Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 13 best texting services for small businesses at a glance
- 13 best texting services for small businesses: A detailed analysis
- Why is Emitrr the best texting service for small businesses?
- Why do you need a texting service for your small business
- What should you look for in a texting service for small businesses
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Introduction
Convenience, affordability, immediacy, ease of use, and non-intrusiveness are some of the common attributes that we associate with text messaging.
Considering that people read incoming messages within 5 minutes of receiving them is proof that texting is here to stay.
As a small business, you also need to employ texting in your operations as the read and response rates of texting are way higher than emails.
Looking at the growing adoption of texting by customers, small businesses are also leveraging the power of text messaging. But how do you make the best use of text messaging for small businesses? It’s simple, investing in a texting service for small businesses.
In this article, we’ll give you a detailed account of the top texting services for small businesses based on features, pricing models, reviews, and support offered; to help you make an informed decision. Get ready to take notes!
13 Best Texting Services For Small Business At A Glance
Source – Capterra
Key highlights:
- Emitrr is the only texting service for small businesses that has all 14 essential features.
- SimpleTexting and TextRequest have the least features
- Weave charges an additional $750 setup fee and hence is rated the least in terms of value for money.
- Emitrr is the only text messaging service for small businesses that is rated 5/5 for customer support
- Emitrr, Textline, TextUs, and HeyMarket are some of the most affordable texting services for small businesses
- EZTexting, SlickText, and Textedly are the most expensive texting services for small businesses
13 Best Texting Services For Small Businesses: A Detailed Analysis
1. Emitrr
Emitrr is the best texting service for small businesses that caters to burgeoning businesses. It offers basic to advanced texting capabilities, unwavering onboarding, training, and support; and affordable pricing options.
It is the best texting service for small businesses as it helps you identify your use cases, implement text messaging exactly the way you need, and streamline all your internal and external communications.
Features of Emitrr
- Two-way text messaging for better communication and engagement
- Assign conversations to team members and leave notes for them
- Text-enable your existing landline number
- Use SMS templates to save time and effort
- Schedule text messages for later
- Send messages securely to your customers
- Integrate with your CRM/EMR/PMS to streamline processes
- Send group texts and mass texts
- Send a text message every time you miss a call
- Set up SMS autoresponders to ensure no conversation gets unaddressed
- Set up real-time alerts for urgent communication
- Easily manage opt-ins and opt-outs
- Share PHI over text seamlessly while also maintaining HIPAA compliance
Emitrr Pricing
Starts at $49 per month
Emitrr Support
- Email/Help Desk
- FAQs/Forum
- Knowledge Base
- Phone Support
- 24/7 (Live rep)
- Chat
Pros of Emitrr
- Excellent customer support
- Ample texting capabilities
- Easy to use, intuitive texting software
Cons of Emitrr
- More features are yet to be launched
2. Podium
Podium is a marketing and communications platform that caters to local businesses and offers capabilities pertaining to lead generation, customer acquisition, and retention.
Features of Podium
Support:
- Chat
- Phone Support
- Email/Help Desk
- Knowledge Base
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
They will ignore you, say they’ve cancelled services with the same template email over and over again, and yet your credit card will still be charged each month.
It was a great way to communicate with customers, and it was nice not having to use our real phone number.
3. Weave
About:
Weave is a texting service for small businesses that allows them to communicate and engage with their customers seamlessly, by addressing every touchpoint of the customer journey.
Features:
Support:
- FAQs/Forum
- Phone Support
- Chat
- Email/Help Desk
- Knowledge Base
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
I have overall had an amazing experience with Weave, from the ease of installation, to the ease of use and the ever helpful updates.
I don’t like that it can be costly. I thought it was flat rate fee per month and if you have 10 phones or 14 phones it would be the same flat rate fee. But I have recently learned that if we added a new phone it is an additional $20 per month per phone that we want to add. Wish that wasn’t the case.
4. Birdeye
About:
Birdeye is a review management software that also offers business texting capabilities and SMS Marketing for small businesses. Not only is it functional to communicate with the customers, but is also a good tool to improve workflows.
Features:
Support:
- Chat
- Email/Help Desk
- FAQs/Forum
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
Birdeye is great to use and super user-friendly. It is beneficial to search with keywords.
The customer support is one of the worst that we have ever dealt with.
5. SlickText
About:
SlickText is a texting service for small businesses that offers SMS marketing capabilities targeted toward better customer communication and engagement.
Features:
Support:
- FAQs/Forum
- Phone Support
- Knowledge Base
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
Pros and Cons:
Reviews:
“We enjoy this software and it is so easy to use to communicate effectively with our employees.”
“We sent a cancellation request over a year ago. They didn’t cancel our account and continued to bill us for 12 months. When we called to cancel for the second time they argued with us and refused to hear our complaint.”
6. TextRequest
About:
TextRequest is a software for text message marketing for small businesses that is used for customer engagement through plug-and-play messaging solutions.
Features:
Support:
- 24/7 (Live rep)
- Chat
- Phone Support
- Knowledge Base
- Email/Help Desk
- FAQs/Forum
Pros and Cons:
Reviews:
“Is easy to use, and great that all employees can see all conversations. The auto-response feature is good for after hours.”
“I guess sometimes the notifications of the messages can get lost. It has happened when I send a message to a customer, and they respond.”
7. EZTexting
About:
EZ Texting is a popular texting service for small businesses in the USA and Canada, that offers texting capabilities such as two-way texting, mass texting, autoresponders, etc.
Features:
Support:
- Knowledge Base
- FAQs/Forum
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
- Phone Support
Pros and Cons:
Reviews:
“Mass texting is a great business solution but I would be looking for another company to work with if it weren’t basically impossible to do that without losing all of our following. Once you start with them, I don’t see how you could ever switch to another company, so do your research.”
“I feel that the prices are a little on the high side during this time of small businesses struggling to survive.”
8. Textedly
About:
Textedly is another popular software for text message marketing for small businesses that has functionalities for running marketing campaigns.
Features:
Support:
- Phone Support
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
- FAQs/Forum
- 24/7 (Live rep)
- Knowledge Base
Pros and Cons:
Reviews:
“With so many software options out there, what sets companies apart is their customer service, which was shockingly disappointing from Textedly.”
“I love how easy it is to login and send your message out. A couple clicks and you have connected with people in a way that’s easy for you and easy for them.”
9. Textline
About:
Textline is a good Text messaging service for small business that offers functionalities for effective process automation, customer engagement, and team collaboration.
Features:
Support:
- Email/Help Desk
- Knowledge Base
- Chat
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
“Textline is easy to use and intuitive for new team members to learn – the interface feels clean and responsive, and my team finds it easy to stay on top of which messages require a response.”
“It doesn’t feel native to iOS and some screens did not render well.”
10. TextUs
About:
TextUs is an SMS communication platform pertaining to text message marketing for small businesses that offers capabilities to engage with customers, candidates, employees, and leads.
Features:
Support:
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
- Knowledge Base
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
“I really like the ease of use, being able to build campaigns, and then manage responses.”
“There is no ability to create multiple inboxes or folders in which to organize messages. This makes it difficult to keep track of messages.”
11. HeyMarket
About:
HeyMarket is a texting service for small businesses that have 100+ employees and integrates with leading enterprise applications. It offers a host of business texting features to ensure seamless communication and engagement.
Features:
Support:
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
“HeyMarket allows me to have my life back by easily setting up campaigns and knowing they are getting to my customers when they are supposed to.”
“The software can be glitchy. It takes a while for the app to sync with the server.”
12. TextMagic
About:
TextMagic is a messaging service for small businesses that offers AI-powered automated responses and pre-built analytics.
Features:
Support:
- Phone Support
- Email/Help Desk
- Chat
- FAQs/Forum
Pros and cons:
Reviews:
“The prices of the SMS compared to other services can be a bit high. Additionally, I have had problems reaching all operators, apparently, it is a problem with the number portability of this country.”
“The way things currently work, you need to be able to reach customers on numerous platforms in order to prosper. TextMagic is a great help when it comes to reaching them through SMS.”
13. SimpleTexting
About:
SimpleTexting is a platform that offers text message marketing for small businesses and is known for its SMS and MMS marketing capabilities such as group texts, mass texts, autoresponders, etc.
Features:
Support:
- Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Email/Help Desk
- Phone Support
- FAQs/Forum
Pros and Cons:
Reviews:
“The ease of use is very nice. We have seen a great response from customers because I lot of them do not read emails but always check their text messages.”
“I wish it had better group texting or group texting at all. We use this to text employees a lot and have to set it up as a “campaign ” and they cannot see the other responses. I wish it had a built-in after-hours reply.”
Why Is Emitrr The Best Text Messaging Service For Small Businesses?
Emitrr is the best text messaging service for businesses, both budding and established. This business texting platform ticks all boxes, right from the features to the price range. Moreover, it offers round-the-clock support, which means businesses can communicate and engage with their customers seamlessly.
Emitrr offers text messaging services starting from $30 and is rated 4.9/5.0 for its value of money. With a myriad of features, end-to-end support, affordable pricing, and great reviews; Emitrr stands out from its competitors.
As a small business, you need to have a texting service by your side that can help you attract more customers, boost your sales, generate more sales, build a strong online presence, and manage your team effectively; and above all, build lasting relationships with your clients.
Emitrr’s capabilities are designed just to help you meet those needs. With a texting service for small businesses like Emitrr, you can:
- Have your landline number text enabled, which means you won’t need a separate number for texting. You can use the same number for calling and texting purposes.
- Put an end to missed calls by sending an automated message whenever you miss a call
- Reduce no-shows by a whopping 90% by sending automated reminders and confirmation messages
- Integrate your CRM/PMS/EHR with the Emitrr and manage all conversations from one single dashboard
- Assign conversations to team members and even add notes for reference
- Add signature to text messages and add conversations to folders
- Set a disposition for every conversation, to keep track of the customer journey
- Send group texts and mass texts to as many contacts as you want
- Easily import contacts to the platform through an Excel or CSV file
- Text in a secure and HIPAA-compliant manner
- Schedule texts to be sent out at later dates
These are some extra functionalities that Emitrr offers at an affordable price, with all the support you need. If you feel that all the aforementioned offerings fit your requirements, feel free to book a demo.
You can also check out what Emitrr’s customers have to say.
Why Do You Need A Texting Service For Your Small Business?
A small business text messaging service help you in a lot more ways than you imagine; allowing you to scale operations, reach out to more customers, and improve customer engagement and overall communication.
Here are some signs that you need a texting service for your small business:
1. You send text messages to hundreds of people every day manually
2. You are unaware of compliance laws
3. You do not take the consent of your customers while sending marketing messages
4. You import contacts manually to your desktop and then send messages
5. You feel panicked when you have to communicate any emergency alerts to a huge list of contacts
6. You have no centralized system to respond to messages from different channels
7. You have to type out each message manually, whether it is an FAQ, a feedback request, or a special discount offer
8. Your business gets a lot of missed calls and hence missed opportunities
9. Your per-message cost is burning a huge hole in your pocket
10. You don’t have an online presence, and hence potential customers don’t know you exist
If you face all or some of the aforementioned challenges, then you need to have a business messaging service in place that can help eliminate all the bottlenecks and help you run your business smoothly.
What Should You Look For In A Texting Service For Small Business?
Top Features To Look For In A Small Business Texting Software
1. 2-way texting
Two-way texting is the most important feature of a text messaging service for small businesses that allows you to have one-on-one conversations with your contacts.
2. Assign Conversations
If you’re too busy with other tasks and you want someone to take care of a particular conversation, you can simply assign that conversation to one of your team members and also leave a note for that member. Pick a texting service for small businesses that eases your workflows.
3. Text enable landline
When you have your landline number text enabled and hosted on a business SMS platform, you will be able to engage in two-way messaging with your customers and also improve your response and engagement rates.
4. Templates
Look for a Text messaging service for small business that offers you pre-existing templates to use, relieving you of the tiresome task of manually typing in each message.
5. Schedule Texts
With a good text messaging service for small businesses, you can type the message and schedule it for the required date and time. Scheduling text messages makes engagement easier and also helps recall and reactivate past customers.
6. Secure Texting
Secure text messaging is an important requisite for healthcare businesses in particular, for sharing PHI via text messages. Secure texting takes the user to a completely different portal that only they can access.
7. Integrations
The text messaging service for small businesses should integrate seamlessly with your CRM/EHR/PMS. Doing so will allow better communication, enhance efficiency, save costs, and deliver a better customer experience.
8. Group Text
Look for a group texting service that allows you to have group conversations, wherein you can easily communicate with people in a closed group. This will help you collaborate easily in a team setting and get tasks done faster and more efficiently.
9. Mass Text
The texting service for small business must also have the mass texting capability to allow you to run marketing campaigns smoothly. Yes, you can send text messages to multiple contacts individually without a group text.
10. Missed Calls to text
To eliminate the possibility of a missed call, your texting service must have the functionality of sending an automated text to the customer whenever you miss their call.
11. Autoresponders
Auto-reply texts help you save time, improve response rates and engagement, reduce the possibility of errors, and allow you to stay in touch with your customers.
12. Real-time alerts
This feature comes in handy for communicating with people on an urgent basis A texting service that offers such a capability can save you hours’ worth of time that you can direct elsewhere.
13. TCPA Compliance
As per the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, your app must get the explicit written consent of your customers before sending them marketing communications. This also includes giving the customers an option to opt out of receiving text messages.
14. HIPAA-compliance
The ideal text messaging service for small businesses must be compliant with HIPAA rules and regulations. If you are a healthcare business and want to enable sharing PHI over text messages, then you need a business texting software that is HIPAA compliant and offers such a capability.
Support Channels
Support is an important factor to consider when choosing the texting service that would best fit your needs. As a small business, you might face troubles such as technical glitches or difficulty navigating to a specific feature. That’s when the support aspect of the software comes into play.
While looking for an ideal texting service for your small business, here are some support channels to look for:
- Live rep
- Knowledge base
- FAQs
- Phone support
- 24/7
Price Range
Your texting service should be able to bring down your costs and help you grow instead of burning a huge hole in your pocket. Look for a texting service that doesn’t bind you to yearly contracts and has a flexible pricing model. This means that you should only pay for what you use!
Reviews
Before making a final decision, make sure you check out the reviews that each of these texting services for small businesses has received from their existing and past customers. Through the reviews, you’ll get a clear account of what all these texting services offer, and understand their pros and cons.
Now that you’ve understood all the elements that must be a part of a texting service, it is time to analyze each of the texting services for small businesses in greater detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which is the best texting app for small businesses?
Emitrr is the best texting app for small businesses. This small business texting service integrates with your CRM to send automated reminder texts, review requests, forms, and more.
2. How do I automate text messages for my business?
You can automate text messages through a small business text messaging service like Emitrr. To automate the messages the small business texting app should be able to integrate with your database management software or import all contacts to its platform.
3. How much does a texting service for small businesses cost?
The pricing for a texting app for businesses varies from platform to platform and based on the features they offer. The price range can lie anywhere between $25-$200 per month.
4. Is there a free app that will automatically send texts?
You can send automated text for free using your iPhone or Android phone with limited number of texts and capabilities.
5. How do businesses send text messages?
A lot of small businesses are investing in business texting services in order to build customer communication and engagement, manage their workflows, and enhance their overall online reputation.
To send a message you first need to get your existing number hosted by your chosen business texting service. Then it’s pretty simple:
Choose your contact, type a message, and hit send! You can make use of templates to compose your messages, schedule messages for later, and personalize messages at scale.
Conclusion
As a small business, it is a tough job to get leads, retain customers, manage teams, and ensure that everything is running smoothly, and all customers are satisfied. In addition to going above and beyond to grow your business, you also need to have certain tools handy to ensure operational efficiency. This is where texting services for small businesses come into play. Now that you have a detailed account of all the Text messaging service for small businesses out there, you can make an informed decision and add that extra edge to your business.
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