Just Text Me!

Well now, isn't this interesting? A new Pew Research Study has shown that 31% of U.S. adults prefer to be reached by text message rather than by an actual phone call. The study, reported on the mashable.com site, shows very high adoption of mobile phone use (83%) and texting (73%) among U.S. adults over the age of 18. In addition to the stunning stat in the headline, only about half prefer a person-to-person voice call. Only half?! Another surprising statistic was that the average mobile user sends or receives 50 text messages per day or about 1500 per month. If you have a teenager or college student, they probably send 50 before they get out of bed in the morning.

Reading the comments on articles like this one always provides an interesting study in sociology and society's changing demographics. One man commented that he's part of the 31% that prefers texting over a voice call and that he would like to see cell phone providers offer a plan that consisted of a pay-per-call voice plan with unlimited texting and data. What I found surprising was the sheer number of people who find voicemail to be a time-consuming inconvenience. Incidentally, I fall into this group. For years now, I've hated voice mail. I seldom leave voice mail messages and I check them even less frequently - for example, right now on my home U-verse voice mail I have 79 new messages (most of them hang-ups). Why? Because the people that need to physically talk to me know how to get in touch with me: they'll either call my cell, text or email me. This bothers my mother to no end. I try to explain to her that I spend 95% of my work day talking on the phone. The last thing I want to do when I come home is TALK on the PHONE.

Though all this is interesting and, to a degree, entertaining, exactly what does it mean for BUSINESS - B2B or B2C? How might this new-found preference change the communications and interactions between B2B or B2C? From the B2C perspective, I can see SMS being used to confirm your dentist appointment, notify you that your car is ready at the mechanic or that your dry cleaning is ready for pick up or that the sale with the "free gift" you've been holding out for at the Macy's cosmetics counter starts this Thursday. As for B2B, I think the jury is still out. Even so, there's probably one thing we can all agree on: brands should not take this as on open license to send SMS advertisements to us.

So, where do YOU fall on the spectrum: text message, email or voice call? Do you see this as a trend that will continue to grow as more digitally-native children "come of age?" How different might business look and act in five years because of this change in communication preference? I'd love to hear your thoughts.