Texting came into our lives with the advent of cellular phones over two decades ago. It remained a convenient way to communicate between friends, family, and acquaintances for quite a while. Over a period of time, however, businesses began to uncover the benefits of simpler and faster communication through instant messaging. Mass messaging became the first real deployment of texting by businesses. Today, texting is the preferred way of communication for businesses due to a variety of customer engagement options, from marketing to customer support. In addition, with collaborative Telephone numbers in USA work across geographies becoming a reality, messaging has become a tremendous enabling tool for internal communication as well. Texting in business environments has many benefits. Before diving deeper into how to drive professionalism in this space, let us review these advantages. Benefits of business texting Some merits may be seen as common knowledge and are often taken for granted in today’s connected world. Yet some businesses still do not have a policy around the use of instant messaging in their communication model. It is crucial that businesses implement some guidelines before they adopt texting: Always available Texting is not necessarily dependent on an active Internet connection. Hence, it is always available for both the team members as well as customers. Customer experience Speed and personal touch are both inherent to texting, and they both convey a sense of professionalism. The sense of personal touch brings a sense of being looked after. Recipients, including customers, tend to read and respond to messages faster than emails. Speed translates into responsiveness and adds to a better experience for sure. Privacy Texts are more likely to be delivered to the recipient only. And there are a plethora of situations where privacy matters, such as when sending an OTP, or when banks send you an update on your account. Texting becomes the preferred choice of communication in many such instances. Ease of use Some forms of communication are not age-friendly. For example, a section of the population may find the use of email rather difficult or effort-intensive On the other hand, texts are basic. With the advent of voice-to-text and vice versa, this mode of communication has become easier than ever. Low on costs Texting is inexpensive. For all the benefits it offers and the costs at which it comes, the value proposition of business texting becomes rather alluring. While reviewing the benefits, it is also pertinent to note that the form and flavor of messaging in professional environments are very different from personal messages. This is why it is essential to know and implement the right texting ways. Else, it is easy to flounder on the basic etiquettes that are so important. Incorrectly drafted messages can be annoying for the recipient and could even be misinterpreted. And all this may actually be happening unintentionally without the sender ever realising the errors in following the basic etiquettes. Let us look at the proven rules of etiquette, the best practices, and also some common errors that should never creep into a business text. Rules for professional etiquette The rules are relatively straightforward and simple. Most of these fall into one of the two buckets – things to do, and things to avoid. The rules and tips compiled below are not in any order of priority; each of them is important. Be sure that texting is appropriate Remember that texting is not the go-to mode of communication for everything and every time, especially with customers. It is suitable USA Phone Number List for short updates, time-bound messages, or crisp text-based information. Texting is an absolute no for conversations or discussions, sharing of confidential information or even sharing big news. Before initiating a business text, it may be a good idea to evaluate whether a phone call or an email would be a better way to communicate the information. After all, each mode of communication has its benefits. While this is a subjective topic, viewing it from a customer’s perspective can help. Seek permission Asking for consent from a customer Best Database Provider is considered polite. Permission opens the door for a healthy conversation. Keep in mind that messaging without consent is considered spamming. Many countries around the world have regulations and frameworks to protect their citizens from unwarranted messages flooding their inboxes. Hence, it is also a legal obligation to seek consent. Such consent can range from a customer sharing his number to receive information to explicit written consent. When in doubt, seek guidance from the manager or advice from your legal counsel.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a massive strain on healthcare organisations across the globe. Patients or not, people were concerned about the availability of professional help and medical resources. The panic led to an influx in inbound queries, which, coupled with social distancing and lockdown norms, became quite the challenge for customer support agents working in the healthcare industry. To successfully cater to people’s queries and concerns, healthcare organisations had to shift their support operations to a virtual contact centre. What are virtual contact centres? A virtual contact centre is a solution that allows customer service representatives to operate from different locations, as opposed to working from a single site. Since it runs over the Internet, a virtual contact centre allows agents to work remotely and handle customer issues via multiple channels Best Database Provider like phone, chat, email, etc. Working in a virtual environment ensures safety, increased agents’ productivity, and elevated customer satisfaction levels. Patients no longer want to wait in lines for medical processes such as booking appointments, collecting their diagnostic reports, and so on; they expect robust and contactless methods of instant care. This is where virtual contact centres come into the picture—they help healthcare service providers offer quick and seamless services. Moreover, these contact centres UAE Phone Number List allow healthcare institutions to be there for their clients much after billing. Patients can receive post-treatment medical care like contactless medicines, online appointments, and teleconsultations. So, without further ado, let’s understand how a virtual contact centre helps healthcare providers communicate with their patients effectively. Tips for virtual contact centres in the healthcare industry Virtual contact centres can be tweaked to cater to the needs of various industries. Some tips that virtual contact centres in the healthcare industry can follow are: Implementation of new workflow processes to prioritise COVID-19 emergency calls over other medical inquiries Introduction of COVID-19 related scripts to accurately route medical questions to relevant departments Allowing agents to handle increased call volume and collaborate with other departments with the help of cloud-powered tools Making agents aware of their key Telephone numbers in UAE performance metrics to enhance their performance Development of an internal website that query resolution with the help of chatbots and frequently asked questions Challenges for the healthcare industry Healthcare organisations face different challenges every day. From the lack of adequate medical equipment and a weakened workforce to emergency cases, new curveballs in the form of new variants—there’s much for them to tackle.