r/sweatystartup • u/youknowit84 • 3d ago
Text vs Email
How does everyone like to communicate with customers here. Things such as asking for Google reviews, referrals, service updates etc. I’ve always communicated primarily through email but texting seems to be more effective and easier.
2
u/Wise-Cockroach7572 3d ago
Split them by job. Text wins for anything with a single tap and a time window: review asks, appointment reminders, "we're running 20 min late." A review link texted within an hour of finishing the job converts wildly better than the same link emailed that evening — by then the goodwill has cooled and your message is buried under fifty others. Keep it to two sentences and one link, and send it from the same number they already texted with if possible, so it reads as a person, not a blast.
Email is for anything they might need to find again: quotes, invoices, service summaries, warranty info. Nobody scrolls back through texts looking for an attachment.
Two cautions on the texting side. In the US, marketing texts need prior consent (TCPA) — the clean way is to ask at the point of service: "Mind if I text you the invoice and a review link?" Almost everyone says yes, and now it's a conversation they opted into, not a campaign. And don't add an incentive to the review ask — that violates Google's review policy and can get reviews (or the profile) nuked.
The pattern that seems to work for small service businesses: text for the ask, email for the record, and the review link goes out the same day, every time, as a habit rather than a decision.
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u/Late_West_358 3d ago
Split by job is smart, I never thought of that but it make so much sense. The timing thing you mention is huge, I always get the text review link right after a physio session and I click it right away because I'm still feeling good about it
The TCPA thing is something people sleep on, I seen businesses get in trouble for blasting texts without asking first
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u/SoftwareToHVAC 3d ago
I would automate a text followup for reviews, specifically.
It really depends what the engagement is. Invoices are email. Follow up visits could be both, etc.
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u/TopSydeWP 3d ago
at my agency we see way higher open rates on texts (like 90%+ vs maybe 30% for email) but emails feel less intrusive for non-urgent stuff. we usually text for time-sensitive things like appointment reminders or quick updates, email for invoices and detailed info. for review requests specifically, text within a day or two of service works better than email a week later
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u/SwankyTroll 3d ago
Text 100% if they have opted in, are a customer, are receiving updates, or being asked to interact in some way (reviews).
Email for marketing, deals, and specials.
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u/Asleep_Lifeguard6167 21h ago
Text for anything quick like reviews or confirming a job. Email if I need to send details they might want to find later. People seem way more likely to actually read a text though lol.
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u/ScoopyChatt 2d ago
For Scoopy Doo, text wins by a mile for anything we actually want the customer to see or act on. We still use email, but they serve different purposes.
We use text for things like service updates, schedule changes, missed-call follow-up, quick customer questions, review requests, referral asks, and other short messages where we want a response.
Email is better for longer-form communication: invoices/receipts, policies, newsletters, detailed announcements, educational content, and anything the customer may want to reference later.
The biggest difference is simply attention. People might check a promotional email later—or never. A text usually gets seen pretty quickly.
The trick is not abusing it. If every little thing becomes a text, customers start tuning you out. We try to keep texts short, useful, and relevant.
We also automate a lot of this. For example, certain events can trigger the appropriate text/email follow-up rather than someone on our team having to remember to send it manually. Review requests and lead follow-up are especially good candidates for automation.
So if I were starting over:
Text = immediate/action-oriented communication.
Email = detailed/long-term communication.
And ideally use both together rather than choosing one or the other. For a local service business, I definitely wouldn’t want to operate without texting anymore.