Why You Need to Add SMS as a Support Channel to Gorgias

If you're looking for a new way to provide customer service or are searching for a solution that will allow you to connect with your customers using SMS you have to check out the Gorgias Customer Service help desk. Communicating with your customers via text message can be an extremely valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. In this latest edition of our blog, we'll share the benefits of using SMS for customer service and how you can set up this latest integration.

1. Why with Gorgias?

The Gorgias helpdesk is a great option for SMS customer service as it has now added a native solution to use this channel without the need of integrating a third-party provider. This provides a fast, convenient way for companies to implement it in a super simple set of steps which we discuss later in this article.

What this means now is that Gorgias adds SMS to their agent dashboard allowing users to create and answer tickets for all the channels they service, including:

• Website live chat

• Phone calls

• Emails

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Twitter

2. You’ll love Gorgias’ Macros

The use of Macros (Also known as templates on other platforms) allows businesses to answer with consistency through any channel. If you are running your e-commerce business from Shopify, you’ll love these even more since you can couple the usefulness of pre-canned responses with the actions you can take on a Shopify store by simply sending a message.

Imagine one of your customers calling in because they placed an order shipped out in 2 packages from 2 different fulfillment sites, where 1 arrived with a damaged pair of jeans and the other one is still in transit. You’ll probably need pictures to evaluate the damage to the jeans, right? The beauty of this new channel is that you could quickly pivot the conversation towards “I’ll send you a message to your phone immediately so you can reply to it with a picture of the damage on the jeans to evaluate possible solutions for you".

3. The comfortable feeling of asynchronous communication

There are many benefits to using asynchronous communication channels in customer service. For one thing, they allow customers to get in touch with businesses at their convenience, rather than being forced to work around the business's schedule and they also allow representatives to take the time to fully research and address each inquiry. This can be a huge advantage for customers who are busy or have other commitments. Additionally, asynchronous communication channels can help to reduce wait times and improve response times.

Customers avoid feeling rushed or pressured when they're able to communicate at their own pace. Overall, using asynchronous communication channels in customer service can provide a more convenient and relaxing experience for customers, and it also helps to reduce the overall workload of customer service representatives.

4. Why SMS?

There are a few key reasons why SMS is a great customer service channel. First, it's extremely convenient - customers can reach you anytime, anywhere. Second, it's quick and easy to use - customers can simply send a text message and get an immediate response. Third, it's personal - unlike email or social media, SMS allows you to have one-on-one conversations with your customers. Finally, it's affordable - SMS is a very cost-effective way to communicate with your customers. Overall, SMS is an excellent customer service channel that offers many advantages over other channels.

Here are some statistics to keep in mind when evaluating whether to use this channel for customer service operations:

• Text messages have a whopping 96% open rate and 90% of those are read within the first 3 minutes of being received

• There are multiple studies that have found people text 2x to 5x more than they call

• 64% of consumers would prefer their customer service conversations over text than phone

• If you include phone + emails, that number goes up to 84% of consumers that prefer text over those other 2 channels

5. Chatbots as the first line of defense

SMS chatbots are becoming an increasingly popular tool for customer service that allows businesses to use them as the first line of defense and provides an easy way for customers to get in touch. This is beneficial because it enables businesses to provide quick answers to common questions, without the need for a human agent, while freeing up the team members who have to deal with more complex inquiries.

Additionally, by using a chatbot, businesses can ensure that their customers always have someone to talk to, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, improving their customer service levels and reducing operational costs. Last, but not least, SMS chatbots can be used to collect customer feedback and data, which can be used to improve the quality of the service.

6. SMS has to be a 2-way communication channel

If you're looking to use SMS as a customer service channel, it's important to ensure that the SMS is a 2-way channel so the customer can answer back. All too often, businesses set up an automated response system that sends an initial SMS to the customer but doesn't give them an opportunity to reply. This can be frustrating for customers, who may feel like they're being ignored or that their concerns are not being addressed. By ensuring that the SMS is a 2-way channel, you can provide a better customer experience and build trust with your customers.

You'll also want to make sure that your customer service team is trained in how to use SMS properly. They should know how to send clear, concise messages that can be easily understood by the customer. If your team isn't adequately trained, it could lead to even more frustration for your customers.

7. Agents can be quicker at reviewing what has been done for a customer before

In a customer service operation, it's important that all team members be in the loop of previous interactions other agents have had with that customer. This can be especially helpful when trying to resolve complex issues. With SMS, team members can easily review previous conversations and get a better understanding of the issue at hand without having to listen to call recordings. This helps resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.

All of this adds to the efforts of creating a more cohesive customer service team, as all members will have access to the same information. This can help to build trust and communication within the team, leading to better overall performance.

8. SMS facilitates the use of media to solve problems

Customer service is the process of handling customer queries and complaints. It is a way of providing assistance to customers regarding a product or service. The main aim of customer service is to resolve the issue at hand and ensure that the customer is satisfied. As you can surely understand, if you're part of the customer service industry, when solving problems involving damaged products, software issues, or bad agent behavior, amongst other scenarios, the use of media such as images, recordings, and videos, can be very helpful in solving complex issues, as a conversation is usually not enough for a company to make a determination on how to proceed.

Phone calls are old tech that doesn't allow the ability to share these files through the same channel you're communicating on, which makes the experience uncomfortable and labor-intensive. With SMS, businesses can provide a better and more efficient customer service experience because of the ability to share this type of evidence in a matter of seconds.

And how do you set up SMS for customer service in Gorgias, you ask?

First thing: Your phone number must already be set up on the platform. If this hasn't been done, click here to find out how you can quickly achieve that.

I. In the Settings menu, select the Integrations sub-menu and click on the SMS option as shown in the image below.

II. Select the option that says "Add SMS Integration" on the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

III. Choose the name of the SMS integration and the phone number that you want the messages to come from and be sent to, and proceed to select again the button that says "Add SMS Integration".

IV. AND IT'S THAT SIMPLE! You can verify your new integration on the list.

Looking for help to maximize the use of your Gorgias platform?

So there you have it. A quick tour of the new SMS integration in Gorgias and some of the many benefits that come with using SMS as a customer service channel. If you’re not already using SMS for customer service, now is definitely the time to start! And if you are, be sure to check out Gorgias – we promise you won’t be disappointed.

As a Gorgias Premier Partner, we are experts in the use, management, and optimization of this amazing helpdesk, not to mention decades of experience in the outsourced customer service industry. We've helped dozens upon dozens of businesses of all sizes and industries to cut down their operation costs by at least 50% If this type of solution sounds like something you or your company needs, set up a free consultation with us by going to our Calendly and choosing a date and time that best fits your schedule.

Thanks for reading and catch you on the next post!