In today’s digital age, social media and messaging apps are two of the most popular forms of communication.
Initially built for staying in touch with relatives and finding new friends, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and other communication platforms have gradually become essential tools for brands to stay in touch with clients and find new ones as well.
Expanding business-focused capabilities of social media and messengers increase their roles in the digital marketing strategy of companies even more.
When it comes to communication across multiple channels with a vast audience, sales reps, and support agents find themselves switching back and forth between multiple apps to respond on time and provide solutions to incoming inquiries.
This can be time-consuming and inefficient, which is why the idea of merging social media and messaging apps into a single platform sounds so appealing to any business, from a local beauty studio to an international corporation.
In the article, we will discuss how companies can merge social media and messengers they use in a single app, and the benefits it could offer.
Features of Omnichannel Software
Omnichannel messaging software is the type of platform that combines various messaging platforms such as SMS, chat, email, and social media, allowing users to connect with customers on their preferred channels. So are the features of such programs that enable them to do their job?
Integration of Multichannel Messaging
The primary feature of omnichannel messaging software is the ability to integrate multiple messaging channels into a single platform.
This feature provides users with the ability to send messages and answer incoming inquiries in multiple channels without switching apps, which makes the work process seamless and more focused on the quality of each interaction.
Unified Customer Base
By connecting all social media and messengers a company uses to an omnichannel platform, it gets convenient access for viewing and managing the entire customer base in a single interface.
The most important benefit of this is that all conversations, whether on Instagram Direct or Viber, email, or free live chat, with one customer, are linked to their profile.
This decreases the amount of time it takes for an employee to find out the required info from previous interactions.
Centralized Notification Center
Merging social media and messaging apps means users will receive notifications from both platforms.
Therefore, it is essential for an omnichannel messaging platform to have a centralized notification center that consolidates all notifications in one place. This helps users to keep track of all their messages and updates without being overwhelmed.
Customization
A messaging platform gives brands complete control over their online presence and provides personalized experiences to their clients.
For example, if a platform supports bulk messaging, it should also provide the ability to automatically insert a recipient’s name from a customer base, while the ability to tweak notifications ensures not a single incoming inquiry is missed and left unanswered.
Security
With privacy becoming increasingly important, merging social media and messaging apps should prioritize the protection of users’ data.
The majority of omnichannel messaging platforms follow strict data protection policies, which is additionally enhanced by the fact that employees can stop using their smartphones to communicate with customers, instead doing all the work from a corporate desktop.
This, coupled with multi-level access settings and other features that protect clients’ database from using it in ill faith, decrease the chances of it being stolen by a disgruntled employee.
Integration with Other Software and CRM
Another key feature of omnichannel messaging software is the ability to integrate with other software and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.
This integration allows businesses to interact with their audience directly from the interface of a business tool already in use and combine the power of omnichannel messaging with analytical and other capabilities of their systems for customer relationship management.
Tips on Choosing the Right Platform
Choosing the best omnichannel messaging platform for your company might be difficult due to the abundance of options on the market.
First, consider your company’s needs and the elements that are critical to your communication strategy first. Do you, for example, need to support several message channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger?
Do you require chatbots, automated answers, or a live chat widget? Answering these questions will help in narrowing the list of suitable solutions and alternatives and focusing on platforms that fit your requirements.
The second important point is to assess the platform’s scalability and adaptability. An omnichannel messaging service should be able to evolve alongside a business and provide support for customization, integrations with third-party solutions, and prompt technical support.
It is also recommended to choose a provider that actively improves and upgrades its product– you never know when the next big social media platform but you’ll definitely want to be able to use it along with other communication channels.
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