Zoho + SMS- the Secret Sauce for Business Success

Zoho is simple to use and easy to customize. It has helped many SMEs increase their revenue, at a low cost. You can use SMS on Zoho, and you should, considering SMS has a 98% open rate. Let’s take the case of a company that uses Zoho and SMS on Zoho- a US-based online custom t-shirt retailer, Panache. You’ll see how Panache uses SMS for lead conversion, customer support and recruitment on Zoho, to achieve its business goals.

Marketers can use texting throughout the customer lifecycle

Panache uses texting in the entire customer lifecycle, right from getting leads’ attention, communicating its offering, converting them into customers, retaining them as loyal customers and making them brand advocates. For example, we’ll see how Panache uses texting in a loyalty program.

Panache advertises its loyalty program, like this-

“Join Club Panache and get 25% off on your next visit. Text PANACHE to 3493”

This way, Panache ensures that a customer voluntarily opts in its loyalty program, and so meets regulatory requirements. A customer, Tim, sees this text and signs up.

Next, Panache prompts Tim to fill out his profile on your site, which enables it to know him better and so further customize offers. Panache sets up workflow rules on Zoho CRM to trigger SMSs to –

• Cross-sell and upsell products based on Tim’s purchases
• Send Tim a special offer on his birthday
• Upgrade Tim if he is a big spender
• Run contests to keep Tim engaged
• Get referrals from Tim, once he has become a loyal customer

In this way, Panache increases the number of customers signing up for its text-based loyalty program, by 30% – within a week of starting this campaign.

Texting for customer service increases transparency

If Tim buys a t-shirt but discovers that it has a tear, Panache uses texting to help him return his purchase.

Once Tim informs Panache he wants to return the t-shirt, it gives him some options via SMS-

“Hi Tim, Text 1 if you want us to replace the product or 2 for a refund. Thanks  -Sam, Panache”

If Tim wants Panache to replace the t-shirt, it arranges a pickup of the defective t-shirt and later a delivery of the replacement t-shirt. Panache ensures that the pickup and delivery happen at a time that is convenient for Tim, through texts.

Panache uses texts on Zoho CRM and Zoho Support to-

• Send updates to Tim on his ticket status
• Keep Tim posted if there’s a delay
• Ask Tim for feedback on his return experience
• Share FAQs in case he is facing a small issue with an order

So, Panache’s exceptional customer service is key to retaining its customers. Just as good marketing and prompt customer support are important for business success, so is hiring the right people.

Recruiters can use texting to reach the ideal candidate

Panache required a Technical Lead and hired a recruiter, Talent Inc. Here’s what the recruiter texted his database-

“TALENT INC JOB ALERT: Technical Lead for Panache, San Antonio area. Reply YES if Interested; STOP to opt out –Mike”

Using Zoho CRM and Zoho Recruit, texting is an easy way for Talent Inc. to –

• Contact multiple candidates at one go, helping them fill job positions that need to be closed fast.
• Shortlist qualified candidates, by asking for their qualifications and work experience
• Answer candidate questions
• Schedule interviews with candidates
• Follow up with interviewers at Panache to get feedback on candidates

So we’ve seen how versatile texting is – like Panache, you can use it for getting more customers, streamlining service and speeding up recruitment. Adding texting to your Zoho software will enable you to get more out of it. “Communication is the solvent of all problems,” says psychologist Peter Shepherd. Use SMS to proactively reach out to your customers to keep them happy. This is the first in a series of blog posts about using texting on Zoho, through SMS-Magic, so stay tuned for more.

Get started with texting on Zoho here.