Conversational messaging 101: How to engage with customers

Millennials and Gen Z tend to avoid phone calls — especially for things like appointment bookings and customer service. Research and surveys frequently cite reasons like calls being “too time-consuming,” “disruptive,” and “anxiety-inducing.”

Of course, some younger folks don’t mind picking up the phone, just like older generations may prefer texting. But if you want to connect with customers who shy away from calls, conversational messaging via text needs to be part of your strategy. It lets people respond on their own schedule — and for many, that’s a big win. 

New to conversational messaging? We’ve got tips to help you send texts your customers will actually want to respond to. We’ve also got some best practices so your messages don’t feel spammy (or break the law).

What is conversational messaging? 

Conversational messaging is two-way communication between businesses and their customers. Unlike email or one-way messages (like notifications), conversational messaging has real-time, back-and-forth interactions over messaging channels, like two-way SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, other social media channels, and mobile messaging apps. 

Many businesses use features like automation (auto-replies), chatbots, typing indicators, and team collaboration tools to manage conversations with customers. 

Let’s say a customer messages your business to ask a question about your services, but the message is received outside of business hours. An auto-reply greets the customer, acknowledges the message has been received, and lets the customer know when someone will get back to them. 

The next day, a team member can reply and have a conversation with the customer via text. With tools like internal threads or a shared inbox in Quo, they can easily loop in teammates, ask questions, or hand things off during shift changes.

How can businesses benefit from conversational SMS? 

Unlike marketing campaigns and other one-way business communication, conversational SMS puts customer engagement front and center. 

Here are a few benefits (and tips to keep in mind):

• Build better relationships and boost customer loyalty by keeping the conversation engaging and helpful.
• Earn customer trust by making it easy for them to reach your business on their preferred channel.
• Increase revenue and conversion rates by responding quickly so customers don’t choose a competitor instead. 

In fact, 77% of customers want to use conversational messaging to get help with choosing a product or service. By offering it, you’re meeting people where they are and giving them what they want: a simple, direct way to connect. 

Best practices for a conversational messaging strategy 

Of course, at the heart of conversational messaging is conversation. You want the messages to feel like 1:1 interactions with your customers — even if you’re relying on automation and team collaboration features to interact with customers.

Here are a few things you can do to keep customers engaged.

Personalize the customer experience

Customers should feel like they’re having a two-way conversation — just like they would with anyone in their contacts list. The goal is to build real customer relationships, not make the exchange feel robotic. 

At scale, that’s hard to do with individual cell phones (also known as peer-to-peer texting). You need a business phone system that lets you personalize text messages and manage conversations from any device.

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), your team can use shared phone numbers and inboxes to review incoming calls and texts in one place. Anyone on the team can jump in to respond or tag-team a conversation when needed.

Your team can also collaborate using internal threads, which let reps tag each other with questions or comments about the customer. This happens behind the scenes so reps can get the right context before replying. Plus, they can use custom contact notes to keep track of details from previous conversations and create a more personalized customer experience.

With integrations, your Quo data can sync with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. That way, all call and message history is automatically available to anyone using your CRM. 

Integrate AI and automation (the smart way)

Yes, customers want personal messages — but automation can still play a role. You can send a welcome message after a customer signs up or send follow-up messages based on their behavior or interactions with your company. 

Automation tools like Zapier or Make can send messages at scale based on different events in the customer journey (like appointment reminder texts). If you need something more custom, you can use an API. 

You can also use artificial intelligence to streamline parts of customer interactions. For example, Quo offers AI contact suggestions that automatically save and surface customer details, helping you personalize messages with names, companies, and roles — without the manual upkeep.

Follow SMS compliance

In the US, several laws regulate business messages, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act. The Cellular Telephone Communications Industry Association (CTIA) also has guidelines for sending messages. 

Here are a few compliance best practices:

1. Get SMS consent before sending a customer text messages, also known as opt-in.
2. Give customers an easy way to opt out of text messages (like replying “STOP”). 
3. Only send messages about topics customers have agreed to receive — you can’t switch from support to SMS marketing without permission.
4. Register your phone numbers for A2P 10DLC to send texts to US customers.
5. Send text messages during business hours in your customers’ time zones.

SMS compliance is not optional. Failing to follow these rules can lead to fines, lawsuits, or getting blocked by mobile carriers.

3 use cases for conversational text messages 

You know customers want to text, but what types of interactions work best for conversational text messaging?

1. Streamline customer support

Customers like two things about text messages over calling: they can respond quickly or take their time. Instead of sitting on a phone call to troubleshoot an issue, many prefer a back-and-forth text message with your support team.

You can also use conversational messaging to respond to customers who want more information. Text message templates (or snippets as we call them at Quo) help reps answer questions or respond to complaints more consistently. They can start with a template, then tweak it to fit the conversation. 

2. Increase sales

You need “speed to lead,” as the saying goes. With shared phone numbers and auto-replies, you can respond to potential customers quickly, grabbing their attention before they turn to a competitor. 

You can also send automated text messages based on a deal stage in your CRM. For example, when a lead reaches the “Contract” stage in a tool like HubSpot, a Zapier workflow can trigger a text message that says something like, “Check your email for the contract and let me know if you have any questions!” 

Follow-up texts can help you stay top of mind, re-engage cold leads, or remind someone to send over important information. 

3. Gather feedback efficiently

If you send a customer satisfaction survey using conversational SMS, you avoid getting buried in a customer’s email inbox. You can also send a text asking a customer to leave a review (like on Google, for example) and provide a link.

Want product feedback? You can reach out to select customers and ask if they’d be willing to try out a new product, functionality, or feature. Then use conversational messaging to stay connected to that beta group and ask for feedback.

Get started with conversational texting 

To send conversational messages at scale, you’ll need a business phone system — one that lets you manage messages from a central inbox and reply from any device (also known as A2P messaging). That way, your team can stay connected and avoid relying on individual phones. 

Here’s how to get started with Quo:

1. Go to OpenPhone and enter your email address.

2. Verify your account by entering your current mobile phone number. You’ll receive a verification code via text.
3. Choose a new phone number to use for texting (or port over an existing phone number into Quo).

4. Select the plan that works best for your business. You can send conversational text messages on our Starter Plan, which is $15 per user per month.

5. Complete US carrier registration, which is required before sending text messages to US recipients (learn more here).

Quo: The only business texting solution you need

If your business isn’t using conversational messaging, you’re missing out on opportunities to connect with customers. Some won’t pick up the phone, while others may choose a competitor if they don’t hear back from you fast enough. 

Quo gives you everything you need to manage conversational texting in one simple, collaborative platform. 

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free, seven-day trial. 

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