potential SMS provider respect every phase of the “opt-in” process with your current and potential clients? Clients should be given multiple opportunities to opt in to text interactions, and those who opt out should be honored.

Lacks Expert Support

If not the most important feature, expert support is certainly a high-ranking one. You and your team might be tech-savvy enough to troubleshoot a lot of problems. However, some issues may arise that take too long to resolve or can’t be fixed on your end.

While a fully automated system may seem perfect, you want to choose a vendor that provides dedicated support staff. Expert support ensures no problem goes unresolved and that your team will be supported through any major malfunctions.

Examine the team itself to identify potential issues with your future partnership. For instance, the vendor selling you the texting services may not be able to fully describe certain components of the system. They also may not be able to explain current issues in the field of SMS marketing.

In addition, ask about texting trends or forthcoming innovations and the company’s long-term plans for addressing both. If your rep can’t describe a long-term road map, they may not be fully attuned to the industry.

Photographer: Priscilla Du Preez | Source: Unsplash

Business Texting Services Green Flags to Look For

When researching business texting services, you’ll want to watch for signs indicating your company will receive the top-quality service and support it needs. Some features to look for include:

• Simple integration with existing business tools
• Automated messaging
• Message templates
• Two-way messaging
• Analytics and reporting
• Personalization features

In addition, a high-quality texting service company will be up to date on compliance and offer integration with your favorite software. It will also provide consistent and active customer support and have clearly defined security and privacy protocols.

By looking for these qualities, you’ll find a provider who will help you communicate effectively with your customers while saving you time and effort.

Compliance

When considering business texting strategies, you must stay up-to-date and compliant with all measures. SMS marketing standards and regulations are regularly updated. What’s more, consent is critical, whether you’re operating business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C).

In the U.S., the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Can-Spam Act guide what can and cannot be done in SMS marketing. And to protect cell phone users under the age of 18, businesses must also ensure they’re complying with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

There are numerous regulatory boards and international laws that must be considered as well. So, when selecting your SMS marketing service, ensure it displays a strong understanding of current best practices and complies with all current laws and regulations.

Integration

Additional platforms and services can sometimes be a company’s way of inserting hidden fees, so focus on partners who offer system integration. You’ve spent countless man-hours and resources developing your software and customer platforms. Select a texting services provider that offers seamless integration into your other software and tools.

A text marketing service that allows you to integrate its service into your already fine-tuned system should also allow you to add this service easily to your arsenal of marketing tools. This will prevent you from having to purchase additional platforms and services to support your new SMS marketing strategies.

Active Customer Support Services

We love high-quality and responsive customer service. While a lack of expert support can be a red flag, active customer support is a big green flag. Ask your potential SMS marketing partner how it supports clients and what support options it provides.

In addition, investigate the company’s reviews. Look for feedback from other clients and even former employees. Research the overall quality of care based on third parties.

Supporting you as a company is important, but consider how the vendor’s texting services will support your clients as well. The care and support you’re looking for can be as simple as following all the relevant compliance metrics. Each base SMS interaction with your clients should contain:

• A brief description of the content
• Messaging rate expectations
• A link to your privacy policy
• Instructions on how to opt out from receiving messages (STOP instructions)
• How they can get help information (HELP instructions)
• A simple call-to-action (CTA) link

Clearly Defined Security and Privacy

Again, transparency is essential. Policies and agreements should be simple to understand and easily accessible. Clearly defined security measures indicate good compliance practices.

What’s more, if you have a complete understanding of the provider’s security metrics and policies, you can ensure your company and clients are both well protected should anything happen. You should also know and understand the vendor’s operational protocols. To foster client trust and confidence, customers should be given multiple opportunities to opt in to or out of text interactions.

Texting Services and Trusting Clients

When searching for an SMS platform, you want to choose a company you can trust and that supports you and your customers effectively. Text messages can be a highly effective marketing tool; but if utilized poorly, it can cost you financially and legally. So, look for a platform that offers data insights and analytics, an easy-to-use interface, transparent security measures, and expert support.

Keep this checklist handy as you research texting services options:

• Prioritize data usage and security. Without these features, data could be misused. Plus, data analytics is vital to assessing your marketing strategies.
• Select a texting services provider that follows compliance metrics and doesn’t put client data at risk.
• Ensure the vendor understands current best practices and complies with all current laws and regulations.
• Look for expert support to ensure problems are resolved quickly and your team is supported through any major malfunctions.
• The features you receive should save you resources and money. Examples include integration with existing tools, automated messaging, message templates, two-way messaging, analytics and reporting, and personalization.

Of course, any SMS marketing tool will fall flat if your recipient list hasn’t been properly vetted. Landline Remover offers peace of mind by securely checking your list and removing landline phone numbers and those on the Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry.

We continually update our services to adhere to new guidelines and compliance metrics. Our services are easy to use and offer a variety of tools to support your SMS marketing needs. Learn more and sign up with Landline Remover today.