Email has a 20% open rate. SMS? 98%. And 90% of texts are read within the first 3 minutes. It's the most effective channel to reach your clients — and yet, most Quebec SMBs don't use it. Often out of fear of the law, a lack of tools, or simply not knowing its potential.
The legal framework in Quebec and Canada
Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) governs the sending of commercial electronic messages, including texts. The rules are clear: you must have the recipient's explicit consent, include an unsubscribe option, and identify yourself clearly. toncrm.io handles all of that automatically: consent is tracked, unsubscribe is built into every message, and your identity is included. For more details on compliance, read our article on Law 25 and data.
The most effective use cases
SMS isn't made for long marketing messages. It's a channel for proximity and urgency. The best use cases: appointment confirmation (cuts no-shows by 40%), follow-up reminder after a quote, invoice notification, payment reminder, flash promotion (last-minute sale, availability), and post-purchase thank-you.
Automated SMS in workflows
The real power of SMS comes when it's integrated into your automated workflows. Example: a quote is sent. After 3 days with no reply, a follow-up email. After 5 days, a text: the client opens it within 3 minutes and you get their reply. It's simple, non-intrusive, and remarkably effective.
Personalization and segmentation
A generic text feels generic. toncrm.io personalizes each SMS with the client's first name, the project name, the quote amount — any information in the CRM file. You can also segment your sends: text the clients who haven't visited your site in 30 days, or those whose contract expires in 60 days.
Templates and shortcuts
toncrm.io includes pre-tested SMS templates for every common situation: appointment confirmation, quote follow-up, payment reminder, promotion, thank-you. You customize the template once and use it in your workflows or for manual sends. It guarantees a consistent, professional tone.
How much does it cost?
Texts in toncrm.io cost $0.05 for an inbound message and $0.08 for an outbound message. For 100 texts a month (typical usage for an SMB), that's between $5 and $8 more per month. Compare that to the cost of a single client lost because you didn't follow up, and the return on investment is obvious.
Two-way SMS
toncrm.io doesn't just send texts — it receives replies too. SMS conversations are centralized in the client's file, just like emails. You can reply directly from toncrm.io, and the full history is kept. If the Clodyne voice AI is enabled, it can even reply to texts automatically.
Measuring your results
Every SMS campaign in toncrm.io is tracked: delivery rate, reply rate, conversions generated. You know exactly which text drove which result. It's continuous optimization based on real data.
SMS marketing is an underused channel for Quebec SMBs. If you want to stand out from your competitors, it's one of the simplest and most affordable ways. toncrm.io includes SMS in every plan, starting at $79/month.
