How to get customers to text you instead of calling
Where to put the texting number, the wording that makes people use it, the voicemail greeting that redirects calls, and why the first reply decides whether they ever text again.
Frontiva · · 4 min read
Customers text a business when they know they can, believe someone will answer, and get a fast reply the first time they try. So: put "text us" next to every phone number, say what happens when they do, redirect voicemail to text, and make sure the first reply comes within a minute. The last one matters most. A customer who texts and waits an hour goes back to calling.
Say it everywhere the phone number is
Website header, contact page, Google Business Profile (which has a messaging option), Instagram bio, email signatures, the sign on the door, the receipt, the reminder texts themselves. "Call or text (555) 010-0100" is the whole change. If the texting number is different from the calling number, say both and label them.
Say what happens
"Text us for appointments and questions. We reply within minutes, 7 days a week." A promise like that gets used, and it has to be true, which is what an AI receptionist is for. "Text us" with no promise gets a trickle; people assume it goes to a void.
Redirect the voicemail
Change the greeting: "You have reached Northside Dental. For the fastest reply, text us at this number and we will answer in a moment. Or leave a message." Then send the missed-call text anyway. Most people who hear that greeting hang up and text, which is what you wanted.
Make the first reply fast
The first text a customer sends is a test. If the reply comes in seconds and is useful, they will text next time. If it comes in an hour, they will not. This is the argument for automating the first reply: a person cannot be at the phone at every moment, and a customer who is testing whether texting works does not care why the reply was slow.
Put a text option in every message you send
Confirmations and reminders that say "Reply CHANGE to reschedule" or "Reply with any questions" teach customers that this number talks back. Every reply they send and get answered makes texting the default.
Ask, at the desk and on the phone
"Would you like us to text you the confirmation?" "Easiest thing is to text us when you are ready and we will book it." Front desk staff who suggest texting move customers to it faster than any sign.
Web chat as the on-ramp
A customer on your website who starts a web chat can be asked for their mobile number so the conversation continues by text after they close the tab. That is how a lot of first text conversations start, and it means the customer never had to look for the number.
What not to do
Do not text customers first to tell them they can text you; that is marketing and needs consent. Do not promise replies you cannot deliver. Do not use a texting number that is different from every other number without saying so clearly. And do not let the first reply be an autoresponder that says "we will get back to you"; that is the void, confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Will older customers text?
More than people expect, if the number is the same one they call and the replies are fast. Keep the phone working for those who prefer it; the point is to offer, not to force.
Should the texting number be the main number?
Ideally, yes. One number for calls and texts is the least confusing arrangement. Our guide to choosing a business texting number covers how.
How do I measure whether it is working?
Inbound texts per week, share of bookings that start by text, and first-reply time. If inbound texts rise and first-reply time stays under a minute, it is working.
What Frontiva does here
Frontiva answers texts on the number in your own Twilio account and in its website chat widget, from your approved knowledge, with approval mode for the weeks you are watching it. The unified inbox keeps every thread with an owner. Missed call text back is built and waiting on phone number provisioning. See what to say in a first follow-up text.