In an era when most people ignore phone calls, let emails pile up, and act as if print doesn’t exist, text messaging (or SMS) reigns supreme as the single most reliable way to ensure your communications are not only seen but acted on.
HR teams worldwide are investing in mass SMS tools with high hopes of engaging more employees with crucial and timely messaging about everything from benefits enrollment to inclement weather.
If you’re thinking about adding mass texting to your company’s employee communication toolbox, this is where you get started.
Below, you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions about employee SMS and other forms of text messaging, drawn from our years of experience and expertise as pioneers in the employee texting space.
We’ve broken these questions down into four major categories:
- The business case for mass texting
- Regulatory requirements
- Best practices to ensure your messages break through the noise
- Choosing the right employee SMS technology
Does Employee SMS Make Business Sense?
As budgets tighten and benefit costs balloon, the ROI of any business tool is top-of-mind for nearly every HR team. You simply can’t waste your valuable resources on solutions that fail to carry their own weight.
1. How Effective Is Mass Texting Compared to Other Communication Methods?
You probably have many people in your life who respond to text messages much faster than email or phone calls. You may be such a person! The fact is, text messaging is one of the most popular — beloved, even — communication methods for people across nearly every demographic group.
The data is irrefutable:
- 97% of Americans own a cell phone, and 85% keep their phones within arm’s reach most of the time.
- Mass-texting open rates (meaning people reading your messages) are 98% — compared to just 20% for email; 90% of people open a text within three minutes of receiving it.
- 80% of people say texting is the most important thing they do on their phone all day, beating out social media, email, and online shopping.
2. How Does Mass Texting Improve Employee Engagement?
Text messages are short, immediate, and tend to vault ahead of other messages and distractions. (Generally, if you receive a text, you open it then and there.) As a result, employees are more likely to consume the entire message and, if necessary, take action than they would an email or other communication form.
3. Can Mass Texting Be Integrated With Other Communication Tools to Enhance Its Effectiveness?
Mass texting is massively effective but it should not stand alone. A holistic, multichannel communication strategy is always the best way to reach the most employees.
Because SMS messages are short, they’re very good for urgent reminders or steering employees toward more in-depth content (such as explainer videos) using links.
4. What Factors Influence Mass Texting’s ROI?
Employee SMS pays for itself — and then some — in at least two ways:
- Time saved. Mass texting reduces the constant, frustrating cycle of emailing, following up, scheduling meetings, and rounding up stragglers every time you have an urgent message, such as an open enrollment deadline. It can also save you and your team from answering the same questions over and over again, such as, “Do we have to come in tomorrow if there’s a snowstorm?”
- Increased engagement. As stated above, text messages tend to spur immediate consumption and action. If you want employees to do, learn, or remember something, texting is your go-to communication channel.
What Laws and Regulations Must Be Followed When Mass Texting Employees?
While most people prefer texting over other outreach channels, people also protect their privacy and time when it comes to their mobile devices. In response to these concerns, regulatory bodies have imposed a number of rules regarding how and when organizations may conduct mass texting.
5. Is Mass Texting Legal for HR Communications?
Yes! However, you can’t simply hit “send” and hope for the best. To avoid costly fines and irate employees, you must be aware of the federal regulations that apply to nearly any use of automated texting systems.
6. What Regulations Govern the Use of Mass Texting in the Workplace?
The most relevant federal regulations governing employee SMS come from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which was passed way back in 1991. Texting barely existed then, but the TCPA is generally understood to apply to SMS and voice calls.
In general terms, the TCPA dictates that automated systems may not be used to contact any cellular user without the user’s consent. The concept of consent is critical to understanding federal texting regulations. It can mean:
- Implied consent. The context of a relationship (such as the relationship between employer and employee) or the type of messaging implies consent to receive the message.
- Prior express consent. The recipient has explicitly agreed to receive your text messages.
- Emergency purposes. The emergency nature of the message supersedes the need for prior consent. (Technically, this is a form of implied consent.)
Follow this link for a deeper dive into TCPA texting terminology and regulations.
Because employee SMS often involves sensitive information related to healthcare, HIPAA privacy regulations also come into play. These rules require you to treat employees’ private health data with the utmost confidentiality.
7. How Can Your Organization Ensure Compliance With Consent and Data Privacy Regulations?
In general, the relationship between employers and employees implies consent — though it is always a good idea to secure employees’ permission to text them. (For example, you can do this via a web form during the onboarding process.)
You must also provide a clear and straightforward method for employees to indicate they no longer wish to receive text messages, such as texting “stop” to opt-out. Also, be sure to regularly purge your list of employees who no longer work for your company.
As for HIPAA, the simplest way to ensure data privacy is to work with a third-party employee SMS provider certified by HITRUST or other trusted certification body for responsible data management practices.
What Are the Most Effective Strategies for Texting Employees?
An employee SMS tool is only as good as the manner in which you use it. Texting employees haphazardly with no plan or crafting will rarely generate the results you’re looking for.
8. What Are the Best Practices for Creating Effective Text Messages?
The best way to think about employee text messaging is to think about the kind of text messages you like receiving: short, readable, with clear next steps, and not too often.
SMS is not meant for lengthy screeds (although it is terrific for linking to additional content elsewhere). Marketing experts recommend message lengths of no more than 300 characters — and the fewer, the better.
Timing is important, too. Avoid sending messages late at night, early in the morning, or during commute hours when many of your employees may be behind the wheel.
Most of all, use employee texting judiciously. For the time being, text messaging enjoys a fairly positive reputation (especially compared to email, which everyone hates), but that might change quickly if you bombard your employees with constant unnecessary messaging. Save your mass texting for the important stuff.
9. How Do You Write Clear, Concise, and Actionable Text Messages?
Take a page from the journalism world and lead with the most essential information. Keep in mind that most recipients will view a short preview of your text before reading the entire text, so the first few words matter.
- Instead of: “The forecast is predicting inclement weather tomorrow. Plan on working remotely.”
- Try: “Remote work day tomorrow due to expected bad weather.”
Text messages shouldn’t feel passive. After all, in most people’s everyday lives, texting goes two ways. Be sure to include the option to reply if employees have questions and, if possible, an action employees can take, such as opening a landing page or completing a short survey.
How Do You Choose SMS Technology?
Unless your workplace is extremely small, you’ll need more than a cell phone to text large employee groups properly (and to ensure compliance with all data privacy and consent regulations). Several mass texting tools are available, with varying complexity, capability, and cost. Which should you choose for your organization?
10. What Features Should You Look for in a Mass Texting Tool?
Plenty of general-use mass texting tools exist, but if you plan to use your texting tool primarily for HR communications, you should first consider tools built specifically for HR teams.
If you’re like most busy HR professionals, you don’t have much time to master a confusing new software package, so ease of use is a priority. Your mass texting tool should be intuitive enough that you can begin sending messages within hours of registering your account.
But that doesn’t mean your texting tool should be underpowered. Look for features that will magnify the reach and effectiveness of your employee communication campaigns, such as:
- The ability to segment audiences and send targeted messages.
- Text scheduling.
- Reply and respond abilities.
- Multichannel messaging that goes beyond SMS, including multimedia messaging (MMS), email, ringless voicemail (IVR), and two-way messaging.
- Short codes and clean IP addresses that help boost deliverability by preventing mobile carriers from blocking your messages.
11. What Is the Cost of Implementing Employee SMS?
Pricing models for mass texting platforms generally follow a pay-per-message or subscription model. The best model for your needs depends on your budget and how often you plan on texting. We highly recommend shopping around and comparing features and pricing before choosing a mass texting tool.
12. Can You Try a Mass Texting Tool Before Buying?
Absolutely! In fact, just click here to schedule a 30-minute demo of Flimp Connect, a powerful, easy-to-use, HIPAA-compliant mass texting tool built for HR teams.