A Step-By-Step Guide to Transforming Your Business With Text Messaging: Pet Shops
Running a pet shop means juggling a lot of tasks – whether your shop focuses on pet food, pet supply, or grooming services, at the end of the day the most important task of all remains the same: keeping your customers happy.
One way of doing that is by using business text messaging.
In this blog post we will discuss how business text messaging can simplify your team's work and keep your customers coming back for more.
Business text messaging is a journey and once you enter the world of convenience and efficiency that it can bring to your business, you will find yourself integrating this new tool in all of your workflows.
Stage 1: Business Text Messaging 101 - The Basics for Pet Shops
Text messaging is not a new communication channel, in fact text messaging in business is also not new. Traditionally we have been used to receiving messages via short codes, and experiencing one-way text messages from businesses for order updates and appointment reminders.
However, what Ikeono does to help pet shops grow is something completely different. We focus on organic and conversational text messaging by text-enabling your existing business phone number.
Business text messaging isn't just about boosting sales – it’s about standing out in today’s competitive landscape. With so many choices on the market, connecting with customers is vital for growth and customer loyalty and text messaging allows you to do that in ways that traditional communication methods can't.
Setting up Templates
Setting up templates is one of the first steps you will take as you implement this communication channel for your business, because it will not only save you time but ensure consistency in your communications with customers.
First begin by identifying common messages you send, then create templates that are clear, concise, and align with your brand voice.
This helps maintain professionalism and enhances customer experience by providing quick, reliable information yet helps you maintain an organic feel to the conversation as the remainder of the messages that follow will be answered by someone on your team.
Message templates will become something you fine-tune over time and adapt based on customer feedback and evolving business needs.
Personalization and Finding Your Voice
One of the beautiful parts about text messaging is that it allows you to have a brand voice that is consistent between all your employees.
Even with the best training programs, some customer interactions may not resonate as intended. Using text messaging with tools like automated after-hour replies and message templates give you a chance to maintain a consistent brand voice while still allowing your staff’s personality to shine throughout the interaction.
Adding a personal touch can also make all the difference when interacting with customers via text message – such as using their names or referencing past purchases.
Finding your unique voice is equally important; whether it’s friendly and casual or professional and informative, consistency in tone will help your brand build familiarity and trust.
Experiment with different styles to see what resonates best with your customers, and adapt your messaging over time to reflect their feedback and preferences.
Getting Started With Text-To-Pay
One of the most important features you will start seeing a direct return on investment is text-to-pay.
Having the option to easily send a payment link to a customer means that you have the ability to turn any organic text message conversation into a sale.
Not only does it help you as a business, but it introduces a whole new world of shop via text and pick up in store. This way the lengthy process of answering questions, potentially needed to order inventory, and so on all happens on text.
This saves both you and the customer time, and also makes the trip they need to make to the store much quicker.
Educating your staff first and then your customers on text-to-pay is key in the implementation process. Most importantly, your staff should be confident and prepared to answer any questions around text-to-pay.
The entire experience is quite intuitive, but if need be, then you can also use message templates to give a few pieces of information to put the customer at ease for their first transaction.
💡PRO TIP: Prevent unwanted incidents
When you have multiple customers queuing up to pay at the register with their pets. You can use text-to-pay to manage orders beforehand or have staff trained on clearing up the queue by passing transactions on mobile.
Stage 2: Integrating Texting into Daily Operations
Managing Special Orders with Text Messaging
Managing special orders via text message can be the solution to most of your inventory problems.
With most pet shops alternating between not being able to keep the shelves full or having too much inventory, being able to have a direct line of communication with customers that allows you to identify what they need, take payment and coordinate pick-ups can solve all your problems and keep inventory at satisfactory and stable levels.
First, you can start by setting up a system where customers can easily text their special order requests directly to your shop.
Text messaging also allows for quick clarifications and updates – Dexter’s Deli has found the perfect solution for their business, they take in orders via a form, then handle all payment and coordination for curbs-side pickup via text message.
This type of experience and service in and of itself becomes a personalized shopping experience that will enhance customer satisfaction and build stronger relationships because of how personal that 1-1 interaction will feel.
Lightspeed Retail Point-of-Sale Integration
With this setup, not only can you send text messages to customers without ever leaving your POS, you can start texting receipts and sending tailored campaigns.
This seamless connection between your POS system and text messaging not only improves operational efficiency but also provides valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, helping you tailor your services more effectively.
💭DID YOU KNOW?
Valentine’s day is an important day for pet parents – in 2023, a total of 1.7 billion U.S. dollars was spent on gifts for pets for Valentine's Day. Pet shops can gear up for this holiday by being proactive and reaching out to customers to special order any gifts in advance.
Stage 3: Texting Like a Pro
Building Relationships
Independent pet shops have a unique advantage over larger retailers like Amazon: the ability to build strong, personal relationships with their customers.
Text messaging plays an important role in this relationship as it’s a powerful tool that helps nurture relationships.
Engaging with your customers through thoughtful and meaningful texts fosters loyalty and encourages repeat business. Unlike the impersonal experience of shopping with a big corporation, your pet shop can stand out by providing a warm, personalized touch that makes customers feel valued and appreciated.
Selling to pet parents is an interesting experience for pet shop owners – you need to be educated and cater to clients you can’t speak to. Therefore, building that relationship with the pet parents is an integral part of the selling process.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Using Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an effective way to measure customer satisfaction and the impact of changes in your business.
Through text messaging, you can easily send NPS surveys that differ greatly from the usual NPS via email experience.
Your customers simply need to reply with a response between 1-10 – it is quite literally the most convenient way for customers to rate their experience.
Not only does it allow you to always keep your eyes and ears open to feedback as this is an automated feature – it gives customers the opportunity to share their experience before they make it public via review.
No matter the effort you are putting into running things smoothly at your store, there’s always value in learning about what’s working well and what could be improved.
By regularly tracking your NPS, you can identify trends, make informed decisions, and see the tangible effects of the changes you implement.
NPS not only helps you understand your customers better but also demonstrates your commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in service.
Ready to Start Building Relationships With Pet Parents?
From pet parents challenging the industry demanding better food quality to an ever growing market generating approximately 22.87 billion U.S. dollars in revenue (an increase of around two billion since 2020) – the pet industry is a thriving sector.
But how can independent retailers stand out among the PetSmarts and Petcos of this world?
The answer lies in exactly what big box retailers lack – the ability to have a unique charm and personal touch that big box retailers like Petco and PetSmart simply can’t replicate.
By leveraging the power of business text messaging, you can build meaningful relationships with your customers.
By offering tailored advice, check-ins post-purchase or service, and creating a genuine sense of community, you will create a shopping experience where customers won’t feel like a number.