It started in 1967 as a novelty. AT&T’s “toll free numbers” were an easy way for businesses to connect with customers, and customers quickly got on board. 1-800 became the must-have service tool for companies. Call volumes soared, and the number of call centers exploded.

Fast forward to 2007. Phones got smart, customers went mobile, and the way everyone has conversations changed for good.

1-800 meets a new connected, mobile world.

Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones.1 And how people use their phones has changed dramatically. Voice conversations are no longer the primary way that people communicate — messaging is. In fact, Americans text twice as much as they call, on average,2 with 97% of them mobile texting at least once a day.3 And 18.7 billion texts are sent every day.4

Today’s ultra-connected customers have changed the way they communicate with brands, too. They want to connect with companies on their terms, in the channel of their choice. And they certainly don’t have the patience to call a 1-800 number to talk, or be put on hold, anymore.

Say goodbye to “hold, please” and hello to intelligent service.

What if you could transform your 1-800 number the same way consumers have transformed their phones, from devices for voice calls to one for mostly messaging?  Now you can. With Salesforce LiveMessage, you can turn on live two-way messaging directly through your existing 1-800 number.

If your company is like most others trying to deliver effective omni-channel service, messaging is the critical missing piece of the equation. Sure, plenty of companies claim to offer two-way messaging, but this is really just sending one-way notifications that customers can respond to with only “yes” or “no.”

But with LiveMessage, your customers can actually have true, instant live messaging. They can initiate a service conversation by messaging your 1-800 number, and you can empower your agents to message back — and continue on the same messaging channel until the case is resolved.

Why Salesforce LiveMessage is your next business game changer.

We message our friends and family 90% of the time, so why should we still expect customers to call a voice-only 1-800 number 90% of the time?  We shouldn’t, and here’s why:

• More meaningful conversations — With messaging, agents can have instant, 1-to-1 conversations with customers, while using the language they use every day, even emojis. And with 92% of consumers using emoji’s,5 it opens up a whole new way to forge deeper connections.

• Immediate access — Today’s consumers  aren’t used to waiting. In fact online consumers have been shown to wait no more that 76 seconds before they leave a site.6 With messaging, they can initiate a conversation whenever and wherever they need to.

• Higher productivity — Customer service agents can handle up to seven messaging conversations in the same time it takes to handle one phone call, so your team can handle more cases, without adding more agents.

• Lower costs — The bottom line? You can reduce voice call volume by up to 30% with messaging, with an average 75% cost reduction over voice.

How messaging is changing service — and touching customers’ lives.

Turning on messaging through your 1-800 number will completely change the way customers interact with your company, and your agents. And companies like yours are already reaping the benefits.

LiveMessage added up to more productive agents and higher ROI for National Cash Register Corporation (NCR). They integrated LiveMessage into their latest product, NCR Silver point-ofsale system. Now NCR agents can have immediate, personal two-way conversations with customers. The results? They reduced case resolution time by 19.6 hours, and gained 218% volume growth — with zeo added staff.

And Wendy’s now includes a 1-800 number on every bag of food that customers can text. Last summer, one couple texted the number after realizing that their order was wrong, but were already too far from the drive-through to turn back. (One of them was very ill and they were driving home from treatment.) A service agent was able to contact a restaurant along their route, and message the couple to tell them where to pick up the new order. 

The message is clear. When customers are free to initiate service conversations whenever and wherever they need to, agents are empowered to solve problems in real time, so everyone wins. Companies deliver service more efficiently and effectively. And as with Wendy’s, customers can use the power of texting to turn a mistake into a truly memorable service experience.

The 1-800 game has changed, and now is the time to win the next competitive advantage with the power of Salesforce LiveMessage.

1Time Magazine, More people have cell phones than toilets. March 25, 2013: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/25/more-people-have-cell-phones-than-toilets-u-n-study-shows/

2Text Request U.S. Texting Statistics #13 May 24, 2016 : https://www.textrequest.com/blog/texting-statistics-answer-questions/

3OneReach General Texting Statistics, September 10, 2015: https://onereach.com/blog/45-texting-statistics-that-prove-businesses-need-to-start-taking-sms-seriously/

4Text Request U.S. Texting Statistics #13 May 24, 2016 : https://www.textrequest.com/blog/texting-statistics-answer-questions/

5Adweek Report 92% of Online Consumers use Emoji: http://www.adweek.com/digital/report-92-of-online-consumers-use-emoji-infographic/

6LIVEPERSON Gone in 76 seconds — The Window of Customer Loyalty, November 19, 2013: https://www.liveperson.com/connected-customer/posts/gone-76-seconds-window-customer-loyalty