Finding Business Success with CTM’s Text Messaging Software
Michael Barnett never planned on founding a company built on CallTrackingMetrics’ software. But when COVID-19 hit, Michael and his company, Bipath, decided to pivot and build ContactCloud, a fast-growing omnichannel communications company, with a major focus on automating communication channels. While offering integration and strategy services, Michael found his clients are often looking for one feature in particular: Text messaging.
That’s why ContactCloud doesn’t just integrate and implement CTM’s software suite into a client’s existing system, but it also guides companies with a hands-on approach to building out a robust text messaging solution for better marketing campaigns and customer follow-ups.
The result? A growing white label company that’s leveraging CTM’s software suite to revolutionize client business’ marketing strategies.
Why Should Companies Use Text Messaging to Connect with Customers?
With over 40% of consumers preferring to start a conversation with a company via text, it’s no surprise companies want a robust SMS marketing solution. Text messaging can increase conversions by up to 328% after three or more follow-up texts, and a follow-up text after the first conversion (prompted by FormReactor software) can boost conversion rates by 112%.
Text message marketing is inexpensive and effective, but correct usage and strategy can prove a little harder to master. This is why Michael’s intimate knowledge of CTM’s software capabilities, coupled with a team of resourceful developers and dedicated support staff, has enabled ContactCloud to grow significantly over the past year, with hundreds of thousands of text messages sent out by client businesses per month.
And if you ask Michael, this is just the start.
Michael Barnett and His Search for Call Tracking Software
Michael Barnett’s intention was never to start yet another company. He had already founded multiple businesses, and his only goal when he discovered CallTrackingMetrics more than three years ago was to find a contact center call tracking solution with the right features and an open API to integrate into his Lendspark commercial lending software. Call tracking and text messaging systems would function as a bonus feature for clients.
Michael first spoke with CTM’s Sales Engineer, Jason, where he discovered that CTM’s software not only had an open API (which was non-negotiable for Michael) but was a “mature company with a startup mentality,” ready to answer his nitty-gritty developer questions. His next discussion with Bob Graw, Director of IT, convinced Michael to give CTM a three-month trial run to see how well it performedI. During that time, he discovered that CTM, as a company, worked in the same way as his own team: With dedicated attention, flexibility, and agility. When the three-month period was up, Bipath adopted CTM and, together, they were able to successfully roll out the CTM product to Bipath and even integrate the product to some of Bipath’s early customers CRM systems.
Bipath offered call tracking as a feature for nearly two years before COVID-19 disrupted funding. That was when Michael came up with the idea of selling CTM as a separate product, building on a model similar to international call tracking successes like Israel’s CallBox. What he realized was that “it could be big for us.”
Creating ContactCloud
A little over a year later, Michael’s idea is a reality. His new business, ContactCloud, is an omnichannel cloud contact center that not only offers the original CTM software, but a robust package of software integrations as a service, and (of course) text messaging.
“We offer an intimate, hands-on customer service experience,” says Michael when describing ContactCloud’s value to customers. “We figure out and implement everything, which is the value and selling point.” After all, he continued, “Anybody can build an SMS marketing platform, but not everyone can provide service at ContactCloud’s level.”
Since its start 14 months ago, ContactCloud and CallTrackingMetrics have worked together closely, bringing Michael’s clients dependable software and SMS marketing with ever-evolving integrations, updates, and features.
Reasons Why Customers Want to Use Text Messaging in their Marketing – And the Mistakes They Make
When selling to clients, Michael says that text messaging sells itself.
“Nine times out of ten, we don’t have to sell itーeveryone wants it and they’ve already bought in.”
However, the success of a company’s text messaging campaigns depends on its forethought and team bandwidth.
A major problem Michael has seen companies face is lackluster customer support. “Anybody can build an SMS marketing platform,” says Michael, “but not everyone can provide the service.”
One issue he sees frequently is companies sending out large text message campaigns to attract immediate sales, but not preparing for the influx of customer responses. In other words, no one is available to answer the texts customers send to take advantage of a sale, which in turn increases customer dissatisfaction.
Michael’s solution? Send out smaller campaigns to segments and be hands-on in checking and dealing with customer responses. Rather than sending out a text to 30,000 or 40,000 customers and being overwhelmed by “a couple hundred responses that trickle in through the rest of the day,” ContactCloud recommends its customers to send small, segmented campaigns and prepare to check for (and answer) all replies.
Text messaging is not going away, but for companies to leverage text message marketing requires a thoughtful strategy, a strong support team, and a software suite capable of accurately sending out, receiving and tracking text messages.
The Future of ContactCloud and CTM
ContactCloud may have started as a pandemic project, but Michael has no intention of slowing its growth.
“This started as a side project. We then validated the side project, and realized it makes money,” Michael said. ContactCloud is now pursuing a growth trajectory. Its dedicated team has already grown significantly in the past year and is poised for further development.
According to Michael, “By this time next year, we think we can 10x our growth.”
In 2022, ContactCloud aims to 10x its revenue by:
- Investing heavily in its marketing efforts
- Hiring additional staff for its support and development teams
- Focusing on driving its managed automations business (Flows) which is a feeder for its ContactCloud product
They’re looking forward to service-driven growth with CTM’s evolving software and team collaboration as its foundation.
Bring Effective Text Message Marketing to Your Business
Your business can use text message marketing to reach customers faster, drive sales, and reach new levels of engagement by meeting customers where they are – in their DMs. If you want to hear more from Michael about the effectiveness of text messaging in reaching customers, you can watch this session from CTM’s Launchpad Summit 2021.
All of CTM’s plansーPerformance, Growth, Connect, and Enterpriseーoffer text messaging solutions so you can text your customers and track their responses from multiple platforms.
Talk to a CTM Account Executive today to figure out which plan will work best for you and your business.
Check out our plans and sign up directly for your best fit, or schedule a meeting with an Account Executive to learn how adding text messaging and call tracking to your marketing strategy can support your business growth and bring you higher ROI.