Do you find yourself typing the same thing over and over? Are you answering the same questions from your customers and sharing the same data each day? Want to save time and increase your accuracy and consistency?
One of the best time-saving methods I use each day is the use of text expander apps. These apps allow me to save pieces of text or other media that I use repetitively when communicating with customers. If you are selling on your own website, marketplaces like Poshmark, eBay, Tradesy and others or offering your creative services on platforms like RedBubble, Society6 and Behance, a good text expander app can save you a tremendous amount of time and energy.
Let’s start with the time-saving aspect of how these text expander apps work and then move on to the other benefits.
Same Questions – Different Customers
I sell on a number of different marketplaces and it’s a great way to attract customers to your products or services. One problem is there is no place for you to create an FAQ document to answer common questions about what you’re selling. Even if you did have a spot for an FAQ, do you think people are going to read it? Most will not – it’s easier to ask a question than to dig through a list of answers.
With an automated text expander app on your desktop or smartphone, you can create answers to the questions you get asked over and over. These snippets of text are saved on your device and recalled by typing just a few letters on your keyboard. For example, one question I get asked multiple times each day is if I will sell a product at a lower price, or accept a specific offer. My response looks like this:
I type: poff
And my text expander app instantly pastes this response to wherever my cursor is:
Hello! I am always willing to consider reasonable offers. Please use the Offer link to submit. Thanks!
This is a short one, but you could store an entire letter, batches of photos or anything else you need to share over and over in your text expander app. Some common snippets for me are my shipping address, directions, links to various websites and marketplaces, dozens of answers to common customer questions and much more.
Accurate – Every Time
Another benefit to using a text automation app is the consistency of the data that you are sharing. Create and proofread your text one time and then use it thousands of times in a snippet and you’ll always be sharing the correct address, contact info, product details and anything else you use repetitively.
Stay on Message
Some text expansion apps allow you to share your text snippets across teams. This is a great way to ensure your employees or contractors are all on message – answering questions the same way and interacting with customers with the same information. You get to set the tone and ensure that things are handled in the manner that you want them to be. These saved messages allow you to keep tight control over how customer issues are handled, which can be especially important for new members of your team, that may not be as experienced in handling questions, returns or other customer service issues.
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TextExpander – Mac/Windows/iOS
This app changed my life and it can change yours. TextExpander is the gold standard for text automation apps and is incredibly versatile when it comes to sharing snippets across all of your devices and with your entire team. You’ll find a very reliable app with a tremendous depth of features and great support from the TextExpander team. Setup as a subscription service so you don’t need to keep paying for upgrades, you can save 20% off your first year by visiting this link and selecting Small Business Show from the pulldown list.
A low-cost option that works great with Macs, iPhone, and iPad. One time fee of $19 gets you the desktop App. The interface is a little clunky, but works fine, once you get things set up.
Another low-cost Mac-only App that sells for $5. A good way to get started in the text expansion world with a reliable option for Mac users. You’ll need to use DropBox or Google Drive to sync snippets across devices.
Another great text expansion App that works great for Mac users. Worth reviewing if you don’t like any of the Apps listed above.
For Windows users, here’s a great list of text expansion PC Apps from our friends at TechWiser