The Ultimate Guide to Customer Engagement Using Facebook Messenger

If I told you there’s an app that can help your business reach more than 900 million people, works the same on any mobile device and can plug directly into your website, it might sound too good to be true, right? But using Meta’s Messenger to engage customers gives you access to all these possibilities.

In short, Messenger’s potential as a customer engagement channel is huge–something that 40 million companies across the globe are already capitalizing on.

Providing superior digital experiences doesn’t necessarily mean having a presence on every possible engagement channel—it’s key to understand where your audience hangs out. The latest data shows that 44.3% of Messenger users are aged between 25 and 44, meaning that it’s the ideal platform for companies targeting Millennials and Gen X.

What are Some of the Key Benefits of Messenger?

Private messaging channels all offer customers ease of access to businesses in the same way we communicate with friends and family, but each has its own unique features that can supercharge your customer engagement strategies.

Simple Web Integration

Messenger can provide the easy access offered by live chat, but with all the features that are synonymous with private messaging channels. Plugging Messenger into a desktop or mobile site means customers aren’t tied to the website and can communicate with businesses using the same personalized and rich-media available when interacting with friends and family.

Convenient Conversations

Messenger is device and session agnostic, meaning all conversations are asynchronous. Companies and customers can pause and start conversations at their convenience or when more information is available. These conversations can also happen on any device—whether the customer is using their cell phone, tablet or computer.

Effortless Automation

It’s a platform with automation in its DNA—creating personalized, customizable experiences is easy. Messenger can be proactive in helping people to change flights, track packages, or even be used as a proactive marketing tool. 

Three Messenger Features to Enhance Your CX Strategy

Guest Mode

As well as working across multiple devices, customers don’t even need to be logged into Messenger to contact a business. Guest Mode gives users a temporary account when they’re visiting a website and have 24 hours to continue the conversation. It’s a feature that ensures customers get the same level of experience no matter what their situation is.

Personalized eCommerce

Meta capitalized on the popularity of mobile-first shopping with its Shops feature. Messenger is threaded through the entire buying process, from acquisition to dispatch notifications. While showcasing a company’s products, Messenger also becomes a shop assistance, payment service and advertising billboard capable of engaging new and current customers.

Proactive notifications

One of the key features of messaging channels is the personalized service they enable companies to offer. With Messenger, Message Tags allow customizable, bespoke experiences to update customers with messages around post-purchase tracking, appointment reminders or account updates.

How to Utilize CX Automation for Superior Customer Experiences on Messenger

Digital messaging channels offer more utility than simply being another channel for customer queries. They can be integral at every stage of the customer journey—from acquiring new customers to proactive customer care. Messenger’s integration with Meta’s other suite of platforms makes it the ideal tool for companies across multiple industries to build long-lasting and loyal customer relationships.

Retail: Click-to-Messenger Adverts

Adverts across Meta’s platform enable businesses to send leads straight into Messenger or Instagram DMs. Using images, videos, or carousels, a tap takes customers into a conversation with your business.

How it works

1. Target a customer with Click-to-Messenger (CTM) ads
2. Use an automated flow to guide them through the purchase process
3. Take a payment without leaving the channel
4. Customers are updated at every stage of the fulfilment process.

Why it works

• Better ROI: CTM adverts can offer a higher return for less spend. A recent Lego Christmas Campaign that combined ads with a bespoke bot saw 31% cheaper conversions compared to other types of conversion-based adverts and a 6x return on spending.
• Conversations Remain in Channel: The beauty of customer acquisition through CTM ads is that a relationship begins in Messenger and can stay there for the entire relationship. Consumers can browse, pay for and track their order within the same conversation and companies can send personalized notifications for future purchases all in the same place.

Travel: Flight Delays or Cancellations

For airlines, flights are often delayed or cancelled. However, it’s how they deal with it that’s likely to have the largest influence on the customer’s experience—rather than the disruption itself. By building automation that proactively handles an issue before a passenger knows it’s happening, tools such as Messenger can be key to building loyal relationships.

How it works

1. Customer receives an update on their flight status via Messenger
2. Intelligent Virtual Assistant asks a series of questions to determine the customer’s next steps
3. The passenger changes flight to one offered in-channel or is deflected to an agent for further assistance.

Why it works

• Self-service: Well-designed automation saves customers time and businesses money. Verint’s 2023 State of Digital CX found that 47% of people believe one of the biggest benefits of chatbots is they resolve issues faster. It’s up to travel companies to build bot flows that deliver a satisfying resolution or can deflect to an agent quickly and easily.

• Scalable and convenient: Channels such as Messenger are built to handle high volumes. Agents can handle multiple conversations concurrently, working alongside automation and AI to reduce pressure on a contact center. Since replacing live chat with Messenger on its website, Mexican airline Volaris saw a reduction in average handling time by nearly one-third, and 14.5% of all conversations were resolved by bots without any need for intervention by a human agent.

Financial Services: Appointment Bookings

The role of the bank branch is changing. Verint’s Banking VXI report found that only 37% of new accounts are opened in-person, but more than half favor a human interaction to resolve an issue. Customers have less need for tellers in-branch and are more likely to need expert advice; however, digital channels still have a large role to play in connecting the customer journey, using messaging to provide important information and enable customers to book face-to-face appointments when needed.

How it works

1. Customer books one-to-one appointment in-app during a conversation in Messenger
2. The bank shares updates, reminders and directions in the same conversation
3. Appointment follow-up messages can be sent, including feedback and the chance to book future sessions.

Why it works

• Tailored Communication: Financial institutions can ensure attendance with tailored appointment reminders with relevant content, directions and branch information offering an effortless luxury experience. Post-appointment feedback requests help to ensure experiences are consistently improving.
• Staff Forecasting: Having a better understanding of traffic in the branch means that banks can schedule the right staff at the right time and service walk-in customers, as well as those with scheduled appointments.

Find Out More About Verint Messaging

Access to Messenger gives businesses the opportunity to engage nearly 1 billion consumers worldwide, with a suite of features that helps to build long-lasting relationships.

Alongside channels like WhatsApp, Instagram Messages and Google Business Messages, this platform is among a collection of modern digital channels designed for customer engagement. It’s not essential to be on all of them, just those which are best suited to your specific audience.

You can learn more about what these channels can do for your business and your customers at Verint Messaging.