This week saw the beta launch of Facebook’s highly anticipated Messenger Platform, an offering that scales up its peer to peer Messenger app with automated chatbots and a Send/Receive API – and we’re ready to embrace it.
Following on from last year’s announcement of a “Business on Messenger” initiative, this week saw the beta launch of Facebook’s highly anticipated Messenger Platform, an offering that scales up its peer to peer Messenger app with automated chatbots and a Send/Receive API – and we’re ready to embrace it.
The Messenger Platform presents an exciting opportunity for businesses to interact with their customers through a previously untapped conversation space. For those integrating with Esendex, Messenger has the potential to improve customer engagement even further by incorporating a widely used instant messaging channel alongside established SMS, voice and email transports. Our developers have already been exploring some of the possibilities.
More than just bots
Plenty of the buzz around the Messenger Platform this week has understandably been devoted to chatbots, with Facebook clearly seeking to catch up with recent AI developments from rivals Microsoft, and bot integrations from other chat platforms such as WeChat and Slack.
While chatbots themselves are nothing new, integrating them into instant messaging channels presents opportunities for automating and scaling existing business workflows, from booking confirmations to delivering enhanced customer support.
Taking a step back from all the focus on bots, what we’re particularly excited about at Esendex HQ is a fresh commerce and communication channel that has more than 900m users worldwide.
Esendex’s customers recognise the value of engaging with their users, and are already automating their communication workflows using our industry-leading APIs. The Messenger Platform has the potential to further increase user engagement as part of an intelligent multichannel messaging solution.
We’ve already started to explore the possibilities of Messenger…
…You can see just a few in the video below:
Paul Smith from Esendex’s development team demonstrates some early integrations with the Facebook Messenger Platform
Dangers of getting it wrong
Not all the early demonstrations of the platform have resulted in great experiences for users. While SMS is well established as a business to consumer communication channel, users of popular IM clients such as WhatsApp and Messenger may be less comfortable, even creeped out, receiving messages from companies they’ve previously interacted with.
Couple this with recent examples of flawed AI in inexperienced robots such as Microsoft’s ‘Tay’ Twitter bot, which took less than 24 hours to be corrupted, and it’s easy to see how getting it wrong can leave your brand on the back foot.
Intelligent multichannel messaging
Esendex will help you protect your consumers’ trust and improve brand engagement by incorporating Messenger as part of an integrated, intelligent multichannel messaging solution, offering fresh opportunities to delight your customers and leverage your brand.
The launch of Messenger Platform invites businesses like yours to think more freely about the ways you are bringing value to your consumer interactions. Are you making the most of communication?
If you’d like to discuss how Facebook’s Messenger Platform could benefit your business, or you wish to be updated about Esendex’s developments with Facebook Messenger, please contact us on 0345 356 5758 or register your interest.
