Consumers like to use different channels when speaking to customer service. According to February 2016 research, many users in the US, as well as Germany, prefer to send a text because it’s less-time consuming and more convenient than a phone call.

Ovum surveyed 1,000 internet users, evenly split between Germany and the US. Nearly half (44%) of respondents said that one of the reasons they preferred to send a text to a company’s customer service department was because it was less time-consuming. In addition, 42% said they preferred to do so because it was more convenient than using the telephone.
Nearly a third, said that sending a text was less frustrating than calling the company, and more than a quarter of respondents said it enabled them to ask the company to text or call them back.

Research from Contact Solutions also looked at which channels consumers prefer when communication with companies, and while SMS was on the list, respondents were far more likely to prefer the traditional phone. Indeed, the survey revealed that 29.7% of US mobile buyers—a population for whom texting is definitely a possibility—preferred the telephone to communicate with companies. Only 9.7% preferred text.