The Core Features of Apple Messages for Business

Since its launch in 2007, the iPhone has revolutionized the way we connect. When Apple first released it, BlackBerrys were the height of mobile sophistication—and people were skeptical that a $500 device with a touch screen would ever catch on. (“It doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard,” chortled then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a now-infamous interview). Despite the naysayers, Apple’s propensity to “think different” led the smartphone revolution. Now Apple Messages for Business is changing the way customers interact with brands. 

Apple Messages for Business comes native to iOS devices and provides a powerful tool for connecting with your customers across the apps they already use. But in order to reap the customer experience benefits at scale, you need to both automate routine inquiries and maintain personal, human connections with your audience. Using Apple Messages for Business through Conversocial lets you do just that.

Key Apple Messages for Business Features

Deliver Asynchronous Conversational Customer Experiences

Apple Messages for Business makes contacting a business as easy as messaging a friend in Messages. And just like texting a friend, Apple Messages for Business is asynchronous, meaning customers can go about their day while they wait for a support agent to get back to them (no long hold times!) or return to the conversation if they have follow-up questions. With access to each customer’s conversation history, reps and bots can make informed, individually-tailored recommendations. 

Streamlined and Seamless Customer Experiences

For customers, Apple Messages for Business makes it easy to discover, research, locate, and contact a business without having to toggle between numerous apps or contact channels. For instance, imagine a customer discovers a new restaurant through Apple Maps. They can use Apple Messages for Business to ask a question about their dietary requirements, then place a takeaway order—all without leaving the app. They can even pay for it in advance using Apple Pay.

Automate Simple Customer Queries

For businesses, the experience is just as smooth. Apple Messages for Business integrates with top customer support platforms, like Verint Messaging, so you can leverage its best features while using your existing tools. Businesses can use bots to handle simple requests, like tracking a package, freeing up customer support reps to handle more complicated inquiries.

Build Customer Trust with Secure and Private Messaging

Apple Messages for Business encrypts all messages between users and merchants and places an emphasis on protecting users’ privacy. Businesses only see a customer’s name or personal information if they choose to share it—for instance, to schedule an appointment or provide shipping details for a delivery. This leads to a high degree of trust.

Apple Pay Integration for Seamless In-App Purchases

Businesses benefit from Apple Messages for Business’s seamless integration with Apple Pay. Its sleek integration with Apple Wallet makes it easy for customers to make in-chat purchases and download tickets or boarding passes. Better yet, with no third-party payment system taking a 3-5 percent cut, you get to keep more revenue.

Integrates with Your Customer Experience Ecosystem 

Apple Messages for Business integrates with your existing back-end systems, seamlessly connecting to your customer experience ecosystem. In fact, in order to register for the platform, you’ll need to sign up with your messaging service provider, like Verint Messaging. Apple Messages for Business not only makes it easy to serve customers from the tools you already use, but enables you to take advantage of cutting-edge technology such as deployable self-service bots. 

Useful Marketing and Sales Capabilities

Built-in pickers are a core feature of Apple Messages for Business—that’s a tool that allows customers to select options from a list, such as appointment times or products. For service providers, it’s a game-changer: It’s never been easier for customers to book appointments and that reduction in friction means more bookings and lower acquisition costs. It’s also a pretty good deal for businesses that sell physical products. Customers can make purchases in chat by choosing options from a list, and thanks to Apple’s AR capabilities, they can even try products out first—without ever leaving their homes.

Why Use Apple Messages for Business?

1. Give your customers an easy, digital way to contact you

The smartphone revolution that Apple ushered in more than a decade ago is here to stay. Today, 72% of Americans own a smartphone. And it’s so ingrained in their lives that 69% of consumers engaged with a brand over messaging channels in 2020. Apple’s response? Apple Messages for Business.

With Apple Messages for Business, iOS users can message businesses just like they would their friends. And there’s a built-in captive audience: In 2022, nearly 60% of American smartphone users were running iOS.

2. Create deeper connections with customers

Context is a critical component of every successful interaction. Having access to a customer’s history allows bots and customer support reps alike to provide relevant expertise and minimize annoying repetition. 

That’s why Apple Messages for Business uses something called “long-lived sessions.” That means instead of closing out a chat conversation on the web and it disappearing forever, this one persists, just like text threads with friends. If a customer has a follow-up question—whether it’s two days or two months later—they can ask it and get a response. This provides conversational context for support reps and gives customers an easy entry point for further questions (like tracking an order). Apple keeps the chat history handy until the customer chooses to delete it.

3. Simplify support, improve CX metrics

Apple Messages for Business makes it easy for customers to get fast answers inside the tools they already use. Users already look to apps like Safari, Maps, and Siri in order to research products, services, and experiences—Apple Messages for Business makes it easy for them to ask questions directly from inside these apps. 

Further, if they decide to make a purchase, Apple Messages for Business allows customers to pay directly in the chat through Apple Pay. From research, to inquiry, to buying-decision, Apple Messages for Business lets customers do it all without leaving their favorite apps.

4. Messaging is the new frontier for marketing

Finally, Apple Messages for Business changes the game not just for CX, but also for marketing. Communicating with customers over Apple Messages for Business creates an end-to-end funnel which allows marketers to drive traffic, increase sales, and nurture ongoing relationships on a 1:1 basis. We can’t overstate how significant this is: Apple Messages for Business enables marketers to build, own, and control the entire customer experience—all in the same channel. The marketers who take advantage now will reap big rewards in the long run.