Facebook Messenger can be a real help or a real annoyance, depending on which side of the chat box you’re on.
There’s been lots of chatter in many of the forums we follow about adding Facebook Messenger to websites as a method of customers being able to reach out to businesses. In theory, it’s an interesting concept; the ability for consumers to easily reach out for support and service in a platform and method they’re familiar with is genius on the surface.
BUT, there’s always a “but.”
Have you considered how the customers feel about receiving messages on the platform, especially if they’re unsolicited? Have you considered the increased opportunity for hackers?
Customers often won’t open, or may even detest receiving offers via Facebook Messenger. There’s been higher rates over the past year of viruses and hacking via the Facebook Messenger app, and it’s made people leery of even opening messages there. Take for example, this post seen on Newsfeed this week. How do you think this person will react to having messages sent to them from businesses? And with that type of response, unless the human is a real life friend or massively avid fan of your business, you won’t be getting through and your efforts will be ineffective (they may even have the opposite effect.)
Take caution with how you use Facebook Messenger because potential customers are already leery about being hacked.
Just food for thought before you jump on the bandwagon. There are some really cool things you can do with it, like updating your customers on their order progress or increasing your brand loyalty by giving clients a direct connection to ask for help. Just be cool, and don’t throw stuff at them that they don’t ask for.
Exercise caution and use your good business sense to help you decide.
If you’re really set on adding Facebook Messenger to your website, there’s an article over on Elegant Themes that talks about some of the interesting things you can do with it and how to accomplish it using a plugin. Just remember to treat those strangers the way you’d like to be treated.
