How to Deliver Outstanding Text Support: 8 Best Practices

Times are changing, and so are customer expectations. While phone calls and emails used to be the go-to for support, customers today want faster and more convenient options. That’s where SMS steps in—offering the instant, effortless responses your customers are looking for.

Picture this: a customer reaches out with a problem about their new gadget. Instead of keeping them on hold or sifting through a long email thread, you respond to their text in seconds. Within moments, their issue is resolved—making their day and yours a little smoother. That’s the beauty of SMS-based support—it’s instant, efficient, and hassle-free. 

In this blog, we’re diving into the best practices for providing text support. From choosing the right platform to syncing with your other communication channels, we’ll show you how to turn your SMS service into a customer service win. So, let’s get started—your customers are waiting for you to text back!

Table of Contents

• What is text support?
• Who is text support best for?
• Benefits of providing text support
• Best practices for providing SMS support
• How to implement text support?
• Examples of text message customer service
• 5 best SMS customer service software
• Challenges with text support and how to overcome them
• Personalized, proactive, and efficient: The power of text support 

What is text support?

Suppose you’re a customer service rep, and it’s one of those days where the tickets just keep piling up. A customer is anxiously waiting to hear about their delayed package—they’ve already reached out twice, and you can tell they’re getting frustrated. Instead of sending another long email or making them wait for a callback, you text them:

“Hi Brad, I just checked, and your package is on its way! It should be there by Friday. I’ll keep an eye on it, but let me know if you need anything else in the meantime.”

In less than a minute, you’ve turned their frustration into relief. They know you’ve got their back, and you’ve saved yourself from spending extra time on follow-ups. Win-win, right?

That’s text support in a nutshell. It’s exactly what it sounds like: businesses use text messaging to assist customers with their questions, issues, or concerns.

Text support covers both SMS customer support platforms and third-party messaging apps like Messenger or WhatsApp. It’s a direct, real-time channel that makes customer service fast, simple, and personal.

And it’s not just a nice-to-have anymore—it’s essential. In fact, *87% of businesses* that text say their digital marketing efforts are more successful. Plus, 95% of business owners and marketing managers have seen higher revenue benefits when SMS is part of their integrated marketing campaigns. So, if you’re not offering text support to your customers yet, you might be missing out on some serious opportunities.

With customer service text messaging, you can handle everything from order inquiries to troubleshooting, all while keeping the interaction casual and focused.

Who is text support best for?

Everyone’s got a mobile phone these days. Most US online adults use SMS or MMS daily, and open rates for SMS are as high as 90%. So, if you’re not offering SMS support yet, you risk missing valuable opportunities to connect with your audience and enhance your customer service experience.

But who exactly needs SMS-based customer support? It’s not just about how many people use phones—it’s about who benefits most from texting as a support channel. Let’s break it down:

• Mobile-first customers: These folks live on their phones. They want quick, no-fuss help at their fingertips, and texting perfectly fits the bill. No calls, no waiting—just text and go.
• Time-sensitive industries: Some industries can’t afford to waste time, and SMS is the perfect tool for rapid response. These businesses thrive on speed and need a support system that delivers—stat:
  • E-commerce: Quick order updates and fast support for customers ready to buy.
  • Healthcare: Immediate appointment reminders and urgent medication inquiries.
  • Travel & Hospitality: Real-time updates for last-minute changes and flight notifications.
  • Retail: Fast responses for stock availability, returns, and exchanges.
  • Tech & SaaS: Instant troubleshooting for customers who need help right now.
• On-the-go professionals: Busy professionals can’t sit on hold for hours. They’re texting between meetings, catching flights, or running errands. SMS support lets them get help without skipping a beat.
• Millennials and Gen Z: These generations grew up texting. They’re all about speed, convenience, and, well, texting. Make sure you’re ready to meet them where they already are.

Benefits of providing text support

Texting isn’t just for memes and “What’s for dinner?” messages anymore. It’s now a backbone for businesses. Here’s why: 72% of customers have purchased after getting a text from a brand. Additionally, almost 70% of people read new texts within five minutes of receiving them, proving that texting drives quick engagement–— and often leads to sales. 

Here’s a list of its benefits:

• High Return on Investment (ROI): Businesses can expect to see an impressive return on investment from SMS marketing, with reports indicating that companies earn approximately $71 for every $1 spent on SMS campaigns. This demonstrates the financial efficiency of using SMS for customer engagement and support.
• Flexible: SMS isn’t bound by office hours. Whether it’s a quick query at 3 AM or a follow-up during the weekend, customers can reach out at their convenience—and your team doesn’t have to play catch-up. Everyone’s happy.
• Better engagement: We’ve all been there: a random marketing email lands in your inbox, and you immediately hit delete. But a text? You’re way more likely to read it. In fact, SMS has an average response rate of 45%, compared to email’s meager 6%. When you engage customers via SMS, you’re speaking their language—literally and figuratively.
• Increased convenience: Let’s not beat around the bush: People love convenience. Texting allows customers to get answers instantly without having to leave the couch or wait in a phone queue. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s all about making life easier for everyone involved.
• Instant response: SMS allows you to respond to customers immediately, eliminating long wait times and improving their experience. With 90% of SMS messages opened and read within the first 3 minutes of delivery, it’s a quick, efficient way to ensure your customers feel heard and valued.
• Higher customer satisfaction: Quick, helpful responses via text lead to happier customers—and happy customers are more likely to stay loyal. In fact, 79% of marketers use SMS as a retention channel, and 73% say it drives incremental revenue for their business. By offering SMS support, you not only strengthen relationships with your clients but also contribute to long-term growth.
• Proactive support: SMS makes it easy to keep your customers in the loop. You can send proactive updates about delivery times, shipping statuses, or important reminders before they even have to ask. It’s a simple way to improve their experience while taking some pressure off your support team.

Best practices for providing SMS support

Texting your customers is all about getting the timing, tone, and tools just right. Done well, SMS can be an incredibly helpful and personal way to connect. With the right approach, your messages will stand out as valuable—not something to scroll past. 

It’s about following a few golden rules to ensure every text feels like a helpful nudge, not an annoying buzz. Ready to get it right? Let’s break it down.

1. Be proactive and timely

In customer support, timing is everything. Customers hate waiting, and when it comes to resolving issues or answering queries, they expect lightning-fast responses. Being proactive, on the other hand, takes it up a notch—you’re solving problems before customers even have to ask. 

Delta Airlines exemplifies this perfectly. They provide proactive updates and immediate assistance for issues like flight delays and missed connections. This approach has reduced response times to under two minutes and increased customer engagement, with text queries surpassing social media interactions—a clear testament to the impact of timely support. 

Here’s what you can do:

• Automate texts for appointment reminders, shipping updates, and payment confirmations.
• Analyze common pain points—like delayed deliveries—and notify customers before they panic.
• Use trigger-based SMS responses (e.g., a text offering assistance after a customer abandons their cart).
• Set internal SLAs to ensure your team responds to texts within minutes, not hours.

Also read: The 7 Key Elements of Effective Customer Service

2. Personalize every message

Generic texts can feel impersonal and disengaging, leaving customers feeling undervalued. A personalized message, on the other hand, shows you care. Instead of “Your order has shipped,” try something like, “Hi Sarah, your sneakers are on their way! You can expect them by Friday.” Small touches like this make interactions more meaningful and build stronger customer connections.

KFC India showed how powerful personalization can be with their gamified SMS marketing campaign, “Bucket It.” By sending personalized messages tailored to customer preferences, they achieved a 22% increase in average daily orders per store and a 23% boost in daily revenue. What’s more, their SMS messages drove a 20% higher conversion rate than the average SMS campaigns for that month, proving the impact of well-crafted, personalized communication. 

Here’s how you can do it:

• Use the customer’s name and reference their recent activity (e.g., “Hi Alex, your return request for Order #12345 has been processed!”).
• Leverage purchase history to recommend relevant products or solutions.
• Segment customers based on behavior or demographics for tailored messaging.
• Keep the exchange conversational and align your tone with your brand’s voice.

Pro Tip: Address your customers by name, reference their specific issues, and tailor the tone to your brand personality.

3. Enable two-way texting

Customers aren’t looking for a monologue—they want a conversation. Two-way texting makes your support feel human, approachable, and fast. Domino’s Pizza nailed this concept with their “Easy Order” campaign, where customers could place orders simply by texting an emoji or sending a message. 

By saving their favorite pizza preferences, Domino’s made the ordering process seamless and fun. The campaign drove a significant increase in customer engagement and loyalty, proving that simplifying two-way texting can deliver big results.

Here’s how to enable two-way texting:

• Use SMS platforms designed for real-time back-and-forth conversations.
• Train agents to respond conversationally and resolve issues within the text thread.
• Add clear instructions, like “Reply to this text if you need help with your order.”
• Route conversations to the right department for efficient handling.

4. Synchronize with other communication channels

Consider this: A customer texts about a billing error, emails for clarification, and finally calls in frustration because nothing’s been resolved. Nightmare, right? Synchronizing SMS with other channels ensures your support team has a clear view of every interaction—no repeated explanations, no customer tantrums. Here’s how you can do that:

• Use customer support platforms like Hiver to unify SMS, email, and chat interactions. Hiver integrates messaging with other channels right in your inbox, making all conversations accessible in one place.
• Enable agents to view SMS history alongside other communication logs.
• Inform customers they can switch between channels without losing context.
• Set up workflows to transfer conversations seamlessly between platforms. 

5. Use automation thoughtfully

Automation can be your best friend—or your worst enemy. It’s fantastic for repetitive tasks like FAQs or order confirmations, but nothing annoys a customer more than a bot giving irrelevant or overly rigid responses. Strike a balance between smart automation and human intervention. 

Global beauty retailer, Sephora, showcases this perfectly with their personalized SMS campaigns. They use automation to send makeup tips, exclusive deals, and product recommendations tailored to each customer’s profile and purchase history. But for beauty advice, it switches to human experts who can recommend the perfect shade of lipstick. The result? Increased online sales and higher customer engagement, as subscribers felt valued and connected to the brand.

Here’s how to do that:

• Automate routine queries like tracking numbers or store hours.
• Program escalation triggers for complex issues requiring a human touch.
• Test and refine bot scripts regularly for clarity and accuracy.
• Combine bots and humans in workflows for a seamless experience.

6. Always secure customer data

You wouldn’t hand out customer information on a sticky note, so why be careless with SMS? Protecting sensitive data–like payment details and personal identifiers–isn’t just important; it’s a legal and ethical requirement.

For instance, Apple’s privacy-first philosophy is a prime example of how prioritizing data security can strengthen customer relationships. By focusing on encryption, minimizing data collection, and giving users control over their information, Apple has become a leader in earning customer trust. Take a page from their playbook to safeguard your SMS communications.

Here’s how to do it:

• Use SMS platforms with end-to-end encryption.
• Avoid sharing sensitive information (e.g., credit card numbers) via text.
• Require identity verification before disclosing account-related details.
• Regularly audit and update your data protection practices.

Pro Tip: Always verify customer identities before sharing account details. A simple “For your security, please confirm your zip code” goes a long way.

7. Promote your SMS support channel

Even the best SMS support system won’t do much if no one knows it exists. Customers need clear, consistent reminders that they can reach you via text. Visibility is key.

West Elm, a modern furniture and home décor retailer shows how effective promotion can boost engagement. 

By offering SMS sign-ups, customers receive exclusive style tips, alerts about major sales, and even appointment reminders for personalized services. This strategy has helped West Elm enhance customer interactions while maintaining strong opt-in rates.

Here are some of the tips for promotion:

• Add your SMS number to websites, receipts, and email signatures.
• Use social media to announce your SMS support option.
• Incorporate call-to-action messages like “Text us anytime!” in your campaigns.
• Create onboarding messages for new customers, introducing SMS support.

8. Gather feedback and learn

Want to know what’s working and what’s not? Just ask! SMS is perfect for quick, low-effort surveys that allow customers to share their opinions. When you listen and adapt, your support improves—and so does customer loyalty. 

LifeMoves, a leading California nonprofit supporting homeless individuals and families, used SMS-based marketing to improve client engagement and feedback collection. Traditional methods like emails and calls yielded low response rates, prompting them to adopt text messaging for communication. By using automated, personalized SMS, LifeMoves achieved higher engagement, real-time feedback, and streamlined communication. This approach allowed them to act on client insights promptly, enhancing their programs’ effectiveness and fostering stronger connections with their clients.

Here are some things to keep in mind while gathering customer feedback via text:

• Limit surveys to one or two concise questions.
• Use formats like “Rate your experience from 1–5” or “Reply YES if you’re satisfied.”
• Offer small incentives for completing surveys, like discounts or loyalty points.
• Act on feedback promptly and let customers know their input makes a difference.

Pro Tip: Keep it simple. A one-question survey like, “Was your issue resolved? Reply YES or NO,” gets higher response rates than a long-winded questionnaire.

How to implement text support?

So, if you’ve decided to implement SMS-based customer support, that’s a great choice—but it’s more complex than simply sending ‘Hey, need help?’ texts. To get it right, you need a plan.

Let’s walk through the steps to build an SMS support system that doesn’t just work but wows.

1. Choose the right SMS customer service platform

Before you send your first text, ensure you pick a platform that suits your needs perfectly. A good SMS platform goes beyond message delivery–it offers seamless integration, scalability, and in-depth analytics. 

What to ask when choosing a platform:

• Does it integrate with your existing CRM tools like HubSpot?
• Can it handle two-way messaging seamlessly?
• Does it offer automation features like scheduled texts or chatbots?
• Is it compliant with privacy laws like GDPR or TCPA?
• What’s the pricing model—pay-per-message or a flat rate?

When choosing the right SMS platform, look for easy integration with your current systems. Hiver, for example, integrates seamlessly with Gmail, HubSpot, or any other platform you use, allowing teams to manage SMS support effortlessly and keeping everything organized and efficient.

2. Build a subscriber list the right way

By building a list of opted-in customers, you can rest assured that you’re only contacting people who actually want to hear from you. When you get people to opt in with clear CTAs and provide them with something of value (exclusive content, discounts, etc.),you have a higher chance of an engaged audience. The result? Better open rates, improved customer relationships, and higher conversions. 

3. Craft clear and concise messages

Keep your messages short, sweet, and focused on delivering value. Every word should serve a purpose.

Tips for crafting great messages:

• Lead with action or key info (e.g., “Your refund is processed”).
• Include a clear CTA (Call to Action) like “Click here” or “Reply YES.”
• Keep it conversational—ditch the corporate jargon.

Example messages to inspire you:

• Order update: “Hi Alex, your Order #12345 has shipped! You can track it here: [link].”
• Support confirmation: “We’re on it, Sam! Expect a reply within 15 minutes. Text STOP to unsubscribe.”
• Promo offer: “Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Enjoy 20% off with code MIDWEEK20. Expires Friday!”

4. Train your team for SMS etiquette

Texting a customer is not the same as texting your best friend. Your team needs training on SMS etiquette to strike the right balance between friendly and professional.

• What this means: No emojis overload, no ALL CAPS messages, and definitely no typos.
• Pro tip: Create a cheat sheet of do’s and don’ts for your team to reference during live texting.

Sample SMS cheat-sheet (dos and don’ts):

5. Automate, but keep it human

Automation is a great time-saver, but relying on it too much can make interactions feel impersonal. Use automation for routine tasks—like sending order updates or FAQs—but know when to switch to human support. 

Striking the right balance is key, and that’s where tools like Hiver come in. With its WhatsApp integration, you can easily automate routine messages—like delivery updates—and ensure complex queries are routed to the right team member, all from Gmail. With real-time notifications and access to conversation history, you can provide efficient, personalized support without sacrificing the human touch.

Example: 

• “Your package is delayed due to weather” = Automation.
• “Can I reroute it to a different address?” = Human intervention.

6. Integrate with existing tools

SMS-based customer support doesn’t work in a silo. Ensure it’s fully integrated with the rest of your tools (CRM, helpdesk software, etc.). This ensures smooth data flow and seamless communication across your customer service channels.

Why Integration matters:

• It makes your job easier by keeping everything in one place.
• You’ll have access to customer history and data for quicker responses.
• Integration improves reporting and analytics, so you can track how well your SMS support is doing.

7. Monitor and optimize SMS performance

Tracking the performance of your SMS strategy is essential to ensure its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Metrics like delivery rates, response times, and customer satisfaction scores help you tweak and refine your approach.

What to track:

• Delivery rates (How many messages actually reach customers?)
• Open rates (Are your texts being read?)
• Conversion rates (Do customers take action after reading?)
• Response times (Are you replying fast enough?)

8. Stay compliant with privacy laws

Sending texts without consent can be intrusive and may lead to serious legal issues. Follow laws like GDPR, TCPA, and CAN-SPAM to ensure your messages are welcome and not intrusive.

• Quick Tip: Always include an opt-out option like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”

Examples of text message customer service

SMS isn’t just a quick way to get in touch with customers—it’s a powerful tool for resolving problems, answering questions, and making transactions smoother. Let’s look at some real-life situations where SMS shines:

• Answer a customer question: “What time does the store close?” A quick text response can save customers the hassle of searching a website or waiting for a call. Plus, it’s a chance to go the extra mile with personalized assistance.
• Troubleshoot a problem: Let’s say a customer is having trouble with their tech gadget. SMS allows you to send troubleshooting steps in real-time, guiding them through fixes without the need for a lengthy call or email thread.
• Resolve an order issue: A customer orders an item online, but there’s a delay. Rather than them scrambling for info, you can send them an SMS update with the new delivery time, showing them you’re on top of the situation.
• Provide a quote: When someone inquires about a service or product, send them a quick, clear quote through SMS. No email ping-pong—just a simple, fast response that gets straight to the point.
• Provide proactive updates: Customers love to stay informed. Whether it’s an update about a package shipment or a change in an appointment, sending SMS updates makes customers feel in control and valued.
• Request feedback: After resolving an issue, a simple SMS asking for feedback helps improve your service and shows customers you’re interested in their experience.
• Confirm appointments or bookings: Sending appointment confirmations or booking reminders via SMS keeps customers in the loop and minimizes no-shows.
• Offer special deals or promotions: Sending SMS alerts about exclusive sales or limited-time offers creates a sense of urgency, prompting customers to act fast.

Also read:A Guide to Customer Acquisition in 2025 [Strategies, Tools and More]

5 best SMS customer service software

When it comes to offering top-notch SMS customer support, having the right software is key. The right platform will make your interactions seamless, efficient, and personalized. Let’s take a look at five standout SMS customer service software that can help you level up your support game!

Challenges with text support and how to overcome them

As with any customer support channel, text support comes with its own set of challenges. But don’t worry—where there’s a challenge, there’s always a solution. Let’s break down some of the common issues and explain how to solve them so you can keep your SMS support running smoothly!

1. Managing high volume of messages

A flood of SMS messages is a good problem to have–it means customers are engaging with your business. However, if not managed efficiently, it can overwhelm your team.

• Solution: Automate routine queries, such as FAQs or delivery updates, and leverage chatbots to handle initial inquiries. In addition, use smart routing to assign conversations to the right team member based on expertise or workload. 
• How this helps: Automation reduces repetitive work, while routing ensures faster and more accurate responses. With tools like Hiver, you can automate FAQs and delivery updates and route complex queries to the right agent—all directly from Gmail.

2. Ensuring consistent quality of support

Different answers from different agents can frustrate customers and damage trust.

• Solution: Create clear response templates for common questions, give agents easy access to a shared knowledge base, and review interactions regularly to keep things consistent. Using a unified platform that shows the full conversation history ensures agents always have the context they need.
• How this helps: Templates ensure accurate, on-brand communication every time. With Hiver, you can save and share responses as templates with your team, making it easy to handle repetitive queries. Agents can access these templates in just a few clicks, ensuring faster resolutions and seamless communication.

3. Managing customer expectations for fast responses

Customers expect text support to be more immediate than other channels, which can sometimes be challenging.

• Solution: Set auto-replies to acknowledge messages and let customers know when to expect a response. During off-hours, include links to FAQs or a knowledge base for instant answers. Use CRM integrations to give agents quick access to customer history, ensuring they can resolve issues efficiently.
• How this helps: CRM tools centralize customer data, so agents can instantly reference past interactions, orders, and preferences. This reduces back-and-forth, speeds up resolutions, and shows customers their time is valued.

4. Limited context in conversations

Texts are inherently brief, sometimes leading to miscommunication or lack of detail in customer queries.

• Solution: Use templates to guide customers toward sharing essential details upfront, such as order numbers. Ask clarifying questions to fill in gaps and integrate your SMS platform with a CRM to access customer history. Train agents to interpret and address brief or vague queries effectively.
• How this helps: Templates help customers share relevant information upfront. Hiver’s CRM integrations pull customer history directly into Gmail, enabling personalized and contextual responses even in short conversations.

5. Tracking and measuring success

How do you know if your SMS support is working?

• Solution: Monitor key performance indicators like first-response time, resolution rate, and CSAT. Use analytics tools to gather actionable insights and conduct regular customer surveys to collect direct feedback. Share performance metrics with your team to foster continuous improvement.
• How this helps: Analytics reveal performance gaps, helping you refine your strategy. Hiver’s built-in analytics track key metrics effortlessly, giving you actionable insights.

6. Dealing with complex issues via SMS

SMS is great for quick fixes but not for complex issues.

• Solution: Use SMS for triage to gather basic details and escalate more complex cases to channels like email, phone, or live chat. Ensure seamless transitions across channels by using a unified platform that consolidates all communications. Train agents to handle transitions without losing context.
• How this helps: Triage gathers initial details to prepare for resolution on other channels. Unified platforms like Hiver consolidate multiple communication channels, ensuring smooth transitions across messaging, email, and chat, so customers never have to repeat themselves.

Personalized, proactive, and efficient: The power of text support

To sum up, SMS-based text support is a game-changer. By following best practices—like being proactive, personalizing messages, and keeping them concise—you can deliver faster, smoother service that keeps customers happy.

Offering text support means being where your customers are–on their phones. It’s all about delivering quick, effective support that’s both convenient and impactful.

If you’re looking to streamline and elevate your customer support experience, Hiver is the perfect solution. Its seamless WhatsApp integration into Gmail makes managing customer conversations simple and efficient. From automating routine responses to enabling personalized, real-time support with complete visibility, Hiver empowers your team to handle multi-channel communication effortlessly.

Ready to provide your customers with exceptional support? Get started with Hiver today, and elevate your text support strategy.

*87% of businesses*