How to Choose An SMS Solution For Salesforce – 7 key Questions to Ask

In a world where communication is key, SMS has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses looking to engage with their customers. And if you’re a Salesforce user, integrating SMS into your communication strategy can be a game-changer. But with so many SMS solutions available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming.

To assist you in navigating the world of Salesforce SMS solutions, we have created this guide. By asking these 7 key questions, you’ll be able to choose an SMS solution that fits your needs and streamlines your communication strategy.

7 Key Questions to Consider 

Salesforce is a prominent software service and therefore, there are various SMS solutions available that are designed to integrate with Salesforce. However, it’s important to note that not all of these SMS solutions are equal in terms of their functionality and capabilities.

To ensure that you choose an SMS solution that aligns with your specific needs, it’s essential to ask seven critical questions. By doing so, you’ll be able to evaluate each SMS solution based on its ability to meet your communication goals and streamline your business processes. So, let’s take a closer look at these seven essential questions.

•  At what point does the conversation begin?

Before you begin your search for the perfect SMS software solution, it’s essential to understand where the conversation with your customers begins. Is it initiated by your sales team through targeted account update messages, or is it an automated text sent to clients immediately after they sign up for your services?

While there is no universal approach that works for every business, it’s crucial to ensure that the initial point of contact offered by your chosen SMS solution is suitable for your company, prospects, and sales pipeline. A bonus point to consider is if the SMS software solution offers multiple origination options to meet your specific needs. By identifying where the conversation begins, you’ll be able to streamline your communication strategy and ensure that your SMS solution supports your business goals.

• What Salesforce processes are compatible with the SMS solution?

Once you have identified the entry points for your SMS communication strategy, the next step is to determine which Salesforce processes your chosen SMS solution can support. For example, suppose a new customer contacts your business through a text message for the first time. In that case, you need to know whether the SMS solution can enter the new lead into Salesforce or create a new case for your support team.

Additionally, it’s crucial to understand how the system syncs that conversation with the lead’s profile if the lead already exists. You should also consider whether your team is limited to creating messages manually or if there’s a batch create function available. These questions are essential regardless of the size or industry of the company. Ultimately, the chosen configuration should be easy to integrate and deploy with the SMS provider.

• How does the system handle customer responses in text messaging?

After a customer responds to a text message, it’s crucial to promptly reply to their message. By choosing to engage over text, you benefit from faster responses from your customers and prospects. When they text back, it’s important to configure notifications that alert the appropriate party quickly.

Notifications can come through various channels, such as email notifications, push notifications, Slack messages, or within your browser. You should choose the ones that work best for your team.

It’s also important to consider that customers and prospects may send messages outside of your standard operating hours. To handle this, set expectations with your customers by using “Office Hours” features that automatically respond and alert them of your availability.

If team members are out of the office, make sure you have an easy way for them to mark themselves as “Unavailable” so that their conversations get reassigned appropriately. This way, you can ensure that no customer slips through the cracks.

In addition, to ensure the best conversations, it’s important to prompt customers and prospects to interact with your team. Your texting provider should have tools in place to manage those conversations at scale.

To enhance the support experience for your customers, it is important to clearly communicate your office hours with them. It is recommended that you discuss with your texting provider about their features to handle customer inquiries when you and your team are not available.

Additionally, it is crucial to have a plan in place for when team members are out of the office. If you have assigned account owners, make sure that they can easily mark themselves as “Unavailable” to ensure that conversations get reassigned appropriately, thereby preventing any customer from being overlooked or neglected.

• Does the SMS solution support opt-in and opt-out functionality?

To ensure that your SMS strategy is effective and respects customer preferences, it’s crucial to track opt-out status and adjust your approach accordingly. A good SMS solution should have a function in place to track opt-out statuses, allowing you to know which customers have opted out and opted in for receiving messages from your team. This function should sync this information back into your CRM system, such as Salesforce, so that you can have complete visibility into customer communication preferences at all times.

If a customer texts back “Stop” or communicates that they no longer wish to receive SMS from your company, the software should have a function to automatically track that opt-out status. Additionally, it’s helpful to analyze opt-out stats to determine which customers are opting out and adjust your messaging strategy as needed.

• Is the SMS solution native to Salesforce or a third-party integration?

When considering SMS integration with Salesforce, one of the first questions to ask is whether the SMS solution is a native Salesforce feature or a third-party integration. Native solutions are integrated directly into the Salesforce platform, providing a more seamless experience and easier management.

On the other hand, third-party integrations may require additional configuration and may not offer the same level of integration as native solutions. Choosing a native Salesforce SMS solution can provide a more streamlined user experience and smoother integration overall.

• What is the Salesforce SMS pricing model?

Pricing is an essential consideration when selecting an SMS solution for Salesforce. The pricing model can have a significant impact on your budget, so it’s essential to choose an option that fits your needs. There are typically three pricing models to consider: per-message pricing, monthly subscription, and pay-as-you-go.

Per-message pricing is a model in which you pay for each message you send. This model is suitable for businesses that send a low volume of messages. The advantage of this model is that you only pay for the messages you send.

Monthly subscription is a pricing model in which you pay a fixed amount each month for a set number of messages. This model is suitable for businesses that send a high volume of messages each month. The advantage of this model is that it provides predictability in your budget, and the cost per message is typically lower than per-message pricing.

Pay-as-you-go is a pricing model in which you pay for the messages you send, but the price per message decreases as you send more messages. This model is suitable for businesses that send a moderate volume of messages. The advantage of this model is that you only pay for the messages you send, and the cost per message can decrease over time.

• How does the system track and report SMS activity?

To effectively report on SMS activity, it’s important to have an SMS solution that not only allows for easy communication between your team and customers, but also tracks and reports on those interactions. This requires finding a solution that is both user-friendly for your team to use on their phones, while also robust enough to keep track of hundreds or thousands of customer communications.

A well-integrated SMS tool will automatically log every message that gets sent or received as an activity for the associated lead, contact, or custom object with a phone number field. This way, you can easily break down activity by customer segment or other information stored in your CRM. With full transparency into all customer communications, you can easily track the number of messages being exchanged and what’s being said. This ensures that if a sales representative goes on vacation, changes teams, or leaves the company, you will still have a record of all SMS activity.

Close Out

In conclusion, choosing the right SMS solution for Salesforce can make a significant difference in your business communication strategy. By asking the seven key questions outlined in this blog, you’ll be able to evaluate each SMS solution’s functionality and capabilities, ensuring that it aligns with your specific needs and streamlines your communication strategy.

Additionally, it’s essential to consider pricing, opt-in and opt-out functionality, compatibility with Salesforce processes, and whether the SMS solution is native to Salesforce or a third-party integration. By taking the time to evaluate these factors, you’ll be able to select an SMS solution that meets your communication goals, improves customer engagement, and increases overall efficiency.

Boost Your Sales with Ksolves’ Salesforce SMS Solution

As a leading Salesforce Summit Partner Ksolves offers an extensive range of services to help businesses get the most out of their Salesforce investment. One of our most popular solutions is our Salesforce SMS solution, which allows businesses to easily and quickly communicate with their customers through SMS messaging.

Our Salesforce SMS solution is designed to streamline communication processes and improve customer engagement. With the ability to send automated SMS messages, businesses can save time and resources while still providing timely and personalized communication to their customers. With Ksolves as your Salesforce partner, you can leverage their extensive experience in developing custom solutions, including SMS integration with Salesforce, to deliver the best possible experience for your customers. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and dedication to delivering high-quality solutions make them the perfect partner to help businesses harness the power of Salesforce for success. Connect with our experts today for your Salesforce needs!