Facebook's long-awaited integration of the chat systems for Instagram and Facebook Messenger began recently, with a "small group of people able to upgrade to the new trial experience" in August. And the news should surprise no one. The social media giant has been outspoken about its plans to unify and enable cross-messaging between its popular WhatsApp, FB Messenger, and Instagram for more than two years. While the feature is still reserved for a privileged few in the United States, and it's not yet possible to separate Facebook users directly from Instagram, that's clearly what the future holds. Bringing together three of the world's largest messaging apps, each with more than 2.600 billion users, will redefine the way users interact with each other in this way. By integrating the infrastructures of these three applications together, Mark Zuckerberg enables separate applications to maintain their brand and audience, while increasing their broader usefulness, keeping users engaged in the business ecosystem. The long-term goal is for a WhatsApp user to be able to send a message to a Messenger user without signing up for this service. As the number of channels used in our daily lives increases, this development will simplify communications for millions of people. Not only that, but taking inspiration from WhatsApp's book on privacy, Zuckerberg plans to extend his existing end-to-end encryption to all of his messaging platforms, giving users greater security online no matter what. the platform.
Better user experience
As is often the case with best user experience (UX) design and features, this shift from synchronous to asynchronous communications will likely go unnoticed by most users. The idea that you couldn't do this before will quickly become an anachronism for most people. Brands for whom customer experience is key shouldn't be so tired. Data shows that high-performing organizations driven by customer experience (CX) are more than 9 times more likely to integrate data from multiple sources, analyze cross-channel interactions, and engage customers optimally across channels. This means that brands meet their customers where they are. When it comes to customer experience, the growth of private and cross-platform interactions is a major trend. By launching Messenger for Business in 2016 and WhatsApp Business two years later, Facebook recognizes the importance of allowing brands to use its messaging tools to reach customers and prospects. With 89% of adults in mature markets owning a smartphone, reaching customers on their mobile device is both an opportunity and a potential hurdle.Channel of choice
For customers these days, especially those who have a problem or are trying to complete a purchase, contacting a business can be difficult. Customer service interactions have a reputation for being put on endless hold, getting 24-hour automated responses to emails, or getting contacted on social media and referrals. other channels. That is why 75% of customers prefer to use private messaging over traditional customer service channels. Also, just like when you chat with your friends, users want to use the channel they want to contact companies. The fact that Facebook increases the importance of omni-digital communication, in turn, will benefit companies with internal systems to take advantage of it. Businesses that can access a comprehensive digital view of the customer, including conversation history across multiple messaging channels, will be able to improve average processing time, increase customer satisfaction and first contact resolution.Asynchronous messaging
Widespread consumer adoption of messaging holds true across all generations, averaging 64% among Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers. In other words, customers of all ages want to be able to message a business at their convenience on any device. Just as importantly, and going back to where we started, customers expect to engage in asynchronous messaging where they can start a conversation through WhatsApp and then resume that same conversation on another platform. With PwC reporting that more than 70% of consumers believe speed, convenience, friendliness, and friendliness are imperatives when interacting with a business, it's no surprise that brands that provide united communications tend to take the lead. The customer service agent messaging option gives consumers instant support, quick responses, allows them to avoid phone conversations, and is faster than email. While industry professionals marvel at the technological advances provided by Facebook's asynchronous messaging, the reality is that communicating in this way feels natural to consumers. Just like regular people start an Insta prank with a friend at home and communicate the punchline via a stealthy Facebook Messenger at the office, expect brands to do the same very soon. Today's consumers prefer private messaging to traditional customer service channels, and good customer service means having conversations anytime, on any device, and on any platform.- Julien Rio, Senior Director of Marketing at RingCentral.
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