The Facebook F8 Conference brought a lot of insight and information to the public, the media, and to businesses. One of the announcements that came out of the event was the newly redesigned and more functional Messenger Platform. Messenger is a communication tool for mobile devices that allows individuals to communicate with Facebook friends.
The Stats
According to Facebook, the platform was seen a significant amount of use. Over 900 million people were using the tool. They were connected with family and friends, as well as some 50 million businesses. It was quickly the second most used application for iOS and the fastest growing app last year. And, now they are making some changes to it.
What Does the New Messenger Have to Offer?
Facebook’s goal is to create a more engaging experience for users. And, they want it to be easier for businesses to connect with and form better interactions with customers using the tool as well. The new Messenger Platform (Beta) is launching with bots and a Send/Receive API. The bots development is important because it allows for automated subscription content to be created, such as for traffic updates or weather updates to be provided. It can also be customized with shipping information, receipts, and even live messages.
The Send/Receive API is also an important change. It allows for sending and receiving text, but also interactive bubbles that offer call to action buttons. And, it now allows for sending photos.
Additionally, the company is providing better discovery tools for the platform. This includes plugins for usernames, websites, and Messenger Codes. The search surface for the platform is improved as well. In this manner, it will allow for more interactive connection with users. Another change is the addition of a Facebook News Feed ad that allows for users to open a thread on the messenger platform. The customer matching feature will allow users to send messages often sent through texts to Messenger instead.
Yet another change is improving Wit.ai’s Bot Engine. By opening up availability to this, developers are now able to develop more comprehensive bots that can gather language in a more natural way and then make it easier to respond to and interact with.
Business and Consumer Interaction
It is clear that the updates to Messenger are meant to improve the way that people connect, but most importantly how businesses can connect with consumers or other people on the platform. It aims to make it easier for people to handle more interactions with business right on this platform rather than having to pick up the phone to make a call. For example, it can allow for messages from businesses offering services or customers making reservations right away.
It is important to use it properly, though. The goal is not to encourage or allow spam, but rather to facilitating messages that people want and that add meaning to their experience. The company does have policies in place protecting consumers from receiving messages they do not want. But, using Facebook Messenger now is more important than ever for today’s businesses. It opens the door for new interactions, brand building, and marketing.
When it comes to getting the most out of the new Messenger platform, Ensuite Media knows how to get results. Contact us today to learn more and to get started.
