How to Choose the Best Automated Text Message Service

Selecting the best automated text message service is crucial to the success of your SMS marketing strategy. It's not just about sending messages—it's about engaging with your audience most effectively and on a platform that works for you. But with so many different SMS service providers each with their own pros and cons, how do you choose?

In this article, we’ll break down what factors to consider when looking for the best automated text message service for your business. Once you’ve picked the perfect provider, we’ll also review how you can approach getting stakeholder approval to move forward. Let’s get started!

4 Considerations When Choosing a Text Messaging Platform

There are 4 key points to consider when choosing the best automated text message service for your business. By carefully evaluating each factor, you can ensure the platform you choose helps streamline your communication efforts and boosts customer engagement. Below, we break down each key consideration to help you make an informed decision:

1. Evaluate SMS Features and Capabilities

While there are several powerful text message service providers, it’s important to understand that no two texting platforms are exactly alike. Some SMS text services may offer mass texting and SMS autoresponders, while others may offer that plus automation features, advanced integrations, and more.

Identifying the key features you want your text messaging software to handle is vital. Here are our favorite SMS features that you should look for in your next texting app:

• Two-way Text Messaging: The best automated text message service should allow you to schedule messages, but also reply to them! Two-way texting is important to maintaining a positive customer experience, as it will foster a stronger customer connection and enrich their experience. Check out more advantages of two-way texting!
  
  
• Mass Texting: Bulk texts let you send mass messages to large contact groups simultaneously, perfect for SMS campaigns or updates. This function should also empower you to segment your contact list based on your criteria. For example, if you want to send a specific discount only to customers who have let their membership or service lapse. A discount may encourage expired accounts to sign back on!

• Scheduled Text Messages: Plan and schedule texts to ensure they are sent at the best time for your audience. This feature allows you to automate communication, ensuring your texts arrive exactly when they’ll have the most impact. For example, a restaurant can schedule a lunchtime promotion text at 11:30 AM to remind customers about their special deals just as hunger strikes.

• Text Message Templates: Save and reuse pre-written messages to streamline communication and maintain consistency. Whether you're sending appointment reminders, promotional offers, or follow-up messages, templates allow you to craft the perfect message once and use it repeatedly. For example, a dentist's office can use a pre-made template to remind patients about upcoming appointments, reducing no-shows while saving time on manual messaging.
  

• SMS Integrations: Analyze if the text message marketing platform integrates into your existing business tools. This can streamline operations, and save you time when linked to a CRM or sales tool.
  

Advanced SMS Features

Some SMS marketing service providers offer advanced features designed to take your strategy to the next level. Whether you're running large-scale campaigns or fine-tuning individual interactions, advanced tools like workflows, AI, message segmentation, and short codes empower you to communicate smarter and more effectively.

• SMS Autoresponders: Automatically send a specific message or response based on a customer's engagement behavior. For example, if they abandon their cart for more than 1 day, send them a text reminder and a discount code to encourage them to complete their purchase.
  
  
• AI-Powered SMS Bot: Some of the best automated text message service platforms now have built-in AI chatbots so you can respond to text messages with instant precision and personalization. For example, you can use the Sakari AI SMS bot to draft, optimize, and respond to messages for improved engagement and efficiency.

• Scalable Messaging: SMS marketing tools that offer scalability can seamlessly accommodate increasing volumes of messages without compromising service quality. This flexibility is vital for maintaining engagement as your audience expands.
  
  
• Keyword Campaigns: Use texting keywords in your SMS marketing campaigns to automate customer responses and engagement, making it easy for your audience to interact with your business. For example, you can set up a campaign where customers text “START” to a specific phone number to join your loyalty program or receive updates. This feature simplifies opt-ins, streamlines communication, and helps you track campaign effectiveness.
  
  
• Message Segmentation: Organize your contacts into groups for highly targeted communication. By segmenting your audience based on criteria like demographics, interests, or purchase behavior, you can send more relevant and personalized messages.

• SMS APIs: With APIs, businesses can create tailored solutions to enhance customer interactions, improve operational efficiency, and provide a more personalized experience without relying solely on third-party interfaces.

By assessing these features and capabilities, you’re more likely to find the best automated text message service provider that aligns with your business needs.

2. Understand Pricing and Value

Navigating the pricing landscape of automated text message services can feel daunting, but understanding the details is vital to making an informed decision. Here’s how you can dissect pricing models and uncover the actual value beneath the numbers:

• Break down pricing models: Providers typically offer various pricing structures. Some models are based on a pay-per-message model, while others may propose monthly or annual subscription plans. Consider your expected message volume and choose a plan that aligns with your usage patterns to avoid overpaying or encountering unexpected limits.
  
  
• Alert readers to potential hidden costs: Beyond the basic rates, be vigilant for additional fees that can inflate your total cost. Setup fees, cancellation penalties, or charges for premium features (like advanced analytics or integrations) should be clearly understood up front. Asking providers about any potential hidden costs directly can save you from unwelcome surprises down the line.
  
  
• Evaluate the overall value: Price is just one part of the equation. Assess the overall value by considering the combination of price, features, reliability, and the level of customer support. Consider the true value of investing in a provider that meets and exceeds your expectations with its service, support, and adaptability.
  
  
• Negotiate with providers: Don’t hesitate to negotiate, especially if you anticipate high-volume usage. Providers often offer better rates or waive certain fees to secure your business. Arming yourself with quotes from multiple providers can strengthen your negotiating position.

Understanding the nuances of pricing and value ensures that you invest in a service that meets your budgetary constraints and effectively supports your business's growth and communication goals. See how Sakari's pricing tiers work and what packages we offer as a reference.

3. Research Provider Reputation and Reviews

Before committing to any automated text message service provider, a deep dive into their reputation and customer feedback is invaluable. Here's how you can approach this essential step:

• Find credible reviews and testimonials: Don’t limit yourself to the provider's own website for customer testimonials. Scour online reviews, use cases, and testimonials to gauge current users’ satisfaction with the provider’s service, support, and reliability. Branch out to independent review sites and forums for a more unfiltered view. Industry blogs and comparison articles can also offer insightful reviews and rankings. Make sure these sources are credible and up-to-date.
  
  
• Watch for red flags: While perusing reviews, look for repeated mentions of specific issues, such as poor delivery rates, lackluster customer service, or frequent technical glitches. A single negative review might not tell the whole story, but a pattern of dissatisfaction could indicate systemic problems within the provider's service.
  
  
• Evaluate expertise and experience: Look for reviews from businesses like yours in size, industry, or messaging needs. Those customer experiences will be more relevant and give you a better idea of how well the provider might meet your needs. Positive feedback on ease of use, supportive customer service, and effective problem resolution indicates a provider's suitability.
  
  
• Ask about security and compliance measures: Your customers trust you with their data. Ensure your provider follows stringent security protocols and complies with regulations to avoid a breach.
  
  
• Discuss delivery performance: Your messaging campaign's effectiveness hinges on timely delivery. Look at reviews and ask your salesperson about the provider's track record of delivering messages promptly and reliably, ensuring your communications reach your audience when it matters most.
  
  
• Ensure customer support is fast, friendly, and accessible: Effective customer support can significantly influence your satisfaction with a service. Look for providers with a reputation for accessible, helpful support teams that can assist you quickly and efficiently whenever issues arise. Make sure the provider has ample resources for tech support and multiple ways to get in touch in case you experience an issue. 

Look for software that has reliable reviews on reputable websites, and that can provide case studies to show that it can be trusted.

4. Test and Make the Decision

The final litmus test for finding the best automated text message service provider is a hands-on trial. Here's how to approach this phase effectively:

• Demo the service before fully committing: Many of the best automated text message service providers offer free trials or demo periods that allow you to test their platform's capabilities without a significant upfront investment. This step is crucial for assessing whether the text service aligns with your needs and expectations in real-world conditions.
  
  
• Test key features: During the trial, focus on essential aspects such as message delivery speed, reliability, the platform's user-friendliness, integration capabilities with your current systems, and the robustness of two-way messaging features, if applicable. These features directly impact the effectiveness and efficiency of your communication strategy.
  
  
• Gather team feedback: Involve key team members who will use or benefit from the service in the testing process. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives on the service’s ease of use, functionality, and potential pain points.
  
  
• Make an informed decision: After thoroughly testing the service and gathering feedback, compile your findings and weigh the pros against any cons. Consider how the service measures up against the criteria you've identified as crucial for your business. If the provider effectively meets your needs and offers good value, you can proceed with confidence, knowing you've made a well-informed decision.

Testing helps you avoid committing to a service that may not meet your expectations and ensures that when you do make a choice, it’s the right one for your business communication needs.

How to Get Stakeholder Approval

It’s important to work with your team and stakeholders to ensure that everyone is happy with the text message service provider. 

Prepare a presentation that highlights the selected provider's benefits. Examples include improved customer engagement, potential for increased sales, enhanced communication efficiency, and data-driven insights into customer behavior.

This presentation should focus on the expected return on investment (ROI) from the service's adoption. Use data and case studies, if available, to strengthen your argument. Show how the service aligns with the company's broader communication and marketing strategies. Emphasize scalability, reliability, and the provider's reputation to address potential long-term viability and performance concerns.

Make sure you anticipate possible reservations or questions stakeholders might have. Prepare responses that address concerns like costs, the implementation process, and data security.

You should also compare the service to its competitors. Demonstrating that you have thoroughly evaluated the provider from multiple angles will help reassure stakeholders of the soundness of your decision.

Next Steps: Explore Sakari with a Free Trial

While you're on this journey, reach out with questions to Sakari or explore our software with a free no-commitment trial to discover how Sakari can revolutionize your business communication. 

Our commitment to scalability, unmatched feature set, and dedicated customer support sets us apart. Begin with a free no-commitment trial and see Sakari’s strength in enhancing your customer engagement and communication strategies.