Insight
What is a Business Texting Service?
A business texting service is a software platform that enables businesses to send, receive, and manage text messages at scale.
Businesses typically use their existing office phone numbers through a dedicated business texting service platform, like Text Request. Organizations of all types use business texting to connect with customers, employees, volunteers, subscribers, and other contacts through Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) or picture messaging, and the next-generation Rich Communication Services (RCS). It’s used for both individual conversations and for mass outreach, including:
Outbound SMS messaging: The business texts the contact
Inbound SMS messaging: The contact texts the business
Automations: A contact’s action triggers a text message from the business
This blog is your comprehensive guide to business texting, whether you’re a small business owner, a marketing manager, a sales professional, or an HR leader.
We’ll also highlight how Text Request stands out in the business texting service market. Our platform is built on a foundation of user-friendliness, powerful features, and dedicated support.
Some of our key features include:
Unlimited contacts and users
A strong focus on two-way conversational text messaging
Robust tools for managing online reviews, SMS marketing campaigns, and SMS payments
So how does all of this translate into real value for your business? Below, we’ll explore its core features, benefits, compliance, integrations, and what you should look for when choosing a business texting service.
7 Benefits of Business Texting Services
1. High Open and Response Rates
Texting has become one of the most popular ways for big and small businesses to communicate with their customers and leads. That’s why it also has some of the highest open and response rates compared to other channels, like email marketing, social media, and phone calls. In fact, businesses report that only 5% of their phone calls are answered, and roughly 15% of emails are opened. 99% of texts are read within a few minutes, which beats other channels by a long shot.
2. Customer Convenience
Your customers are already texting all day, so why not meet them where they’re already at? People are more inclined to read and respond to texts instantly, unlike emails that pile up or answering phone calls that feel intrusive. Texting is a low-effort way for them to get the information they need or provide a quick response, leading to a much higher engagement rate.
3. Personalization
A business texting service enables you to add custom fields to your text messages, including details like customer first name, last name, date of last service, and more. It’s easy to personalize texts with a recipient’s name, appointment time, or any other relevant detail, especially when you save their contact details in your business texting platform. This helps strengthen customer relationships by showing your customers you’re paying attention, and makes every interaction feel less automated and more personal.
4. Reduce Missed Opportunities
With open rates as high as 99% and response rates of over 45%, texting dramatically reduces missed opportunities.
For example:
A doctor’s office can send an appointment reminder to prevent a no-show
A business can text a payment link to get paid faster
Sales professionals can send a follow-up text to keep a lead from going cold
Business text messaging serves as a direct line of communication to help you keep your appointments, close more sales, and keep your business communications running smoothly.
5. Boost Engagement and Sales
Texting allows your business to share promotions, announce new products, or send personalized offers that drive immediate action. By including direct links to your business’ product or promo pages within the text, you’ll boost sales and maintain a frictionless experience for your customers.
6. Shared Inbox for Teams
Modern business texting services make it easy for you and your team to collaborate. A shared inbox allows for transparent communication, so everyone stays on the same page. Whether you’re in sales, support, or management, it’s helpful to view and manage conversations from a single dashboard. This helps eliminate confusion that can occur when using personal cell phones. Your team will also gain full visibility on conversation history, assign conversations to the right person, and ensure every customer is taken care of.
7. SMS Integrates with Your Current Software
Business texting needs to work with the current software your team uses to be fully effective. Most business texting services typically offer integrations with popular Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, marketing automation software, and more. With the right integration, you’ll be able to sync contacts, trigger text messages based on customer actions, and ensure all customer data is in one place. Integrations transform your business texting platform into a powerful extension of your existing tech stack.
Take a look at the list of existing integrations Text Request offers.
8 Key Features of Business Texting Services
1. Keywords
What are SMS Keywords?
SMS Keywords are unique words or phrases that people can text to your business number to subscribe, opt-in, or trigger an automated response. Text Request enables you to create custom SMS keywords for promotions, scheduling, events, and more.
Benefits of SMS Keywords
Use SMS Keywords to:
Automatically grow your SMS subscriber list
Make it easy for customers to sign up for updates
Trigger Autoresponses, such as confirmation texts or next steps
Categorize your subscriber base depending on what keyword they text
Encourage customers to text a keyword like “BOOK” to schedule a service, or “VIP” to join a loyalty program. SMS Keywords help you launch your campaigns instantly, turning a simple text into a powerful connection tool.
2. Mass Texting
What is Mass Texting?
Mass texting, also sometimes called bulk text messaging, gives you the ability to text one message to hundreds or even thousands of people at once. Text Request equips you with the power to deliver important updates, announcements, and promotions at the speed of text—while still leaving room for personalization.
Benefits of a Mass Texting Service
Mass texting drives engagement by:
Reaching a few people, multiple lists, all your contacts, or anywhere in between
Ensuring important updates are seen instantly
BCC-style group messaging, so you can send to a large group without creating a reply-all nightmare
Saving time by mass texting your contacts instead of individually
Adding personal touches to your mass texts with Merge Fields
Mass texting helps you cut through the noise and communicate at scale without compromising the personal connection.
3. SMS Chat
What is SMS Chat?
SMS Chat is a live chat widget that enables your website visitors to message your business directly from your homepage, then seamlessly continue the conversation via text in real time. This means your leads don’t need to wait around for a reply and can move on with their day.
It’s easy to implement SMS Chat onto your website. All you need to do is copy and paste a snippet of code—it’s compatible with all major platforms and custom builds, too.
Benefits of SMS Chat
SMS Chat enables you to:
Capture more leads from your website
Reduce cart/form abandonment by offering a faster way to connect
Keep conversations going even after visitors leave your page
Customize your SMS Chat widget to reflect your business colors, messaging, and logo
Set up Autoresponses so website visitors know you’ll get back to them ASAP
Make customers happy by offering real-time support
SMS Chat allows you to route incoming chats to the right team members, so every question is answered on time. All of these conversations funnel into your shared Text Request inbox for easy management and transparency across your team.
4. SMS Payments
What are SMS Payments?
SMS Payments allow businesses to securely collect and request payments by sending payment links via text messages.
Benefits of SMS Payments
SMS Payments help your business:
Get paid faster by eliminating any billing hurdles
Offer a convenient, secure, and quick payment option
Reduce late payments by collecting more of them via text
Improve your overall cash flow with faster turnaround time
Whether you’re collecting deposits, donations, or balances, SMS Payments ensures you get paid on time, every time.
5. SMS Review Management
What is SMS Review Management?
SMS Review Management empowers you to collect more online reviews from your customers by requesting and managing them all through text. Text Request makes it easy to text customers a direct link to your review page after completing a service or a transaction.
Benefits of SMS Reviews
Collecting online reviews via text helps you:
Strengthen your online reputation on the platforms that matters most (Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.)
Simplify the online review process by automating review links to be sent at the perfect time
Easily gain insights into customer satisfaction
Turn positive feedback from satisfied customers into a stronger online reputation and increased visibility, helping you win more business over time with the power of texting.
6. Scheduled and Repeating Messages
What are Repeating Messages?
Text Request offers Repeating Messages, which is an advanced feature of Schedule Messages. Repeating Messages allows you to schedule a message in advance and have it automatically go out to contacts based on a custom schedule.
Think of it as a personalized, automated assistant for your repetitive communications. Repeating Messages ensures your message is always delivered consistently, on time, every time, helping you gain back valuable time in your day.
Benefits of Repeating Messages
Repeating Messages lets you schedule recurring text messages to dynamic audiences, so you don’t have to manually send them again and again.
Examples of Repeating Messages include:
Staffing: Monthly/Weekly timesheet reminders
HVAC: Annual spring/summer tune ups
Lawn Services: Annual message to start up service, monthly/weekly reminders for services
Physical Therapy: Daily reminders for at-home exercise regimen
Leasing companies: monthly rent due, annual contract reminders
Healthcare: Annual visit reminders
Schools and Organizations: Weekly newsletters
And more
The frequency at which you can send Repeating Messages is completely customizable. Create a Repeating Message for an individual contact or a specific group of contacts. Groups created for Repeating Messages are dynamic and will update before every recurring message sends. You can even set automatic ending triggers for your Repeating Messages, so you don’t have to worry about turning them off later—or keep them running indefinitely.
7. SMS Integrations
Why are SMS Integrations Important?
Every business has their own unique technology stack. It’s important for your network of tools to work together symbiotically, and that’s why your texting service needs to integrate seamlessly into your existing workflow.
A texting service that doesn’t connect to your other platforms creates data silos, leading to friction and taking precious time away from your team. Integrations help eliminate these pain points.
By syncing your texting service with key platforms such as your CRM, helpdesk, marketing tools and automations, or other critical software, you’ll ensure your tech stack is unified and your workflow is centralized.
SMS API Documentation & Developer Access
Your app deserves the best in SMS. That’s why we offer a trusted SMS API to power programmable messaging for the tools you and your clients already use.
Text Request’s API allows you to integrate:
Programmable SMS and MMS
Create and manage dashboards and users
Create and sort contacts and manage unique info
Collect payments and online reviews
Integration with Key Platforms
Most businesses want a plug-and-play solution. That’s why we offer pre-built integrations. Text Request integrates with a number of essential business applications, such as:
Check out our full list of integrations here.
8. 10DLC Registration and Compliance
What is 10DLC?
Businesses are required to comply with 10DLC regulations to ensure all your messages are delivered compliantly and seamlessly. Mobile carriers want to minimize spam and bad actors, and registering your business phone number for 10DLC is the first step to utilizing your number for legitimate, high-volume business texting.
Why is 10DLC Important?
10DLC is mandatory for every business that wants to start texting with their customers. Without proper registration, businesses are at risk of being flagged and blocked as spam, which means your texts might never reach your customers.
Ensuring you’re 10DLC registered signals to mobile carriers that your business is trustworthy and legitimate. Your business can benefit from:
Improved Deliverability
Higher Throughput
Reduced Filtering
Enhanced Reputation
How does Text Request help with 10DLC Registration?
The 10DLC registration process may seem overwhelming at first, but Text Request guides you through it.
We’ll guide you through registration, so you can start texting and maintain high delivery rates while staying compliant.
When you sign up for Text Request, we’ll collect the necessary business information from you, such as your legal business name, EIN, and contact details. From there, our team will submit your registration to The Campaign Registry for approval.
Our experts will guide you through each step to ensure your information is accurate and your messaging campaigns are legitimate and properly defined.
Learn more about how Text Request can help you register your business for 10DLC.
UI-Based Approach for Business Texting
What is a User Interface (UI)?
UI is the visible layer of a platform that users interact with. Within a business texting software, this means dashboards, conversation threads, inboxes, templates, analytics, and more. Instead of managing business texts on your personal device, you can manage them on your desktop or through a web browser. Text Request also offers a mobile app with UI that keeps your personal texts separate from your business ones.
Benefits of a Business Texting Service UI
A business texting service is only as powerful as its interface. A strong UI ensures every feature is accessible to your entire team without a steep learning curve.
Easy adoption across teams
Faster workflows (e.g. templates, quick responses, scheduling)
Visibility into conversations, status, and analytics all in the same platform
Why use a Business Texting UI?
A UI-based SMS platform transforms texting from a one-dimensional experience into a scalable, trackable, and team-friendly process. Without a UI, you’d be stuck managing conversations from a personal device, which makes it difficult to share, impossible to track, and risky for compliance.
How to Choose the Right Texting Service for Your Business
It can feel overwhelming to decide which business texting platform is right for your business. To make the best decision, evaluate each option with these key criteria in mind. The right service will not only meet your current needs, but also scale with your growth.
When you begin your research, look for a platform that offers:
1. Ease of Use
The platform should be intuitive and easy for anyone on your team to start texting immediately, without a steep learning curve.
2. Scalability
If this is relevant to you, can you add an unlimited number of users and contacts as your business expands.
3. Compliance and Security
The platform should abide by the 10DLC rules and regulations, and offer clear guidance on how your team can navigate the 10DLC registration process.
4. Integration Capabilities
Can the platform integrate with the software you’re already using?
5. Reliable Support
A dedicated, responsive customer service team is crucial for helping you when you need it.
6. Transparent and Cost-Effective Pricing
Avoid platforms with hidden fees or confusing pricing structures.
See how Text Request Compares
We offer a simple, powerful, and scalable platform that checks all the boxes. Text Request is built from the ground up to abide by the core needs listed above.
We offer:
An intuitive UI easy enough for any team member to pick up quickly
Unlimited contacts and users on all of our plans
Guidance through the 10DLC registration process
All the core features you need to succeed
A dedicated U.S. based customer support team on standby ready to assist
No contracts and adjustable plans
If you’re still stuck between other major platforms and ours, check out our competitor reports here to see how Text Request stacks up.
Ready to try business texting for yourself?
Business texting is far more than a tool for sending messages. It’s a must-have for any modern organization wanting to better connect with their customers. You need a comprehensive platform to help your business boost engagement, streamline workflows, and enhance the overall customer experience.
Ready to see the power of our platform in action? Book a demo with our team to get a personalized walkthrough of Text Request today.
