Communication is a key component of the sales process, yet many companies are using a disparate range of messaging platforms — consumer-grade messaging platforms that can pose a serious risk when it comes to regulatory compliance and record keeping laws. But with the proper messaging technology, you can empower your company’s sales team, streamlining communications and giving them the power to increase sales.
The Challenges With Consumer-Grade Messaging Apps
Consumer-grade messaging apps abound, many business leaders may find that they lack control over their company’s messaging practices and — even more potentially problematic — their messaging platform. This brings a number of threats and vulnerabilities to a company’s risk management landscape. And this says nothing of the way that disparate messaging apps adversely impact communications with both clients and colleagues. But the right technology can be tremendously transformative for a business.
WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal are examples of instant messaging apps designed for the average Joe and as such, they lack the tools and capabilities that are essential for business communications. For instance, each user account is controlled in full by the user. Your company has no moderation capabilities, which presents a challenge from a human resources and inclusion perspective. Users may also use these messaging apps for personal communications, which poses a security threat since an employee could accidentally send sensitive business information to a personal contact.
Messaging data is also fully controlled by the user, which means that a company could lose access to essential business information once an employee moves on and into the next phase of their career. These messaging apps also limit the amount of time they retain messaging data. Critical data may be purged in a mere matter of weeks. What’s more, most of these platforms lack real-time export capabilities, making it challenging to preserve potentially-important messaging data.
Consumer-grade messaging apps can also make it difficult to comply with record keeping laws and regulations. In fact, nearly a dozen banks were recently fined a combined $1.8 billion dollars by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). These banks were using unapproved messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and iMessage to communicate with clients, resulting in an inability to comply with record keeping laws.
Instant messaging apps designed for business use — such as SayHey Messenger® — feature auditing and reporting tools, along with real-time message data export capabilities. These features are essential for reporting for regulatory compliance and for effective data management, amongst other purposes. An admin panel affords companies an ability to manage their users and their activities on the app. This simply isn’t possible on a consumer-based messaging platform.
Using Business Messaging Apps to Drive Sales
An instant messaging app designed specifically for business communications holds the power to increase sales and drive engagement. Your sales team will be free to communicate with clients when using a regulatory compliance-friendly app that allows for messaging data audits and exports. This critical data can be easily preserved, allowing for compliance with record keeping laws and other regulations. Important business data is securely preserved, with data easily accessible whenever the need arises.
Enterprise messaging platforms can bolster internal communications amongst sales team members and other colleagues. But there’s also the matter of external communications and for sales professionals, the ability to communicate with clients. A typical client isn’t going to want to install an app just so they can communicate with a salesman; they’re going to prefer a text message. SayHey Messenger® has a unique external SMS messaging feature that sales professionals can leverage to communicate with clients and prospects. There’s no need for a client to install an app or log into a web portal. Sales team members can simply use the external messaging feature to communicate with clients via SMS text message. It’s all included in a user-friendly interface where messages are centralized since they can also communicate with fellow sales team members and colleagues.
By streamlining communications and meeting the client where they are, sales professionals are empowered with the instant messaging tools that they need to succeed and boost sales. It’s a competitive business world and efficient, intuitive communication tools are essential for success.
Promoting Engagement and Better Inter-Company Communications
It is not uncommon to have multiple messaging apps in use within a company. This impedes communications amongst colleagues and that says nothing of the aforementioned challenges. Deploying an official business messaging app improves communications company-wide, including amongst sales team members.
With a single, centralized communications channel, users can connect one-on-one or in group chat threads. There’s no need to toggle between apps in an attempt to connect with a colleague. A company with an “official” business messaging app also allows for the moderation and oversight that’s essential for maintaining a productive, inclusive communication channel.
Sales team members are far more likely to communicate and collaborate when they have the right tools in-hand. An intuitive, user-friendly messaging app drives communications, especially when you consider how instant messaging aligns with how we naturally communicate — in short bursts rather than long missives as in the case of an email. More frequent communications will lead sales team members to feel as though they’re truly part of a unified team. This improves morale, which, in turn, boosts sales and overall performance. Group messaging threads provide colleagues with a great channel for exchanging tips and advice and this too holds the power to increase sales.
Engagement and collaboration are a natural result of effective communication.
Tools designed to streamline communications can be very effective in improving performance. This is what makes instant messaging apps so effective in driving sales and improving sales team dynamics. SayHey Messenger® was designed with business in mind so the platform has all the features and tools that a sales team needs to communicate effectively.
Minimizing Risk With a Business Messaging App
It’s clear the instant messaging represents a key area of concern in the risk management landscape. Many of these risks can be mitigated with the deployment of an instant messaging mobile app and desktop platform that’s specifically designed for business communications. That is precisely what SayHey Messenger® is designed to do.
SayHey Messenger® is a unique and regulatory-compliant business instant messaging platform that solves many of the challenges that companies face when it comes to communication. The team at 7T developed SayHey Messenger® as a method for patching the holes in your company’s messaging situation.
The SayHey Messenger® app features:
- Data sovereignty for control and ownership of all messaging data;
- Fully compliant instant messaging for regulated businesses;
- Seamlessly integrates into existing company software platforms;
- Admin portal for moderation, auditing, and inclusivity;
- SayHey Spaces for company-wide broadcasts and team collaborations;
- Engaging, intuitive user interface for incredible adoption rates;
- Send compliant SMS messages to external users with full data retention; and
- Custom UI with your logo, colors and branding elements for a style that’s all yours.
SayHey Messenger® offers two deployments: a SayHey Messenger® Business deployment with a mobile app platform (for iOS and Android) and web app portal. There’s also SayHey Messenger® Enterprise deployments, which entail storing all messaging data in the client’s private cloud environment and the platform is fully integrated within the client’s existing software platforms, including mobile applications. This allows users to access their instant messages without leaving the screen, leading to greater productivity, higher user adoption rates and better efficiency.
Consider using SayHey Messenger® as your business messaging platform. And the best part? We can deploy this business messaging solution in a matter of days. Contact us today to learn more about SayHey Messenger®.
