Texting has become a major communication channel for customers and businesses, but using a regular cell phone number isn’t an ideal solution. It can open you and your employees up to data insecurity, visibility and work-life separation issues.
Instead, consider using a short message service (SMS) provider designed for business communications. Business text messaging can address the challenges of using a personal phone number while adding benefits and capabilities like centralization, bulk texting, templates and much more. Plus, your employees can still text using this service from their personal devices.
The Problem With Using Personal Phone Numbers for Business Texting
Using a personal phone number might seem convenient at first. It doesn’t require any extra work, and your employees already know how to use it, but it can create several problems, including:
- Poor data security: Customer and company information is precious—personal identifiable information was the most common type of information targeted in 2021-2023. With a personal number, you have no control over that information. An employee could accidentally delete texts or even become the subject of a hack. In these situations, you may lose the information or expose vital data.
- Data silos: When texts happen across different devices, they might not make it to your customer relationship management system. The business has less oversight for communications, and you run the risk of creating information gaps. Plus, if an employee is unavailable, the company has no way of communicating with their customers.
- Data ownership issues: Using personal phone numbers means much of your communications belong to the employees. If they leave the company, your data goes with them. A business texting solution allows you to retain messages and even transfer the number to a new employee, so no company-owned numbers need to change.
- Excessive spam: If an employee’s personal number is plastered online or on marketing materials, they might be more likely to get spam texts and calls. This additional spam can waste their time, increase frustration and make them susceptible to scams.
- Poor work-life separation: Without any control over when texts come in, employees might struggle to maintain a work-life balance. When a lack of separation occurs between business texts and personal texts, due to using the same interface, employees may become frustrated and be more likely to respond with less professionalism.
Whatever your team looks like, a dedicated business SMS number is crucial for communicating efficiently and creating a professional foundation for future growth.
Why Use a Business SMS Number for Texting
An SMS number for business communications can help solve the problems mentioned above while offering tools to improve client relationships and grow your organization.
1. Improved Data Security
Housing your texts in a separate platform allows you to keep them off of individual employee devices. If someone loses or breaks their personal device, all of their texts are still accessible online.
With robust administration options, you can add user roles and permissions for more precise control over employee access. Compliance is another concern with business texting, and the right SMS platform can help you abide by the rules.
2. Data Centralization
This dedicated solution puts all your texts in one place for better oversight and fewer knowledge gaps. All texts get uploaded to the same system, so teams can reference information and supervisors can monitor performance. Employees can send texts from any web-enabled device with an app or browser or through integrations with other platforms, like email.
A centralized platform can also offer access to shared tools like templates, signatures and distribution lists. These resources help save time and maintain professional business communications with every message.
3. Additional Tools
A business SMS solution can include a wide range of extra tools designed for organizations. Some features include:
- Alpha headers: Like signatures and templates, alpha headers can help maintain professionalism by showing customers and employees your company name instead of a phone number.
- Bulk texting: Send messages to your entire staff or client base to communicate updates and promote events. You can even personalize them with templates and merge fields.
- Delivery status: Make sure your message made it to the recipient with delivery status updates.
- Texting from any device: A web-based solution like Red Oxygen allows you to send a text from any device through a web browser, an app or integrations with email platforms.
- Integrations: If you have another platform you want to text from, you can use an application programming interface to access the tool and white-label it for a seamless connection.
- Scheduled texts: Send your message at the best time without waiting for a reminder notification.
4. Improved Work-Life Balance
When employees can log in and out of their business communications, they can more easily maintain a healthy, appropriate work-life balance. Using a SMS business application promotes professional communication. Employees can still use their phones via the web app, but flexible access allows them to keep texts from getting mixed up in personal messages. They won’t get notifications at all hours of the day.
Better work-life separation through an SMS solution doesn’t mean leaving your clients hanging. Since the system is centralized, other team members can respond when an employee is unavailable. For example, if an employee leaves the company or goes on vacation, you can forward messages sent to their number to another team member.
5. Increased Professionalism
Texting from an out-of-town number or using language that doesn’t align with your brand can hurt your image. With business text messaging, you can ensure consistency and professionalism at every point of your text.
You might use a 10-digit local number or a toll-free number dedicated to your business or employee so customers will see consistency when contacted by your company. Meanwhile, call forwarding allows customers to call a number and be routed to the appropriate place, such as an employee’s phone or a switchboard.
Other tools that support a thoughtfully displayed message include signatures, alpha headers, templates and long-text options. Employees get quick access to these resources and avoid spending too much time crafting each message. Personalization is also helpful for keeping your business texts from being flagged as spam.
Start Using Business SMS With Red Oxygen
Texts are an excellent channel for engaging with customers, but only if you do it right. From efficient tools to a professional appearance, business SMS numbers can transform your approach to communication.
Connect with customers securely and efficiently while staying compliant. Red Oxygen is a comprehensive business SMS solution with a vast range of resources and features for organizational texting. We offer 24/7 global support and guidance for working with different carriers, and you can access Red Oxygen from your browser or email platform.
Contact us today to learn more about how Red Oxygen can help, or start your free trial today to dive right in!
