Insights

Mobile Messaging and the Future of Business Conversations: A Q&A with EZ Texting

Jan 24, 2019

What’s in Store for Mobile Messaging? A Q&A with EZ Texting

With over 50,000 customers and counting, EZ Texting is an industry leader in bulk SMS messaging, call tracking and more. Since being founded in 2006, EZ Texting has significantly expanded their global mobile marketing platform – so much so that 40% of all U.S. mobile users consistently receive communication from their messaging solutions! Whether large or small, the EZ Texting platform is highly scalable and provides a large suite of solutions for small- and medium-size businesses.

Most recently, the company announced the consolidation of all of its communication brands — including CallFire, a Responsible Organization (Resp Org) and Service Registrar — under the single EZ Texting brand name. Somos sat down with members of the EZ Texting team including: Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Reid; Director of Global Connectivity and Carrier Relations, Shannon Donohue; and Director of Marketing Communication, Jessica Terashima, to learn more about what 2019 holds in store for mobile messaging, the Toll-Free industry and more.

Q: What are some of the biggest trends you are seeing in business messaging?

Shannon: The biggest trends right now are Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) and Rich Communication Services (RCS). MMS is one of our fastest growing products. We're really excited to see how MMS on Toll-Free Numbers is going to enhance the quality of communications in 2019. It allows for images, audio and video files to be texted... MMS is really the forefront of where we see big trends.

Jessica: To build on what Shannon has said, our customers who use MMS are really seeing an increase in the impact of their messages. 49% of our customers say they saw better results when they utilize MMS. The ability to add a visual aspect to a message really amplifies the impact and provides improved customer response. I think as we get into RCS, we'll see that kind of impact grow even more due to its expanded capabilities. 

Matt: We all have received text notifications from our doctors, from our kids' schools. It's becoming more popular and a better way to communicate. When our customers send out bulk messages to hundreds or thousands of individuals, the ability for that individual to then go and have a personal communication thread started is something that I think we'll see more of next year. This ability to personally connect with that consumer, buyer or customer through bulk messaging is an interesting trend for businesses that want to build that one-on-one connection with their customers. 

Q: How does the proliferation of texting impact tracking and analytics?

Matt: We already have great reporting on things like messages sent and responses. Many of our customers also send short links in their texts, and they want to know who is clicking on those links. If you think about the growth of text marketing and how it's potentially at a place to overcome older methods like email, then as a business, I want to know the differences between all the channels available to me to communicate with my customers. In order to do that, we have to know the specifics of how that channel is performing. That’s why analytics and big data is a big piece of our roadmap.

Q: How is texting transforming your clients’ business operations?

Shannon: We do business with a company in the medical space, and they use us to communicate real, life-saving information. For instance, when a prescription that needs to be refrigerated is delivered by one of their transport people, you’ll receive a text message that your package is on your doorstep. 

This company also does things like organ transplants. Having constant communication throughout the transportation process of these life-saving tools—to be able to say it has reached this destination and this destination—is imperative. By integrating text messaging into their daily operations in a very seamless way, this company has enhanced the quality of their operations. 

Q: What tips do you have for companies looking to add a text enabled number to their business?

Matt: It's pretty easy to do, given that you already have a number and you just need to text enable it, providing an additional way for your customers to contact you. That said, now that you're providing another communication channel, you have to make sure you're able to respond in a timely manner.

Shannon: It's really important for companies considering adopting this new form of communication to do so responsibly and in a way that enhances their communications by adding value to their interactions. You don't want to over-communicate; you want to make sure that when people pull their phone out of their pocket they’re going to see a wanted message. There's a responsibility to ensure that whatever they're doing with texting is enhancing those interactions. 

Q: What are some of the most unique ways you've seen companies use texting?

Shannon: We have a company that reached out to us about text enabling their Toll-Free Number specifically for disaster recovery relief. They used our API to connect to their backend HR system, which would allow people during a disaster recovery drill or during an actual disaster to text in and let HR know they're safe. By integrating through our API, the HR department can easily cross-reference with who has been on vacation that day, who has been out sick and who has already checked in. They then have a sub-set of employees to figure out where they are, if they can communicate, or if they are in danger.

To learn more about EZ Texting, visit their website at www.eztexting.com.

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