Sending Automated Text Messages For Your Company
Managing a group of coworkers is getting more and more difficult, with out-of-office work becoming more common. It can be hard to keep track of where everyone is and why, and that makes it harder to nail down your own place in the company. While before you could call everyone together for a meeting, nowadays, you need to be able to track everyone down if you want to get your message across.
Automated tools are a big help these days, as they let you get time-sensitive tasks out of the way before they actually need to happen. Chief among these is automatic messaging, which is a great way to make sure information is disseminated to the right people at the right times. There are a number of different ways you can send automated messages depending on your mobile device.
Sending Automated Messages
Sending an automated message on your phone is a relatively simple process for most smartphone devices. That being said, you have to do it differently depending on whether you use iOS or Android as your operating system. iOS has this ability integrated into the base model, while Android requires you to employ third-party services for the same effect.
Sending Automated Messages on iPhone
To send an automated message on your iPhone, follow these steps:
Go to your shortcuts app. This app comes with all iOS devices by default, so you should see it among your existing applications.
Select ‘automation’ from this screen.
Click ‘Add icon,’ then select ‘create personal automation.’
You will be taken to a menu where you can select the prompt of your choice for your automated message.
Input the time of day you want your message to be sent, then indicate how much you want it to repeat and when.
On the next menu, click ‘send message.’
Choose which recipients you want to receive the message.
Choose what you want the body of your message to be.
Follow the prompts until your automation is complete.
When you go through this process, your message will repeatedly be sent automatically as long as you set it to do so. If you want to send a group text, it is important to note that the iPhone caps out at nine recipients for a single text thread.
Third-party software is available on the Apple store if you want to go beyond what the automation feature on your iPhone can accomplish.
Sending Automated Messages on Android
Unlike Apple phones, Android devices do not have a built-in method of sending out automatic text messages. This means that if you want to schedule texts to send at a certain time, you need to use third-party applications.
One popular application is Textra, which allows you to send automatic instant messages on a schedule of your choosing. However, Textra does come with advertisements if you do not buy an ad-free version.
The app also does not notify you when it sends your message, so you need to make sure you stay on top of your schedule. Apps like these are best used casually, as they are not usually suited for a business setting.
Best Automated Message Services for Your Business
Dialed
SMS Scheduler
Textra
Textedly
Android users are going to want to use third-party software for their automated messages. Here are some of the best options available on Android as of 2022.
Dialed
The premier automated messaging service on the market is Dialed. With the Dialed app, you can access a business phone number with marketing and contact management features that can streamline your project management needs. Some of these features include an award-winning spam and robocall blocker, as well as the ability to set office hours to help you separate your personal life from your business needs.
Of course, Dialed makes this list because of the ability to send broadcast messages from your business number. Dialed offers a simple, streamlined process for mass SMS communications with your customers, allowing you to blast messages to labeled groups or to individually selected contacts for your marketing and customer service needs.
Even better, Dialed offers a way to automatically reply to texts when you’re unable to respond, ensuring you don’t leave important messages on read.
SMS Scheduler
SMS Scheduler is a popular app that allows you to send timed messages to multiple recipients from your contact list. The application offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to the number of recipients.
Notably, however, there is not a repeat function in the SMS scheduler, meaning that you need to make each time a message is sent a separate event on your phone.
Textra
As discussed earlier, Textra is a fantastic option for people who want flexibility in their SMS scheduling service. As discussed before, the biggest issue with Textra is the fact that its ad-free version is only accessible if you pay for a higher tier.
Textra is a very feature-heavy option, but the price barrier is a tough one to hurdle when there are multiple free message scheduling applications on the market at any given time.
Textedly
Moving into a higher tier of message scheduling apps is Textedly, which is a full-on subscription service that you can tie to your phone. Like Textra, this service is not free; however, what sets it apart is the fact that Textedly is a professional service made specifically for businesses.
Texted allows you to send messages to up to 10,000 recipients, dwarfing anything you can do on a base OS no matter what phone you use. You can, of course, schedule messages as well, making this a very all-encompassing tool for those who want to use this feature for their business. Texted offers a 14-day free trial for people who want to try out the service.
Conclusion
A great way to utilize these automated texting services is by pairing them with Dialed. Dialed is a service that allows you to fully manage your work-life separately from your home life. Dialed provides you with a work phone number and the ability to set office hours, letting you keep your work at work without having to purchase a second phone.
Dialed also gives you the ability to fully manage your contact list, categorizing and separating your contacts based on their role in the company. This makes sending automated messages easier than ever, as Dialed helps you make sure your messages are going to the right people.
Being able to send mass messages is a fantastic way to keep your team together. Use tools like Dialed to make sure that distance is not getting in the way of your company’s growth.
Sources:
How to Schedule a Text Message on iPhone | iPhone Life
SMS Scheduler | Google Play Store
SMS Marketing Prices: Easy, Low Cost SMS Marketing Plans | Textedly
