19 Text Message Templates for Customer Service & Marketing Pros

Imagine a new customer buys one of your products online. To optimize their post-purchase experience, you send them a welcome message text, followed by details about your company and product line. You might even invite new customers to join your email list or follow you on social media if they don’t already. But after you’ve sent these initial introductory mobile messages, what next? You can send the occasional promotional message, but customers tune out if that’s the only time they hear from you. The solution to creating a constant flow of communication is to use text message templates. Templates simplify customer communication by helping you:

• Generate new content for messages
• Organize the information you want to share
• Ensure that your messages are sent at the right times throughout the customer journey

To help you create your own communication strategy for your ecommerce site, we’ve identified the four most common types of communication to send customers. We’ve also included sample text message templates to get you started.

Find out more about how to create templates using VoiceSage: 11 Financial Service SMS Templates For You to Steal

Templates for Onboarding

The first few messages a customer receives are some of the most important. These messages set the tone of the experience and prepare customers with the information they need to know. Information at this stage of the customer journey also helps customers learn as much as possible about the value your products offer.

1. Welcome message. “Hi <<customer name>>! We’re so excited that you’ve decided to purchase <<product name>>. It’s designed to help you <<list benefits>>. You can expect to hear from us <<X>> times a month with special offers, product updates, and more. Contact us at <<phone number>> if you have any questions.”
2. Product guide. “Hi <<customer name>>, thanks for purchasing <<product name>>. To help you improve <<insert customer pain point>>, here’s a link to our easy-to-use product guide. Contact us at <<phone number>> if you have any questions.”
3. Product intro. “Hi <<customer name>>, here are some recommendations and tips for using <<product name>>. You’ll receive a few more tips over the next <<X>> days to help you get the most out of your new purchase. In the meantime, get in touch by calling <<phone number>> if you have any questions.”

Tip: To avoid customers churning early in their journey, make the value you offer clear during your onboarding message campaign. Do this by reiterating some of the benefits your product offers or by highlighting the solutions your product offers when catering to the challenges customers experience. Also, use your welcome message to guide customers during their first interaction with your product. One option is to include a link to product tips in your product intro message. For example, link to a page on your website to make it easy for new customers to find what they need.

[Source]

To further improve the post-purchase customer experience, use rich media messages (RMM) that are interactive and don’t require customers to leave your app to complete a task. For instance, include a link that connects customers to your support team — via phone call or text message — when they click it. With VoiceSage, you can even create a mobile-friendly landing page for your links. With this option, a link to your support team leads to a page with frequently asked questions in addition to the team’s phone number and email address.

Templates for Transactions

Transaction text message templates refer to content shared after customers make a purchase. These messages serve two purposes. First, they help keep customers informed of the status of their orders. With services like Amazon Prime that give customers the option to receive their order within 24 hours, customers expect fast delivery. Use transaction messages to keep customers updated.

Second, transaction messages allow you to nurture the customer relationship and foster loyalty. The experience customers have after they make a payment helps them decide whether they’ll buy more products from you in the future. A bad experience puts you at risk of losing a return customer, while a positive experience helps position you as a company that puts customer needs first.

1. Order received. “Hey <<customer name>>, thanks for your order! We’ll let you know when it’s on its way. In the meantime, check out what other new customers are saying about their experience so far <<link to testimonials page>>.”
2. Order delivery status — shipped. “Hi <<customer name>>, your order has shipped. Click here to find out when it will arrive <<link to postal service tracking page>>.”
3. Order delivery status — delayed. “Hi <<customer name>>, your order is on its way but expect delays. Your new estimated delivery date is <<date>>. Contact us at <<phone number>> if you have any questions.”
4. Order delivery status — missed. “Hi <<customer name>>, it looks like we missed you. We attempted to deliver <<order number>> but were unable to. Click here <<link>> to schedule a pickup time at your nearest postal office.”
5. Abandoned cart. “Hey <<customer name>>, we noticed that you added <<product name(s)>> to your cart but didn’t check out. If you complete your purchase by <<deadline date>>, use offer code <<code>> at checkout to save an extra 10%.”
6. Thank you/reminder to come back. “Hi <<customer name>>, how are you enjoying your <<product name>>. Other customers who also purchased <<product name>> also bought <<product name #2>>. We think you’ll like it too. Click here to learn more <<link to product page>>.”
7. Customer feedback. “Hi <<customer name>>, do you have a sec? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know about your experience with <<product name>> so far by sharing a review. Click here to get started. We appreciate your feedback!”

Tip: The messages above are short and simple, but they mainly work because they keep customers informed. Even if you have to share difficult information with customers — like late deliveries — let them know. Their customer experience is improved when they know what to expect in advance. Keep in mind, text messages are opened within seconds of being received, so a well-timed message gives customers a chance to make alternate plans.

Go one step further and add a personal touch to missed delivery messages. Use interactive voice messaging (IVM) to record messages that reference customer names and the products they ordered. Use these messages to keep customers updated on the status of their order.

Learn more about how to manage missed delivery notifications: Customer Journey Stages: Avoiding Missed Deliveries and Improving CX [Part 3/4]

Text Message Templates for Special Offers

Promotional messages include incentives that encourage customers to come back and buy more. The best time to share these types of messages with customers is after they’ve had time to use your product and experience the value you promised. By this point, they’re more receptive to the special offers because not only do they get to buy products they like, they get to save money while doing so.

1. Discount offers. “Hi <<customer name>>, save $30 when you spend $100 or more between <<deadline dates>>. Click here <<link to product page>> to browse through our new arrivals.”
2. Product sales. “Ready to save big? All clearance items are 50-70% off until <<deadline date>>. Head over to the store before you miss out <<link to store>>.”
3. New product launches. “<<customer name>>, we’re excited to announce we’ve launched a new <<product name>>! Be the first to get one when you use offer code <<offer code>> to save $20.”
4. Referral program invitations. “Share the benefits of <<popular products>> with your friends and family. Give them $25 towards their first purchase when they use your personal referral code <<code>>. You’ll get $25 when they do!”
5. Special occasion offers and sales announcements. Use these to celebrate customer anniversaries, an upcoming holiday, or birthday. “Happy Birthday <<customer name>>! As an extra-special thank you for being a loyal customer, here’s $50 on us. Use it toward any of your favorite products. <<link to store>>.”

Tip: You’ll notice that many of the text message templates above include a deadline within the offer. This approach builds a sense of urgency — customers have to act now or risk missing out on the sale. The sense of urgency is tied to the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) because it’s understood that other customers received the same message, and some of them will follow up on the offer. In order to avoid missing out on what others will participate in, customers are encouraged to act now.

Another way to encourage customers to act is to use VoiceSage’s RMM feature to send GIFs or short videos within messages. Use these features to capture customers’ attention, keep them engaged, and to increase their interest in the offer.

Templates for Customer Service

Use customer service messages as a way to improve customer experience or to maintain your standards. These messages are meant to keep customers informed of what’s going on so that they hear it from you first. This also minimizes the need for customers to call into support to ask the same questions repeatedly, which ties up the customer support team’s time instead of allowing them to engage in more value-added tasks, like processing orders or managing comments received through social channels.

Read more about how to use rich media for customer support: How to Manage Customer Support With Rich Media Content

1. Issue resolution. “Hi <<customer name>>, this is to confirm that your recent support ticket <<ticket #>> has been resolved and closed. We thank you for your patience.”
2. Follow-up survey. “Hi <<customer name>>, thank you for your recent inquiry. Let us know how we did by completing this short survey. It takes less than a minute to complete <<link to survey>>.”
3. Company updates. “Hi <<customer name>>, we want you to be one of the first to know that we’ve merged with company X. This won’t change your online experience in any way; we’re just excited to share the good news. Read the full announcement here <<link to press release>>.”
4. Lapsed customer re-engagement. “<<customer name>> it’s been a while; we miss you! Let us know if there’s anything we can do to improve your experience or if you have any questions for us. We value you and would love to hear from you <<link to contact us page>>.”

Tip: Use your customer service messages to gauge customer satisfaction. In fact, use rich media messages to send surveys that capture the customer satisfaction score (CSAT). Ask customers to rank their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 7. Based on their responses, use customer insights to improve aspects of your business, like update your product offerings to match customer needs.

Use Text Message Templates to Simplify Workflow

As your customer communication becomes more strategic, find out where along the customer journey they’re leaving. Decide which templates you need to focus on and upload them to VoiceSage. You can even set up automatic drip campaigns that send your messages at specific intervals.

For example, if you find that the percentage of return visitors is dropping, focus on messages that re-engage customers and remind them about what you offer. Set up a series of four or five messages that introduce new products, offer special discounts, and remind customers of the value your products offer.

With VoiceSage as your mobile messaging partner, setting up automated messages is quick and easy. Automation also simplifies sending messages that influence whether customers come back to shop. Plus, with text message templates, you don’t have to waste time coming up with message content — it’s already done for you.

Get started today — book a demo to find out how VoiceSage can help you set up templates and build messaging campaigns.