An independent survey sponsored by GOCare highlights a clear preference: consumers value text messaging (SMS) for communication with their broadband service providers. The data reveals a significant opportunity for broadband companies to enhance customer satisfaction, streamline support, and improve engagement by embracing SMS as a primary communication channel.
The study is from a few years ago and we believe the SMS preferences shown here are even stronger today.
Key Findings from the Survey on SMS and Broadband
- Preference for Texting over Talking: 49% of consumers expressed a preference for texting their service provider over speaking to a person.
- Strong Willingness to Opt-In: 65% of broadband customer respondents indicated their willingness to opt into SMS-based communications from their providers. This aligns with an Attentive study from 2022 showing that 91% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands. In fact, in our deployments, GOCare customers have opt-in rates greater than 90%!
- Willingness to Opt-In Spans Demographics: no matter the age or location, opt-in willingness is shown from at least half of the survey groups. While younger and urban customers show the highest interest, even older and rural customers are open to SMS communication
- Texts Will Deflect Calls – 59% of those surveyed said that a SMS centric-customer care solution would result in them calling the broadband provider less often. Our customers typically see a 30-50% reduction and a 5-7x increase in engagement over digital channels (not just SMS); this reduces operational costs and boosts customer satisfaction.
The top alerts that respondents indicated they want are:
- Outage notifications
- Appointment reminders
- Billling information
- Paymnent confirmations
These findings highlight a clear opportunity for BSPs to enhance customer engagement by integrating SMS into their communication channels. For broadband service providers, this means that SMS is a viable and scalable communication channel across their entire subscriber base. It’s not just a tool for younger or tech-savvy users—broad adoption potential exists across the board.
Get your copy of the infographic here.
Broadband Providers Must Embrace SMS for Modern CX
Given these findings, broadband providers should integrate SMS into their communication and support strategies. The data clearly demonstrates that subscribers want to receive important communications via text.
By implementing SMS-based customer communication, broadband companies can:
- Improve customer satisfaction by meeting communication preferences.
- Reduce inbound call volumes and support costs.
- Increase engagement with billing reminders and service updates.
- Provide faster, more convenient customer support.
The message is clear: broadband service providers need to adopt SMS as a core part of their customer interaction strategy. The demand is there, and the technology is readily available—those who act now will gain a competitive advantage in customer experience and satisfaction.
For broadband providers looking to modernize their communication approach, investing in SMS isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity. GOCare can help.
Book a demo with our team today.
VP, Marketing & Partners
Kevin is a second-generation telecommunications employee. It’s the industry he knows and loves, having served in various marketing and analyst roles across leading companies for nearly 3o years.