In this article, we'll look back at some of the most highly requested features we added this year and discuss what's on the horizon.
Can you believe that this year alone we’ve had over 165,355 conversations with customers and visitors to our site? Neither can we. Each one taught us something about how we can make SimpleTexting the greatest texting platform in the universe. You all have great ideas and suggestions, thank you. Below are a few of our favorites that we implemented in 2019.
Stay on Top of Conversations with a Powerful Inbox
In October, we added a host of new additions to the Inbox. It was our biggest update—ever. These new features are designed to make it easy to connect with individual customers, employees, and everyone else. You can now:
- Leave internal notes on conversations
- Schedule messages to go out at a specific day and time
- Send links to files such as PDFs and photos
- Snooze conversations or mark them as resolved
Learn more about how to take advantage of the business texting inbox.
Make Autoresponders More Engaging with MMS
Autoresponders are messages that go out a set period of time after someone joins your list. These are especially handy when you want to create drip campaigns. Now you can make them even more engaging with photos, GIFs, audio clips, and more!
Oh, and in case you missed it, we also added MMS capabilities to all toll-free numbers!
Create Alternate Confirmation Messages for Keywords
Keywords are one of the most popular ways businesses grow their lists. All a contact has to do is text a unique word to your number, and they’ll be subscribed to future messages. But what if they text in the keyword a second time? Or third, fourth, or fifth? Now, you can customize the message they receive all subsequent times! Remind customers that they’re already subscribed or include a special offer as an easter egg.
Save Time with New Zapier Actions
When we launched Zapier last year, it transformed the way people use SimpleTexting. We’ve been blown away by the creative ways businesses have used this integration to save time.
For those unfamiliar, Zapier lets you connect SimpleTexting to 1,000+ other apps without writing a single line of code. This year, we made it even more useful. In addition to the ability to send an SMS message or add a contact, you can now use Zapier to trigger an MMS message or the removal of a contact.
Imagine the possibilities! You could automatically:
- Send a confirmation message with a photo to people who complete your Google form
- Remove customers who canceled their Shopify orders from your SimpleTexting list
- Follow-up via MMS with LinkedIn leads
Cut Down on Response Time with Templates
No one likes to repeat themselves, and now you don’t have to. Instead, save your frequently sent messages as templates which you can reuse over and over again.
Find the Right Number for Your Needs
Some customers want to have 1-on-1 conversations from a number with their local area code. Other need an easy-to-remember short code so that customers can text in a keyword. And a few want a dedicated number plus the ability to reach massive groups instantly. We’re happy to say SimpleTexting now supports all of the use cases, and countless others. We have the ability to text-enable existing numbers, acquire new local and toll-free numbers, and provide customers access to 5 or 6-digit short codes.
In October, AT&T announced new rules surrounding shared short codes. Long story short, everyone who shares a short code should be in the same industry. That’s why we provisioned five new short codes which are approved for use by specific industries. We now have shared short codes for:
- Real estate companies and independent agents
- Churches and religious organizations
- E-commerce and retail stores
- Doctors and accountants
- Nonprofits
If you plan to use keywords to grow your list, a shared short code may be a good option for you. Talk to our support team to learn more and request access. Want to text-enable your landline or get a vanity toll-free number? We’re happy to walk you through both of those options, too!
What’s Coming in 2020?
We can’t give away everything we’re working on, but we can give you a hint as to what’s coming next year. Our team is hard at work on integrations that will make it easier to add SMS to your existing workflow. Also, if you’ve ever wanted to send MMS messages via the inbox or have the ability to use multiple numbers (one for each support agent, for example), we have some surprises in store for you.
Do you ideas for how we can improve our platform or make it more useful for your business? We’d love to hear them! Seriously, we log every single request. When enough users ask for a feature, we make it happen. To stay up-to-date on all of the improvements we make the to SimpleTexting, keep our changelog bookmarked.
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