Consumers are increasingly relying on messaging apps for all forms of communication whether personal, business or commerce. Chat technologies have evolved rapidly in the last couple of years, enabling customers to interact directly with what had previously been faceless companies, guarded behind call queues and hold music.
The demand for instant messaging is only set to increase as more people adopt messaging tools on their smartphones. 73% of UK internet users use mobile messaging in 2019, which is up from 68% in 2018 (Source:we are social/Hootsuite).
We’re another step closer to delivering a conversational commerce tool that can change the way you’re communicating with customers.
Centralising your communications
The new Chat feature in Messaging Studio enables your customers to have two-way conversations with you through multiple channels allowing call handling staff to manage multiple conversations at one time be they on SMS, RCS, WhatApp, etc.
The history of the conversation is always visible which makes handover when staff are on holiday or off sick easier and to ensure your staff are operating at peak efficiency we even allow you to control the speed at which new conversations are started.
Conversational messaging is more convenient for customers because they no longer need to sit on hold waiting to speak to someone but most importantly Chat works hand in hand with our ChatBot platform to ensure customer service can start any time of the day or week and according to Invesp, Chatbots can save up to 30% in customer support costs. ChatBots deflect ‘calls’ by automating responses to common questions and tasks, triaging new conversations and even routing conversations to the most appropriate team.
Call handlers are able to quickly familiarise themselves with the conversation by reviewing the full transcript plus any other information gathered before they begin to reply and when they are done they can simply hand the customer back to the ChatBot for feedback or to triage future conversations.
Channel preferences
Esendex will identify the best channel available for each recipient and combines them into a single application so that users do not need to switch between multiple products when talking to customers on different channels. For example, RCS on Android phones and networks which support it, Apple Business Chat when possible, etc. All channels are backed up with 100% coverage by always falling back to SMS if all else fails.
Esendex Messaging Studio also supports WhatsApp Templates and Sessions. Templates can be sent any time using our broadcast tools. Sessions are where the true conversational value of WhatsApp is unlocked so all of our conversational products support the full range of message types (including Images, Videos and file attachments) once in a session.
Your decision about which channels to use will be affected by factors such as how relevant they are to your customers, what ROI uplifts can be generated by richer, more engaging channels, and ultimately which channels you have permission to message your customers on. All of these areas are where Esendex can help provide relevant industry experience and work with you to make the most from your Business Messaging and Conversational Commerce strategies.
To find out how you could start using the Chat feature with a free trial of Messaging Studio contact our team today on 0345 356 5758 or email [email protected] for more information.
