Oops! What to do When You Send the Wrong Message
![sending the wrong text message](https://dox4euoyzny9u.cloudfront.net/images/fastsms/Oops-What-to-do-When-You-Send-the-Wrong-Message.png)
Sending a text message to the wrong person can be embarrassing. I’ve done it many times. Thankfully though, they were just simple messages like “be home soon” or “I’ll tell you later”. Innocuous, harmless and easily explained away.
A high profile example of a text message gone wrong is Graeme Smith, the former South African cricket batsman and captain. According to reports, his wife discovered he wanted a divorce because he sent her a text message intended for his attorney. That’s something not easily explained away.
But what if a business sends a message in error? Can they take it back, or will there be damage done? Chances are a wrong message will cause some sort of damage to reputation or lost revenue. So what do you do if your business makes a mistake? Let’s look at three different possibilities:
Message sent to the wrong list – So you sent an offer to a list of people. Then you discovered it was the wrong list of people. Some people will notice, maybe complain, or try to redeem the offer when they aren’t eligible. For example, you sent a special VIP discount code to your standard member list. Should you honour the deal for non-VIP members? Could you send a note saying it was an error? Should you send an alternate offer in order to make things right? Your response will depend on your business and the details of the mistake. But one thing you shouldn’t do is ignore the error.
Wrong content in the message – In your eagerness to send out your SMS campaign, someone mistyped the keyword or the coupon code in the message. As soon as you discover the error, send out a corrected version. But don’t leave it at that. In the corrected text message, acknowledge the error. If you don’t, people may be confused by the multiple, similar messages.
Message was sent at the wrong time – Did your message get sent too late, or even too early? In this case, what you do really depends on the details. Did the message announce a sale before it was actually supposed to start? Or did the message get sent the day after the event it was promoting occurred? Whatever it was, let your list know what happened, and do what you can to fix any problems that arise.
So you’ll see a common theme here: if you make a mistake, make amends. Don’t ignore it, but let your list know what happened and do what you can to make up for it. Doing so will help your reputation, reduce your unsubscriptions due to the error, and might even help your bottom line.
Related Articles
Black Friday week is here! But there is still plenty of time…
Work 24/7 Without Being in The Office! The Benefits of SMS Scheduling
In our demanding, 24/7 world it is difficult to stay on top of your SMS marketing campaign but with scheduling you can ensure you are getting your message to your audience whatever the time.
Three Things You Must Do Right in Your SMS Marketing
SMS messaging can be one of your more effective marketing techniques, but only if you do it right. A poorly executed SMS marketing campaign could have disastrous results for your future budget, and for your organisation.
5 Reasons SMS Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever
SMS Mаrkеtіng for Wеb Dеѕіgn and Digital Marketing Agеnсіеѕ
Why SMS Marketing Can Be More Effective Than Mobile Banner Advertising
A recent eMarketer article on the effectiveness of mobile banner advertising reports the main reason people don't click is because they aren't interested in the offer. In fact, only 24% of those surveyed say they clicked on a mobile banner on a website in the last three months.
9 Reasons to use SMS Marketing in 2018 [Infographic]
Top Three Things Retailers Should Do to Keep Customers on Their SMS Opt-In List
You've run a successful SMS opt-in campaign for your retail store. Now that you have your list, do you have a plan to keep them from opting out? Wait, you mean there's more to this than just sending out coupon codes? There is if you want to keep your customers from opting out.
Here’s Why SMS Marketing Is Literally The Best Idea Ever
Is SMS marketing the worst idea ever? That’s the opinion of one author in Entrepreneur Magazine. He gives five reasons why companies should never bother sending SMS messages to customers. I take him on, point by point to show why he’s wrong and SMS marketing is the best idea ever.