John Hall & Associates - Phoenix Real Estate Brokerage

The stereotype that kids are the only ones sending text messages is not correct! Many agents, lenders, escrow officers, etc. are communicating with text messages. Some of them even instruct callers on their voicemail message to send them a text instead of leaving a message. But, we’re not here to sell the fact text messages are a good way to communicate, the consumer is doing that. We’re just here to help those that have not figured it out yet. This post will cover the most important thing to check before you send a message, the 44-666-9-#-8-666 (how to) concept, some popular acronyms, and the way to send a text message without typing anything.

Text messages are not free. You have to look at your cellphone contract to understand how much you are going to be charged for them before you start sending or requesting to receive them. If you plan on diving right into this way of communicating, there are unlimited text plans from pretty much every carrier. Once you get that squared away, let the games begin!

How to type? If your phone has a full keyboard it’s self explanatory. For those with phones that look more like this…

It’s simple really. Just press a number multiple times to get the desired letter. (The keyboard pictured is an easy one to use because it has the words SHIFT and SPACE. Others may use symbols to show these same functions.) Here is an example: If you would like to respond “Thx”. First press shift (*), then push the number 8 once (T), 4 twice (h) and 9 twice (x). On the screen “Thx” should be displayed. Push “send/talk” and you’re done. The more you practice the faster you’ll become. After you send a few messages and get the hang of it, sign up for the National Texting Championship and test your skills!

To shorten your messages use acronyms. Some popular ones are LOL: Laugh out loud, TTYL: Talk to you later, BTW: By the way, and MTG: Meeting. Be sure you know your audience, these might not work for your clients. Judge their text etiquette/comprehension by the way they write to you.

Last but not least (and the reason this whole post started) is to talk about a cheater service, Jott.com. They are a company that allows you to speak the messages you would like to send as a text. It uses voice recognition software to automatically convert your spoken messages into a written one. Not only does the company send your contact a text message, they also send them an email with the audio file! This is the perfect option for those not wanting to learn how to type on their miniature keypad. Also, in many states including right here in Arizona there is a push to make texting illegal while driving. Jott.com is the solution.

Like all things, you have to take the pros with the cons. Many people send text messages when they are unable to speak on the phone, such as from a noisy concert/sporting event or covertly from a meeting. You won’t be able to do that with Jott.com due to the background noise or your potentially disruptive voice. However, Jott.com is still well worth the cost, $FREE.99! Check it out.

(More advanced users should make note that Jott.com now allows you to post updates to your twitter account as well!)