The SMS Takeover: Texting vs Email

Here's something that happened quietly in 2025: texting dethroned email for customer service. Not as a preference. As the actual leader.

31% of consumers now prefer texting a customer service rep over any other channel. That's higher than email. Higher than phone calls. Higher than chat widgets.

And most businesses are still sending 'Please do not reply to this email' messages. Good luck with that.

The data is embarrassing:

• 98% open rate for SMS (vs 20% for email)
• 45% response rate for texts (vs 6% for email)
• 3 minutes average response time for SMS (vs 90 minutes for email)
• 84% of consumers are now opted in to receive business texts

84% opt-in rate. Read that again. People aren't tolerating business texts. They're signing up for them.

Meanwhile, 67% of consumers don't even listen to voicemails from business numbers.

You're talking to nobody.

When's the last time you called a business and actually wanted to?

Texting is different. It's on your terms. You respond when you want, not when someone demands your attention.

The numbers:

• 83% of consumers say texting is their top mobile activity (ahead of social media at 75%)
• 93% of consumers text every single day
• 32% open their texts within 60 seconds
• 90% of Gen Z check texts within 5 minutes

Email is something you process. Texting is how you communicate.

It's not just Gen Z. Millennials now make up the largest chunk of the workforce, and 47% prefer brand communications via text.

And the preference is growing across all demographics. Even Boomers are texting businesses now. When my 70-year-old uncle figured out how to schedule a dentist appointment via text, I knew the game had changed.

79% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when subscribed to SMS. Up 21% from last year. The businesses that figured this out early are cleaning up.

Most businesses treat SMS like email. Blast out promotions. One-way. "Text STOP to unsubscribe."

Wrong.

71% of consumers want the ability to text a business back. Not just receive messages—have actual conversations. That number is up 18% from last year.

When someone texts you, they expect a response. Fast. Helpful. If your SMS strategy is automated blasts, you've missed the point entirely.

Let me make this concrete.

If you're sending 1,000 emails a week:

• 200 get opened (20% open rate)
• 12 get responses (6% response rate)
• Average response time: 90 minutes

Same message via SMS:

• 980 get opened (98% open rate)
• 441 get responses (45% response rate)
• Average response time: 3 minutes

That's not a marginal improvement. That's a 37x increase in responses and a 30x faster response time.

Now factor in the 79% higher purchase likelihood from SMS subscribers. The numbers get silly.

The businesses crushing it with SMS share a few things:

1. They actually respond. When a customer texts back, someone (or something smart) answers within minutes. Not hours. Not 'we'll get back to you.'

2. They keep it conversational. Nobody wants to text with a robot that sounds like a press release. Keep it human. Keep it helpful.

3. They don't over-message. Almost 40% of customers want to hear from brands 2-3 times a week. Not every day. Not multiple times a day. Restraint matters.

4. They make it easy to opt in. The 84% opt-in rate didn't happen by accident. Make it easy, make it valuable, make it clear what they're getting.

Email isn't dead. It's still fine for documentation and formal stuff.

But for lead response? Customer service? Appointment reminders?

Email is a fax machine. It works. Nobody wants to use it.

The shift already happened. You just missed the memo. (It was in your spam folder.)

If you're not offering SMS as a primary channel, you're behind. Not falling behind. Behind.

31% of your customers would rather text you than email you. Right now. Today. Are you letting them?

The phone in your customer's pocket is the most powerful communication tool ever invented. Use it.

Data sources: SimpleTexting 2025 SMS Marketing Report, EZ Texting Consumer Behavior Study, SMS Comparison Industry Statistics. The shift from email to SMS as preferred customer service channel was documented in the 2025 EZ Texting consumer research.