Scaling Smarter: Text Strategies and Drive-Thru Solutions Instead of the traditional “CxVG Lightning Round Review” to revisit past meet- ing topics, Maxey invited CxVG member Babir Sultan , president of Favtrip, back on the virtual stage after his presentation at the April 3rd meeting. Between meetings, Sultan queried the CxVG members if they could suggest a text messaging system or platform that doesn’t require an app and also asked for suggestions on a reliable, portable drive-thru POS system. Loyalty Without the App To preface the discussion on text messaging, Sultan shared that while his company once developed a mobile app for delivery services, it was ultimately discontinued due to Android optimization issues. However, the app’s embedded text club feature proved surprisingly durable, even after the app’s shutdown. “We noticed a lot of older folks were coming in with their flip phones and saying, “Hey, I remember you said it’s 20 cents off a gallon on Friday,” even when the app was dead long ago.” That insight highlighted the power of SMS as a direct and lasting communica- tion channel. Unlike an app, which “is easily deleted,” Sultan emphasized the advantage of “owning space in their phone number.” Over eight years, Favtrip’s text club has grown to approximately 17,000 members, which Sultan called
“huge” for their size business. The club fuels weekly campaigns like FavTrip Friday, which consis- tently doubles Friday sales. Yet with growth has come friction. “We went through a couple of text club companies that said, ‘Hey, it’s great that you have such a big follow- ing, but you need to have some sort of enterprise, McDonald’s-level package, because we thought a small gas station like yours would have maybe 50 or100 signups over the years.” The current platform costs over $700/month, and providers are seeking to renegotiate. To offset rising costs, Sultan is considering a return to app-based push notifications. Text Messaging for Marketing and Employee Communication Some attendees shared alternative solutions. Linda Toth , managing director of Conexxus, mentioned that MailChimp, which Sultan noted his company previously used for emails, offers a separate SMS text messaging service. While not part of the standard plan, Toth noted its scalability as a potential benefit.
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