Top 5 messaging services for your business

Messaging services are one of the best ways you can keep in touch with your customers. You can use these services to boost customer intimacy, improve engagement, and even market to your recipients.

You can use messaging services for customer support and keep your clients in the know with new updates on features and new releases. More importantly, messaging offers a seamless, constant flow of conversation that you won’t get with sending emails.

Read on to find out more.

How to Choose a Messaging Service?

Choosing a messaging service for your business can be a challenging task. However, there are a couple of things you need to consider before selecting a messaging service. That includes;

• Your business needs
• The solutions the messaging service offers
• The features you get
• How helpful their customer service team is
• Your budget
• Who is it for- your customers or your team?

There are numerous messaging services that you can choose for your business. Here are the five most popular ones;

1. WhatsApp

If you are looking for the number one messaging app for your business, then WhatsApp is it. Apart from attracting the most users compared to other messaging services, you can turn your account into a business account.

The advanced features make it super easy for you to automate. Plus, you can sort your messages and respond to the most urgent ones. Plus, your customers can view your status updates, and you can let them know of any changes, updates, or new releases.

More importantly, you can use it to keep in touch with your employees and other frontline workers for business emergencies. Also, instead of the usual string of numbers you get with SMS messages, your WhatsApp business is tied to a single local phone number and gives you a chance to brand your business profile.

2. Messenger

Facebook’s Messenger is the second most popular messaging service, with at least 1.3 billion people using it. When you create a business profile page with Facebook, your Facebook Messenger is enabled. Additionally, Messenger has a business inbox that makes messaging convenient, secure, and fast for you.

You can seamlessly connect with anyone across the globe privately and complete secure business transactions. Plus, you can use it to answer your client’s frequently asked questions using automated responses. And if a customer books an appointment with you, you can send follow-ups and reminders. That way, you keep users engaged for extended amounts of time.

3. We Chat

China’s WeChat comes in third for popular messaging services. It has at least 1.2 billion users surpassing Instagram by more than 200000 users. Although most active users are in China, you can still reach over 70 million users outside China.

There are a couple of factors that make this service popular. One, this messaging service serves as a link between Chinese speaking clients and your business. That’s because you cannot use other messaging services like WhatsApp for messaging clients in China. Additionally, this can allow you to break into the Chinese market and reach a whole new audience.

But that’s not all. WeChat acts as a nifty app where you get more than one service. That means you get more than just messaging. You can also use it for making digital payments. This service is available in at least 20 countries.

Plus, the mini-programs (think of it as apps within the app) this app offers can come in handy for numerous other tasks. You can recreate apps, share online games, offer promotions, and much more. However, if you need to connect with clients in China and WeChat is not an option, you can consider using Signal, which offers excellent encrypted messaging services.

4. Skype

Skype is part of Microsoft Office Suite developed by Microsoft. With Skype, you can use the basic free plans or go for paid ones, especially if you want to use mobile calls. However, Skype works best for smaller businesses.

If you have a more significant business, you should consider using Skype for Business. It offers more advanced features and better services. For instance, you can integrate it with other applications for Office 365 like SharePoint, PowerPoint, and OutLook.

Plus, you get enterprise-level security and account management.  Unfortunately, you can no longer download this app. Microsoft is replacing it with Microsoft Teams. But if you already have it installed, you can use Skype for Business to;

• Share files
• Broadcast online meetings
• Instant messaging
• Hold HD video conferencing.
• Voice calls
• Record calls
• Whiteboard collaboration

5. Telegram

Most businesses view Telegram as a more official business messaging service. Well, that’s no wonder since it boasts some of the most advanced features that make it easier for businesses to reach out. For instance, you can use Telegram across all mobile, tablet, and desktop versions, including iOS.

Additionally, you can use this messaging service to influence its audience as a new frontier in marketing. It’s secure (with double-layered encryption), free, and you can seamlessly broadcast to an unlimited number of people at a go in a single channel.

Plus, you may find the additional feature of self-destructive messaging quite helpful if you share critical messages or time-sensitive ones that you would instead not shared with a third party (accidentally or otherwise). That way, you can set a timeline you are comfortable with and enjoy this self-deleting feature.

What Are The Advantages Of One To One Messaging As Opposed To Group Messaging Services?

In the U.S alone, at least 77 percent of its population (or even higher) have smartphones. People use messaging apps and social media like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Skype to communicate frequently. That means you can easily reach them and receive a fast reply as opposed to sending emails.

But why go for one to one messaging instead of group messaging services like Slack? The answer is simple. If you want to engage your clients longer, then a one to one messaging service is more appropriate.

It makes the conversation more private and ideal for an intimate discussion. You cannot get this with group messaging. You get a constant flow of dialogue quickly, and you can always pick up where you left off.

What Are The Disadvantages?

With one to one messaging, you can easily mix business with private communication. Also, not all one to one messaging services offer enterprise data protection. It’s easy for these services to access your confidential data.

Although most services can assure you of privacy with end to end encryption for all conversations, it’s still not enough. Your messaging content is not confidential.

Additionally, where group chats allow you to communicate with everyone in a single channel, one to one messaging does not. Plus, it takes time to interact with each person and reply to all their messages.

Sorting these messages also poses a significant challenge. Unless the messaging service you choose can automate these processes, you will have a hard time interacting with that service.

Final thoughts

Messaging has become a necessary part of business engagement. Through it, you can get most of your tasks done or automated. More importantly, messaging can make your business feel more humane than it would have when using chatbots.

Plus, you can answer some of the most frequently asked questions your clients have personally and provide more information than a chatbot could have. With the tips and highlights shared, you may be able to pick your business’s messaging service effortlessly.

source https://www.jbklutse.com/top-5-messaging-services-for-your-business/