TORONTO — Toronto-based Unite Communications launched this month its TextMeAnywhere solution which allows businesses to turn an existing landline, VoIP or toll-free phone number into a textable number.
The solution comes with a web application to let businesses easily communicate with clients via SMS instead of struggling to manage multiple customer phone calls.
“TextMeAnywhere turns the business number into a textable number and allows staff to easily chat with customers on the web application. The business number is likely already stored in the customer’s phonebook, so they know who is texting. SMS messages see a 98% open rate whereas emails only see 20% and are the preferred method of communication by most customers,” said Brian Presement, CEO of Unite Communications, in the news release.
According to Presement, millions of text messages are sent to landlines every day, especially by Millennials who assume business numbers are textable. That’s lost opportunity.
“Small and medium sized businesses are losing so much potential business by missing texts sent to landlines that they never actually get. We wanted to create a solution that helps entrepreneurs capture this lost business,” added Presement.
Some of the situations where TextMeAnywhere can be beneficial to businesses have emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the need to manage curbside pickup for customers while maintaining social distancing, says Unite Communications in the release. Retailers who offer curbside pickup frequently run into logistics issues when trying to communicate with customers using a landline business number that isn’t textable, says Unite.
“They have had to ask staff to manage multiple phone calls, send emails that get stuck in spam, or purchase mobile phones and numbers to not have to ask staff to use their personal mobiles,” reads the release.
Pricing for the TextMeAnywhere solution is $15.95, which includes unlimited inbound text messages and 500 outbound text messages ($1 per additional outbound text). There’s also a $30 activation fee.
For more information, please visit textmeanywhere.com.
