Zendesk offers Instagram messaging for businesses

With use of social media channels between consumers and brands becoming more frequent, the new API will mean that businesses can now provide customer service on Instagram from directly within Zendesk.

Companies that use Zendesk will now be able to provide quicker, more streamlined experiences to customers that choose to send queries or respond to stories via Instagram.

Situations that could be improved using the new integration include requests for order and shipment statuses, and queries about a product or promotion that was shared via an Instagram story. In both cases, information will remain in the conversation history, eliminating the need for customers to switch to another channel.

According to Zendesk’s yearly Benchmark report, messaging apps have the highest customer satisfaction rating of any channel, with a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of 98%.

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“At Zendesk, we work to make it easy for brands to communicate with customers across any channel, and social media is quickly becoming the preference,” said Mike Gozzo, vice-president of product at Zendesk. “All social messaging conversations can easily flow into one place inside Zendesk.

“With its tremendous popularity, Instagram is a key addition so businesses can serve customers who reach out on Instagram in a more timely, consistent and personal manner.”

Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, vice-president of platform partnerships at Messenger, commented: “We are thrilled Zendesk is launching support for Instagram messaging. Businesses and people are messaging with each other more than ever, and Instagram is a critical platform to connect with customers and build relationships.

“Messenger API support for Instagram means businesses and developers can now manage their customer communications on Instagram at scale.”

The new integration from Zendesk is currently available to a limited number of customers in early access, with more details on broader availability to come in 2021.

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Aaron Hurst

Aaron Hurst is Information Age's senior reporter, providing news and features around the hottest trends across the tech industry.