Customer service involves any support you offer both existing and potential customers. This means it encompasses a wide range of communications your business will have with customers. It includes answering product questions, updating customers on their orders, solving issues, taking orders, and more.
To better manage these critical conversations with customers, businesses are turning to customer service text messaging. It offers a quick and reliable way for your business to answer more customer inquiries and solve issues.
There are many different customer service SMS templates you could need on any given day, but we will cover some of the top use cases in this article so you’re prepared.
Jump right to customer service SMS templates related to:
- General customer support
- Troubleshooting and follow-up
- Order updates
- Reminders and notifications
- Customer feedback and engagement
<h2 id="General">General customer support</h2>
Often, as a customer service team, you’ll be answering common customer questions about hours, service offerings, pricing, and more. Here are some SMS templates for these more general inquiries.
1. Service inquiry response
Hi [name]! Thanks for reaching out to learn more about our service offerings. We do provide [service]. Would you like to get a personalized quote?
2. Product question
Hi [name]! Here’s a link to the must-knows about [product]: [Link] – Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer!
3. Pricing inquiry
Hi [name]! You want to know the pricing for our [service]. Here’s a link to our pricing page where you can see a breakdown: [link]
4. Providing a quote
Hi [name]. I’m following up with a quote for our [service]. Here’s a detailed breakdown: [PDF]
5. Scheduling a call
Hi [name], are you available for a phone call today at [time] to discuss [call reason]?
6. Scheduling a demo
Hi [name]! Thanks for your interest in [product]. Would you like to schedule a demo with someone on our sales team?
7. Business hours
Hi [name]! Our business hours are [day of the week] through [day of the week] from [time] to [time].
8. After-hours reply (automated message)
Thanks for texting [business]. We’re closed for the day. Our hours are [business hours]. We will reply as soon as we can during our normal business hours.
9. Response time estimate
We got your message! We will be with you shortly. Give us [X] minutes!
10. Direct to FAQ page
Hi [name]. You can find more information about [X] on our FAQ page: [link]
11. Request missing information
Hi [name]! It looks like we’re still missing [information] from you to complete the account set up. Let me know if there are any questions about this.
<h2 id="Troubleshooting">Troubleshooting and follow-up</h2>
Sometimes your customer support team must work via text to solve a problem. Here are a few troubleshooting SMS templates to add to your catalog.
1. General troubleshooting
Hi [name]. Happy to help with this. Can you first try [X]? Here’s a link showing how to do that: [link]
2. Share problem-solving steps
Hi [name]! Thanks for reaching out! It may be [typical issue]. Can you try these steps:
- [Step 1]
- [Step 2]
- [Step 3]
3. Requesting a photo
Hi [name], happy to help troubleshoot! Please send me a photo of the error you see so I can help you further.
4. Request more information
Hi [name], happy to help! Can you please explain a bit more about the issue you’re experiencing so we can find the best solution?
5. Share information about a known error
Hi [name]! Thanks for reaching out. This is a known error, and our team is working diligently to resolve it. I’ll follow up with you when it’s fixed.
6. Share resolution timeline
Hi [name]. The team let me know they’re working to resolve this. I should have a resolution for you by [time].
7. Frustrated customer
We understand [this issue] is frustrating. Please give us [time frame] to investigate this further.
8. Clarify an issue
Hi [name]. Thanks for texting us! Just so I understand, you’re looking for help with [X]?
9. Follow-up after support interaction
Hi [name]. I am following up to ensure the issue is fixed on your end. Please let us know if you’re still experiencing [issue].
10. Issue resolution confirmation
Hi [name]. Thanks again for reaching out. The issue should be resolved. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with today!
<h2 id="Order">Order updates</h2>
Another common use case for customer service SMS is keeping customers informed about their orders. This can include providing order confirmations, shipping updates, and return statuses. Here are a few order status templates for customers.
1. Order confirmation
[Company]: Your order is confirmed! We’ll text again when your order ships. Here’s your order number for reference [#number]
2. Shipping update
[Company]: Just shipped. Your order is on its way! Here’s a link to track its progress: [link]
3. Delivery confirmation
[Company]: Ding, dong! Your order was just delivered. View order details: [link]
4. Return initiated
[Company]: Your return has been initiated. Please follow these instructions to return your order: [link]
5. Return received
[Company]: We’ve received your return. You’ll receive your refund in [X] business days.
6. Share a receipt
[Company]: Thanks for your order! Your receipt can be found here: [link]
7. Confirm delivery window
Hi [name], your [item] is arriving today! Our delivery drivers will be there between [arrival window].
<h2 id="Reminders">Reminders and notifications</h2>
Another way businesses use SMS for customer service is to send important reminders, service updates, and payment confirmations. Here are a few reminders and rescheduling SMS templates for your business to use.
1. Appointment confirmation
Hi [name], this is [business]. Your appointment is confirmed for [date] at [time].
2. Appointment reminder
Hi [name]! You have an appointment with [provider or business name] on [date] at [time]. Please call or text if you need to reschedule.
3. Appointment rescheduling
Hi [name]. Thanks for letting us know you can’t make it to your appointment. Would you like to reschedule?
4. Service reminder
Hi [name]. This is [name] from [company]. Our workers will arrive on [date] between [time] and [time] for your [service]. Please call or text to reschedule.
5. Payment reminder
Hi [name]. This is a reminder that your payment of [amount] for [service] is due on [date]. You can pay online here: [link]
6. Late payment nudge
Hi [name]. You missed your payment of [amount] that was due on [date]. If you pay today, I can waive the late fee or work to set up a payment plan if that works better for you.
7. Payment received
Hi [name]. This is to confirm that [business] received your payment of [amount] for [service]. You can view the billing details here: [link]
8. Renewal reminder
Hi [name]. Your [subscription or contract] is set to renew on [date]. You’ll be charged [amount]. Text us with any questions!
9. Service cancellation
[Company]: We’re sad to see you go 😢Your [service] has been canceled. Thank you for your business.
10. Service outage notification
Hi there. Our [service] is experiencing issues. We’re actively investigating the issue and will follow up when it is resolved.
11. Scheduled maintenance alert
Hi [name]. [Business’] [service or product] will be offline on [date] from [time] to [time] for scheduled maintenance.
<h2 id="Feedback">Feedback and engagement</h2>
One of the best ways to improve customer service is to collect feedback from customers about the experience you’re offering to them. You can use SMS to deliver surveys, request reviews, and thank customers. Let’s look at a few templates for these use cases.
1. CSAT survey request
How satisfied are you with [company or support interaction] on a scale of 1, very unsatisfied to 5, very satisfied?
2. CES survey request
To what extent do you agree with the following statement on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree)? [Company or agent] made it easy for me to resolve [issue].
3. Solicit a review
Hi [name]! How was your recent experience buying from [company]? Can you leave us a review? [link]
4. Survey about product
Hi [name]. Do you like your new [product]? How would you rate its ease of use on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being easy and 1 being difficult?
5. Thank you for the positive feedback
Thanks for sharing your experience with [business]! We love that you had such a positive experience. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help with.
6. Thank you after negative feedback
Thank you for sharing your feedback and bringing this issue to our attention. We’d love to learn more about your experience. Are you free for a quick call on [date] at [time]?
<h2 id="Best">Best practices for customer service texting</h2>
No matter what channel you use to provide customer service, the goal is to keep customers happy and informed. To ensure you deliver the best experience for customers using SMS for customer service, keep these best practices in mind.
- Get permission to text your customers. To comply with laws that govern texting, be mindful that you must get consent to text them. This permission is called an SMS opt-in. You can obtain consent in several ways, including asking customers to text you first or asking them to opt in when they sign up for your service or place an order.
- Reply promptly. When people reach out to your customer service team via text, you will want to reply quickly. A fast response time is a major factor in customer satisfaction when it comes to any form of live chat, including SMS.
- Create text templates. To help you reply faster, create a repository of text message templates you can use to speed up reply time. Many businesses create text template responses for frequently asked questions like “what are your business hours”, and “how much does your service cost?”
- Be concise and clear. Texting is built for exchanging short and direct messages back and forth. When you text for customer service, keep your message concise and clear. However, never sacrifice conciseness for clarity.
- Choose the right SMS platform. Some business texting platforms are better for customer service SMS than others. You’ll want to look for a platform that offers the features you need to provide optimal customer service via text, including two-way messaging, a robust inbox, scheduled messages, photos, attachments, and more.
- Integrate SMS with other channels. For an all-encompassing customer service strategy, you’ll want to integrate SMS with other channels like email, live chat, and phone. You can even integrate SMS with CRM tools like HubSpot and Help Desk software like Zendesk for a more comprehensive strategy.
- Add SMS automations. Don’t be afraid to automate some of your customer service outreach. For example, you can automate text appointment reminders, schedule messages in advance, or set out-of-office messages.
- Measure and analyze performance. To help you understand how your team is performing, you should measure and analyze SMS metrics like time to first response, customer satisfaction score, and average resolution time.
Offer better customer service with an SMS + Webchat
You’ll want to make it easy for customers and leads to reach out with any questions and concerns. This is where a live web chat can help your business thrive. Website visitors can easily reach out to ask product questions and get problems resolved. Live web chat has been shown to improve customer satisfaction, boost team productivity, and increase sales.
While some businesses hesitate to offer live chat support on their website because it may increase ticket volume, there are products out there that make it easy to manage both. For example, Textline offers an SMS + Webchat hybrid feature that allows businesses to seamlessly manage web chat and SMS in one unified inbox. Plus, you don’t have to worry about abandoned web chats. Instead, you can seamlessly transition a conversation to SMS if you don’t hear back from a customer.
Upgrade your customer service with Textline
Textline is the best-in-class business texting platform for companies wanting to upgrade their customer service. Textline has all the features and integrations your business needs to boost productivity while delighting customers. Textline offers two-way texting, robust automations, a hybrid webchat, and built-in metrics to make it easy for your team to manage SMS customer service.
Start delighting your customers today with Textline. Request a demo now to see how Textline’s customer service SMS platform can help you improve.
