Table of Contents
How to Introduce Texting to Customers
Texting Tips to Make Every Message Shine
Welcome!
Hi Marley is here to make communication with clients easy, quick, and super convenient. This guide shares friendly tips to make sure every message you send through Hi Marley is helpful, professional, and leaves a great impression. Let's dive in!
When to Use Hi Marley
Hi Marley is fantastic for keeping clients informed and connected. Here are some of the best times to use it:
Status Updates
- What This Means: Letting clients know that their insurance claim is moving along smoothly.
- Why It’s Helpful: Keeps clients in the loop without them needing to ask, and that makes them feel valued.
Confirming Receipt
- What This Means: A quick “Got it!” for any documents a client sends over.
- Why It’s Helpful: Acknowledging receipt shows clients that you’re attentive and keeps them assured.
Scheduling
- What This Means: Setting up a time for a call or meeting.
- Why It’s Helpful: Texting makes scheduling fast and convenient for both you and your client.
Keeping it Professional
- What This Means: Maintaining a warm yet professional tone in every message.
- Why It’s Helpful: Shows respect and keeps things clear and easy to understand.
Some topics are better suited for other forms of communication to keep clients’ information safe and ensure clarity.
Sensitive Information
- Examples: Discussing a client’s medical history or personal details.
- Why to Avoid: Texting isn’t always secure enough for personal data, so let’s keep it safe!
Complex Topics
- Examples: Diving into detailed policy coverage or legal terms.
- Why to Avoid: Texts are best kept short and sweet—detailed explanations might be more confusing than helpful here.
Legal Obligations
- Examples: Situations needing written consent or official documentation.
- Why to Avoid: Texting isn’t ideal for these, and formal documents are safer in more secure formats.
Avoiding Slang
- Examples: Informal language or jargon like “LOL” or “ASAP.”
- Why to Avoid: Slang can be misinterpreted and might feel less professional. Keeping it clear and friendly works best!
How to Introduce Texting to Customers
Texting can be a game-changer for your clients, so let’s introduce it in a way that feels natural and inviting.
During Initial Contact
A quick introduction sets the tone and shows clients how texting can help.
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Try saying:
- “Texting is a simple way to stay in touch or ask questions!”
- “Since I’m often on the phone, I can usually reply faster to texts than to emails or voicemails.”
If the Customer Shows Interest
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Suggested Follow-Up:
- “I’ll send you a quick text to get you started.”
- “Once you receive the message, just reply with ‘YES’ to opt in!”
Recommended Follow-Ups
- If they reply with ‘YES’: Send a confirmation text to let them know they’re all set.
- If they don’t respond: No worries! Just resend the intro message as a gentle reminder.
Texting Tips to Make Every Message Shine
To make the most of your Hi Marley messages, follow these tips to keep it personal, clear, and professional.
Using Proper Names
- Tip: Always write clients’ names properly, like “Joe Smith” (not “JOE” or “joe”).
- Why It Matters: How you type their name is how they’ll see it—this little touch can make your message feel more personal and respectful.
Being Prompt and Proactive
- Tip: Aim to respond within 5 minutes whenever possible. That is how quickly insured/contacts respond to Hi Marley users on average!
- Why It Matters: Quick responses show you’re there for them and can prevent additional follow-up questions. Proactive communication really shines here!
Keeping It Professional (Again!)
- Tip: Keep texts brief but friendly—remember, it’s a text, not an email!
- Why It Matters: Being concise makes it easier for clients to read and understand your message on any device.
Respecting Privacy
- Tip: Never include sensitive information, like Social Security numbers, health details, or financial data, in texts.
- Why It Matters: Respecting clients’ privacy builds trust and keeps everyone’s information safe.
Collaborative Claims
If you have multiple people touching a claim, you may need to decide if you want to completely reassign a case or just loop other teammates into the conversation.
A good way to find out if reassignment is the right decision is to ask “Who is going to close the claim?”. If someone different from the primary adjuster is going to be the one closing the claim, then reassignment is the right choice. If the teammate is going to just provide assistance, it probably makes sense to just add them as a secondary operator.
Reassignment
Reassigning a case changes who the primary contact for the claim is in Hi Marley. Upon reassignment, an automated message is sent out to the insured informing them that they have a new point of contact for the claim.
Secondary Operator
Adding a secondary operator to a case gives your teammates easier visibility to a case by adding it to their list of cases under All My Cases in the Inbox tab. No automated messages are sent out when a secondary operator is added.
Tracking the Conversation
There are a few different ways to approach tracking the conversations that happen in Hi Marley in your claim system without integration.
Recommended Solution
We recommend noting daily conversations that happen over text the same way you would summarize a phone call in your notes. Once you get to the end of the claim, you then download the transcript and attach it to the claim file.
The adjuster can access the transcript of the conversation at any point.
Most of our customers have the adjusters download and attach the transcript themselves since they are the ones that are closing the case. You can also have a clerical or administrative staff pull the transcripts for each closed case. This would happen through the Cases tab.
To learn more, click here to view our article about Transcripts.