You've invested countless dollars and hours into an amazing Facebook presence that offers direct engagement with your core customer base — so should you also be available via Facebook Messenger?
The stats say yes, as live chat has the highest satisfaction rate of any customer service method. A recent survey of 2,000 consumers found a 71% satisfaction rate from live chat, which highlights that medium's unique ability to offer direct resolution to customer concerns.
Of course, this makes sense as the customer is talking directly with a representative (as opposed to email). Yet, it doesn't explain why the consumer would prefer chat over phone — best guess is that live chat is more convenient and fits into the consumer's computed-based workflow.
Live chat also saves businesses money, costing up to one half the cost of maintaining a traditional call center.
Live chat is available on many websites, which requires either an upfront tech investment or the integration of a third-party partner. Success with live chat also hinges on plenty of website traffic, as that's where the customers would interact. Facebook Messenger offers a massive advantage, as the technology is turnkey and built-in to the Facebook experience. And while the service was recently walled off in its own app, it still offers a direct means of engagement for followers.
Twitter has similar capabilities, with one huge hurdle: direct messages can only be exchanged by people who follow each other. Privacy is generally advisable in these customer exchanges, making Twitter a bit clumsy for customer service.
Facebook Messenger offers a direct communication method via a trustworthy brand. The social media brand also understands the potential here for a popular business product and has launched its new Businesses on Messenger application which will allow businesses to integrate Messenger communication within the user experience — including during checkout.
In partnership with Zendesk, the idea is to surface information within the Facebook application familiar to most users. Facebook wants to be at the center of the experience while businesses want to be wherever customers are.
The partnership could lead to interesting customer service opportunities in travel, such as itinerary delivery and instant rebookings via live chat during travel exceptions. For tour operators, the access to the direct communication feed means a higher touch experience. Hotels could even check in with guests in advance of arrival to inquire about any special needs or other desires. Restaurants would have another means of contacting the guest for further details on a preferred medium while preserving more of the customer service experience than via SMS.
The evolution of Facebook into several streams of customer-facing content is one of the more noticeable ways that the company has focused on an enhanced user experience that also benefits businesses seeking new tools for effective and exceptional customer service.
NB: Vintage image courtesy Shutterstock.