Thanks to Facebook I uninstalled Facebook and Messenger and now my battery lasts four times as long! Thanks Facebook!
Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
31–40 of 59 posts
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#32Disclaimer: I work for a company providing customer service over social media solutions. Allowing businesses to do messaging with customers is a big deal. It's been there on FB messenger for a while, but, it hasn't had the attention. We're seeing an increasing trend of customers wanting to contact businesses where they are rather than being forced to follow the business' requirements. Facebook is one of those places.
It's criminal that you can't text message businesses. That seems to me the most obvious route. Any IP-based phone system should support this. Not sure how it would work with AT&T.
The company I'm building right now has something similar to this as a major component of the service (feedback via text [SMS->email for the moment, but I'm also going to have it be visible in a web dashboard] ] is one of two methods I'm going to launch with.) I'm billing it as a "universal customer testimonial" service with a some added benefits. One of those benefits works like this: a business receives a message sent in via text. In order for the message to be posted publicly, the business has to approve it, but even if the business chooses not to post a message, they can read it and act on it (I include a message with each approval request that says 'If you do not wish to approve this testimonial, you may ignore this message. However, we do recommend taking even negative feedback into consideration in order to improve the product or service you provide.') So they get customer feedback, and can then choose to turn that into a public testimonial, or they can not post it publicly but still act on it.
Another benefit is a 'remind to review elsewhere' message. If the business approves the message, we send a reminder to review the business or product on a service of the business' choice (like Yelp, Amazon, etc.)
I'm hoping that the extremely low barrier to use (sending a text), will mean that these businesses get more feedback (since there are plenty of people who don't want to post on services they have to register for; don't feel like downloading an app; who wouldn't mind giving some feedback, but don't want to feel the pressure of 'crafting' a reply the way you often do on some services; who, even if they are registered, may just put it off forever because it seems like too much work, etc.) and so will have more information with which to improve their businesses. The idea is based on the 'praise publicly, criticize privately' maxim.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#33What is the goal of all this?
Facebook used to be the platform, and apps could go viral there. Then they made it so that you can't even get a list of all friends.
Now messenger is the platform instead of the newsfeed? OK, what can I embed in it, and why would I do it? What benefits does our app get from it over SMS invitations?
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#34I'm surprised they haven't integrated WhatsApp and messenger into one app (or platform) yet. Why?
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#35Another decade, another company trying to turn the web into AOL.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#36The business messenger is the perfect complement to their recently released Anonymous Login and a very smart move.
As a business implementing Anonymous Login, you give up having an email address of your user (or any other kind of contact information) for a very simple and attractive login method. Now with the messenger you can actually contact your (anonymous) users, even if all you have is a facebook provisioned ID.
All this at the cost of giving facebook complete control over your userbase and your means and rights of getting in contact with them.
Brilliant.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#37I'm very interested in the Messenger App platform, integrating rich media into chat is the reason I hacked a client side Messenger chat bot a while ago.
https://github.com/joaomsa/botman
Much faster to transmit intense disapproval or glee as a reaction gif.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#38Disclaimer: I work for a company providing customer service over social media solutions. Allowing businesses to do messaging with customers is a big deal. It's been there on FB messenger for a while, but, it hasn't had the attention. We're seeing an increasing trend of customers wanting to contact businesses where they are rather than being forced to follow the business' requirements. Facebook is one of those places.
It's criminal that you can't text message businesses. That seems to me the most obvious route. Any IP-based phone system should support this. Not sure how it would work with AT&T.
Seems like room for a text->Messenger gateway, or other ways of integrating SMS into a business's existing customer feedback channels. (Which probably exists in various forms of hacked-together-API-mashups already, since it's hard on a customer service team to manage a bunch of different inboxen.)
TalkBin (YC W11) was a platform for allowing customers to SMS local businesses, but getting brick and mortar businesses to adopt a new communication channel isn't easy.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's criminal that you can't text message businesses. That seems to me the most obvious route. Any IP-based phone system should support this. Not sure how it would work with AT&T.
The company I'm building right now has something similar to this as a major component of the service (feedback via text [SMS->email for the moment, but I'm also going to have it be visible in a web dashboard] ] is one of two methods I'm going to launch with.) I'm billing it as a "universal customer testimonial" service with a some added benefits. One of those benefits works like this: a business receives a message se…
I worked on creating a similar service for a few months in regards to helping businesses (SaaS companies specifically) capture testimonials. I ultimately decided not to pursue the idea after having conversations with potential customers. SMS was not going to be a feature in the initial version and we may have been targeting different niches but I would definitely recommend getting it in front of your target audience as soon as possible or just talk to them about it.
I found that most SaaS companies wanted a few really well written and well placed testimonials rather than a constant stream of subpar testimonials and didn't really need a system for that.
It sounds like you may be going more towards local small businesses though and maybe they have a need for it. Happy to discuss any questions further with you if you'd like.
Re: Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger
#40Before anyone starts thinking this stuff is super-innovative and new, let me tell you what's really going on here: Facebook wants to make Messenger into a platform in the same way the big Asian chat apps are. Things like Weixin/WeChat or LINE. I mean, just look at the most recent additions to Messenger: - Stickers. These grew in popularity starting in Asian apps. [0] - Using Messenger for payments [1] and to send mon…
>All of these features were pioneered in Asia. They're either trying to bring the innovations westward in the hopes that they can build a similar platform, or they're defending against the possibility that foreign apps like this will expand and take over their marketshare. There's likely a third aspect: Fb (& Snapchat, et al) framing/reframing their services to be more familiar/comfortable for East Asian users as the…
Absolutely agreed on your third aspect. Facebook is a global business, after all.