After rolling out the ability to message customers via Google My Business, Google is now expanding Business Messages to all kinds of businesses.
As part of its effort to help brands provide better customer support and help people develop more loyalty to those brands, Google started rolling out the ability to message customers through Google Maps and Search, via Google My Business. Messaging has become such an essential way for businesses to connect with customers that the number of businesses that are messaging via Google right now has doubled compared to last year.
As a result, Google has announced it’s expanding Business Messages in Maps and Search to now support “all kinds of businesses,” letting them integrate Business Messages directly with their customer service platforms.
Related | Google Brings Fact-Checking To Google Images
“Business Messages provides brands a comprehensive messaging solution across Android devices, and through Maps on iOS,” explains Jake Mintz Senior Product Manager for Business Messages at Google.
“To improve connections with customers, we’ve recently introduced new smart replies, visual product carousels, and unique welcome messages. There’s also a smooth transition from automated replies to a customer service agent, so that it’s not disruptive when the customer messages a business.”
Companies like Woolworths, Walmart, and MyGov have been the first to try the new Business Messages feature, helping them make customer care more effective and efficient, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some other brands are also using Business Messages to sell products, and answer customer questions, during the sales process. “Mattress Firm, with messaging partner Podium, is successfully selling mattresses directly through Business Messages by sharing videos and product information, even while stores were closed due to COVID-19,” explains Mintz.
“DISH, with partner [24]7.ai, has seen a reduction of more than 22 percent in average handle time using Business Messages features compared to other messaging channels.”
Business Messages will also soon be available on mobile websites so that customers can quickly “Message” a brand from within its site. Furthermore, the system will offer the same smart automated replies feature offered with Business Messages, together with a connection to a live agent.
The Business Messages feature is currently only available in English, while support in other languages will launch soon. Brands and messaging partners are able to sign up to access the Business Messages API, and partners are ready to help any brand optimize their messaging with their customers.
Messaging can, of course, still be managed through Google My Business.
You might also like
More from Google
Google Product Studio Lets Merchants Create Product Imagery With Generative AI
Google is launching Product Studio, a new tool that lets merchants create product imagery for free, using generative AI. Google Product …
Google Will Delete Accounts That Have Been Inactive For Two Years
Google said it plans to delete account that have not accessed any of its services for two years, as part …
Google I/O Keynote Round-Up: All-In On AI
During its I/O keynote, Google showed off its latest advances in AI, across search, photo editor and Bard, its own …
No More Passwords, Google Is Rolling Out Passkeys Globally
You no longer require a password to sign in on to your Google account, with passkeys rolling out to all …
You Can Now Create Custom Voices With Google Cloud Text-to-Speech API
Google Cloud has announced a new feature within its TTS API that lets users generate a unique, new synthetic voice …
Google Replaces Classic Hangouts With Chat On Workspace
On March 22, users attempting to access Google's Hangouts chat services will automatically be redirected to Google Chat instead.
Google Rolls Out New Search Filters To All Users On Drive
Almost two years after introducing search chips into Gmail, Google has now announced the rollout of supportive filters to Google …
Google Unveils Early Access To Chrome OS Flex For PCs And Macs
Google has announced early access to Chrome OS Flex, a new version of Chrome OS that will bring the benefits …
Google Releases Free ‘Workspace Essentials Starter’ Plan
Google has announced that it is releasing a new free plan to allow users on other services to access basic …
