92% of consumers are more likely to respond to text messages

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A new study reveals that SMS remains the most used business messaging channel by consumers, far outpacing newer communication channels such as social media.

Esendex, a business communications provider, surveyed 6,000 consumers globally, including 500 in France, to understand behaviours, levels of engagement and trust, as well as communication channel preferences.

SMS and E-MAIL at the top of the French people's preferred communication channels
8% of respondents said they were very likely to ignore an SMS message from a business or service, compared to 7.8% for email, while just under a third (28.2%) said they would ignore a message from social media.

SMS and email are much less ignored than phone calls (13%), letters (16%), WhatsApp (27%).

The French prefer SMS to manage their appointments and reservations
When studying user interactions with SMS, 85% of them indicated that they used automated reminders for restaurant reservations or medical appointments.

Nearly half of respondents indicated that they prefer SMS for ivory coast whatsapp list reminders, followed by email at 20%. Additionally, it is noted that around 43% of people aged 18-34 prefer to receive appointment reminders via SMS, while 10% prefer WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, just over half (51%) of 18-24 year olds said that rich content in a text or WhatsApp message would make them more likely to engage with an organisation, compared to just 38% of those aged 54 and over.

“In a competitive market, businesses need to ensure they are using the right channels to target customers to maximise engagement. It’s been three decades since the first SMS was sent, but as our research shows, SMS remains the preferred communication channel for consumers. Ease, speed and accessibility are all reasons for this. An SMS message naturally enables two-way communication between a business and its customers, strengthening the relationship over time. While other channels remain valuable ways to communicate with customers, each with their own benefits, this research proves that SMS is here to stay,” said Richard Hanscott, CEO at Esendex.