How to Use Customer Service and Marketing Numbers

Overview

Shout offers two types of texting numbers – customer service and marketing. These enable communication with your customers and team while keeping your personal phone number private. 

How Do I Use a Customer Service Number?

This is a local number based on your location. Many customers like seeing your local area code because they’re supporting a local business. This number is best for all things related to customer service. Examples include:

• Orders

• Follow-ups 

• Schedule appointments

• General customer service conversations 

• Tell your contacts to save this as your new business number so they can reach you any time. 
• Because this is a local number, wireless carriers watch for spam content. This is especially true for group messages (broadcasts). You’ll see warnings in your message composer if your message includes these:

                Blacklisted words: deals, offer, VIP, reward, redeem, flash, special

                Characters: \, +, %

                Words in all caps

                Consecutive punctuation (e.g. !!, ??)

                Any emoji

• If you want to send a message to more than 30 contacts at a time, use the marketing number as the Customer Service number sends about 5 texts/second. 

How Do I Use a Marketing Number?

Marketing numbers are 833 numbers and set up for business texting. This means they don’t have the same restrictions as customer service numbers. These numbers are best for all things marketing, especially sending a lot of messages at one time . Examples include: 

• VIP announcements

• Flash sales

• Mass communication

• Marketing numbers are able to send a lot of messages in a short period of time – more than 10 texts per second! 

• For very large lists, it can take several hours to send all your messages, even from a marketing number. Plan ahead – if you begin sending a message late in the afternoon, it may be late when the last contacts in your list receive your message.

Do I Really Need Two Numbers?

Some Shout users wonder if they really need two numbers. We highly recommend using both for their designated purposes. Contacts are very responsive to both as long as you regularly identify yourself in messages and follow the opt-in guidelines. 

See how Wyatt saved $80,000 a year by using his Customer Service number here.