Tag: business messaging

Text Messaging for Government: How to Connect With Citizens

Posted on The Quiq Team

It’s more than just reporting potholes. Cities are transforming through the use of 311 by providing citizens with information on anything and everything – from where they can take defensive driving, to when the library on Main Street opens, to getting building permits. When citizens need non-emergency government information, 311 is quickly becoming where they turn. Since its inception, 311 has evolved with technological advances into a multi-channel service that connects citizens with their government, while also providing a wealth of data that improves how cities are run.

Cities are now thinking about 311 as if citizens are customers, and doing a lot of the same things you see innovators in the private sector doing today. Ideas that embrace user-centered design and improved customer experience are becoming a focal point of local government’s strategy.

As a growing number of businesses recognize the ubiquitous nature of messaging, municipalities are asking themselves how they can adopt text messaging as a means to provide better service to their constituents.

Text messaging is surfacing as a clear way to better service by:

  • Reducing wait times for citizens to reach advocates within the 311 call center,
  • Facilitating more effective connections by enabling the ability to instantly collaborate with the right department staff, and
  • Permitting citizens to send pictures, links, and videos to better communicate their concerns

The need for text messaging for government

These are lofty goals to pursue considering the constraints that most 311 departments operate under. If you’re like most 311 departments, you’re running pretty thin and have to do more with less. According to research conducted by the City of Minneapolis, cities that have over 600,000 citizens are fielding an average of 24,150 calls per agent/advocate per year, or close to 70 calls a day. What this all boils down to is when budget cuts occur and service levels spike, everyone suffers.

Before 311, routing phone calls and emails to the right department (hopefully) was the only way to connect with a municipality. There was a lack of consistency, coordination, and citizen focus when handling requests for information and services. Now with 311, citizens have a central place to get the help they need, but the challenge now lies with managing the volume of calls, and delivering a consistently high-quality citizen experience at a good value to taxpayers.

This is the driving force for many municipalities to look at text messaging for government departments as a means to hand large call volumes at a fraction of the cost. As a larger number of people become more comfortable with text messaging as a primary method of communications, both public and private sector organizations will need to adjust.

Improving Citizen Satisfaction through Messaging

Naturally, today’s citizens want to be able to interact with government from their phones ortablets, wherever and whenever they want. Quiq can help you deliver consistently high-quality information and service regardless of the communication channel.

Public sector clients clearly see how Quiq Messaging delivers major improvements to 311 operations:

Greater responsiveness

Accessibility through SMS/Text, Facebook Messenger,  and Web Chat means that citizens are able to submit inquiries or request services using their preferred channel. The ability to attach pictures and links to conversations, a feature most smartphone users are comfortable with in any of these channels, makes each message more effective and helps municipalities understand the issue more clearly and therefore respond more quickly and appropriately.

Agents are able to handle multiple sessions at once, so several customers can be served by one advocate. Solutions like email and phone calls, which can only be handled 1-on-1, typically result in wait times, voicemails, back and forths, and abandoned calls.  With Quiq Messaging, 311 advocates can be working six or more simultaneous text conversations, resolving citizen inquiries faster and more effectively than ever.

Increased transparency

Earning trust and the favorable opinion of citizens can support a strong future for a city. Increased transparency and better communication helps achieve those goals. Cities with improved communications that deliver exceptional customer service attracts more residents, visitors, and businesses because people recognize that the city is responsive and makes customer experience a priority.

Governments can increase transparency and open the lines of communication with Quiq Messaging. Municipalities can send outbound messages to alert neighborhoods of shutoffs to repair water lines or car owners to use off street parking as city plows prepare for winter storms. Citizens can also be alerted of community events, which bolster the local economy by encouraging businesses and citizens to partake.

Providing citizens with the ability to communicate with local government through platforms they already use like text messaging, Facebook and Kik empowers citizens to easily file a report whenever they spot a problem. Collectively, the data that citizens submit through these platforms create a citywide sensing network that gives city officials transparency to where resources need to be deployed.    

Reduced time and cost per inquiry

In 2011, it cost taxpayers in the city of Minneapolis $9.15 for each 311 report. Every broken spotlight reported and question about permits and licenses carried the same burden. As labor and benefit costs continue to increase, the price tag to request government services through 311 have escalated.

One of the biggest hurdles many municipalities face is the cost to run a 311 call center. Staffing 311 call centers with well trained agents increases the cost per contact. These agents, however, can still only handle one call at a time. Deflecting calls to messaging means that costs drop dramatically to pennies per call as text messaging is a far cheaper communication channel and agents are able to handle multiple calls at once.

Employing text messaging has the possibility to touch every dimension of government—from emergency response to public health, and from policing to disability services. Leveraging this technology today can help build a stronger community tomorrow.

Quiq Messaging can help you reduce costs, facilitate more effective customer service by reducing the time to connect with the customer, and enable instant collaboration with the right department staff. Request a demo to see how easily your municipality can implement Quiq messaging.

Update citizens with alerts

It’s important for citizens to stay up to date about what happens in their communities. With a single mass text comprised of a few words, government representatives can send notifications to thousands of people at one time. This standardizes communication and minimizes delays, allowing citizens to access the information they need quickly, right from their mobile devices.

For example, citizens may need to be notified right away about city-related schedule changes and public safety issues. Municipalities can make sure their citizens receive accurate information in a timely manner with the help of SMS texts. Common alerts used by governments may include:

  • Street parking information: If there are any street parking adjustments due to law changes, street cleanings, construction, or other significant events, a quick SMS message can keep nearby residents informed. Municipalities may also provide information on local road closures and detours.
  • Severe weather information: Incoming snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms can delay travel and pose safety risks. Weather alerts and preparation directories help people stay up to date in case of emergencies.
  • Public safety issues: Quiq SMS messaging solutions allow government agencies to alert citizens of potential public safety issues immediately. Instead of having to turn on the television or check online, residents can simply look at their phone notifications for the answers they need.

Support safety net programs

SMS marketing solutions for governments help agents reach out to residents about local and federal safety net programs. Citizens who may have specific financial or healthcare needs can register to have details sent directly to their mobile devices.

For example, SMS and MMS marketing can extend to SnapFresh benefits. If someone uses food stamps to put meals on the table each month, a quick message can make them aware of nearby stores that accept food stamps. This is an easy way for residents to access affordable grocery items without having to go from store to store looking for support.

Government agencies can also send messages regarding low-income healthcare programs such as Medicaid. This support helps residents learn more about affordable healthcare, and it’s easier to stay in touch with these citizens throughout the year using SMS messaging platforms. SMS text communication benefits the local community while saving time for agents who may have other responsibilities.

Answer Citizen Queries With Quiq

Thanks to Quiq technology, government agencies can gather contact lists and send out mass text messages to the public without having to waste time or resources. Municipality residents deserve to have the information they need at their fingertips, and engagement is easier than ever with the help of SMS communication, social media messaging, app messaging, and live chat. Messaging solutions empower both support representatives and citizens to communicate and develop more beneficial relationships.

Quiq offers a platform designed to appeal to municipality and government communication requirements. For more information, contact us today.

Apple Messages for Business Feature: What is Apple Message Suggest?

Posted on Lauren Winder

Back in early 2018, Apple introduced Apple Messages for Business. Business Messages is a powerful new way for organizations to connect with customers directly from within the Messages app. In iOS 13, Apple has added Message Suggest, which makes Apple Messages for Business easier for customers to discover.

Previously, Apple Messages for Business was offered from Apple Spotlight Search, Apple Maps, and on a company’s Contact Us page. But many customers find companies in Google search results. Apple Message Suggest makes Apple Messages for Business available in search results and anywhere else in which a customer might call from their iPhone.

Apple Message Suggest is a prompt for iPhone users that helps them initiate a text conversation with a business through Apple Messages for Business. It provides an alternative to calling during business hours and waiting on hold to talk directly to a contact center agent.

Message Suggest appears as a pop-up message when an Apple iPhone user taps on a business phone number. iPhone users will see two tappable buttons, one of which is to confirm they want to initiate a call with the Phone app. Above the call prompt is a messaging icon with a customizable call-to-action that takes customers to their native Messages app when tapped. Message Suggest also displays a company icon and verified badge to confirm the registered business’s identity.

Companies already using Apple Messages for Business can take advantage of this feature for their high call volume phone numbers by contacting their Quiq representative. Apple does the rest, triggering the Message Suggest interface for users with iOS 13 and above.

Apple Message Suggest features

Message Suggest offers convenience for customers and a way for companies to capture actionable engagement data for their customer relationship management software. It allows you to:

  • Trigger the Message Suggest UI on your brand’s website with a tappable telephone link. As long as you use the proper phone URL scheme, you can also offer app users the option to chat with text messaging.
  • Collect and measure Message Suggest volume. By capturing how many users tap the Business Chat option on Message Suggest, Apple helps calculate your conversion rate and your call to messaging ratio.
  • Share rich messaging exchanges with customers. Message Suggest shifts inbound inquiries to Messages for Business, a familiar text channel that offers more control over when and how customers respond. Rich media messaging also opens more direct lines of service between customers and employee representatives.

Do your customers call you? If you are one of the handful of companies where you don’t engage with consumers over the phone, skip ahead. For the rest of the world, let’s get real. Wouldn’t it be great to reduce the number of inbound phone calls and to shift consumers to messaging? Yes. Yes, it would.

According to Statista, there are currently more than 100 million iPhone users in the United States, accounting for about 45% of all smartphone users in the United States. It’s a safe bet to assume that at least half of your customers have iPhones and they all want to use the convenience of messaging to contact you. Apple Messages for Business is built into iMessage and included with every iOS-enabled device there’s a huge market to address.

Message Suggest for iPhone became available when Apple iOS 13 was introduced, ushering in a new way for your customers to engage with your brand. When customers tap on any of your registered business phone numbers, a small window called a phone sheet appears allowing your customers to choose between voice and messaging.

By tapping on the “messaging” icon customers can contact you through Messages for Business in the Messages app. Your customers have immediate access to messaging with your company which reduces phone call volume to your contact center.

The benefit of Message Suggest to businesses

Messaging offers a better agent to customer concurrency ratio compared with either voice or live chat. Brands reduce their contact center operational costs by launching Message Suggest.

By enabling Message Suggest, you can:

  • Deflect calls before they reach your IVR queue
  • Reduce voice support costs by shifting call volume to messaging
  • Improve agent concurrency with messaging, enabling agents to manage 6 or more conversations at a time
  • Increase customer satisfaction by reducing wait times and getting cut-off in mid-conversation on phone lines
  • Better customer experience with built-in features, such as Apple Pay, list pickers, time pickers, and Augmented Reality

Do more than a phone call ever could with Apple Messages for Business. Have you ever tried sending an image over the phone? Not possible. Have you ever tried to schedule an appointment over the phone? Painful. Have you ever tried to take payment over the phone? Not the most secure. With Apple Messages for Business, everything is possible, private, secure, and most importantly, easy.

Think about it from your customers’ perspective. If you were in their shoes, do you want a phone call to be the only option offered? What if you are going into a meeting, headed to pick up kids, hanging out with friends? Do you really want to call a business, navigate a phone tree, wait on hold, and then have to talk to at least one person to get a question answered? No. You don’t.

Stopping everything to make a phone call is quite possibly one of the least convenient things to do today. Our lives are too busy to sit down and focus on just one thing.

Before

After

As you can see from the screenshots, one of our clients, Brinks Home Security, has already taken advantage of Message Suggest. Now, when consumers tap on Brinks phone number from their Apple device, they are presented with the option to message or text in addition to call.

If you are interested in taking advantage of Apple Messages for Business and offering to message to your customers, there are 2 steps. The first is to identify what Apple calls a Customer Service Provider, or CSP, and the second is to create a Business Chat account.

  1. A Customer Service Platform (CSP) is required to connect your business to the Business Messages service. A CSP provides the software and services necessary to allow your agents to respond to customer messages sent from the Messages app on Apple devices. Fortunately for you, Quiq is already an approved CSP and has many clients live on Apple Messages for Business.
  2. Register with Apple and create a Business Chat account (BCA). Quiq will be your guide throughout this process.

A significant shift in the way consumers communicate with brands is happening, with Apple leading the charge. Message Suggest takes Apple Messages for Business to the next level by proactively offering consumers the option to chat/message with a company instead of calling. Your customers will be happier and your business will be more efficient!

As an authorized Apple Customer Service Provider, Quiq helps brands present their customers with consistently jaw-dropping customer experiences across SMS/text messaging, Apple Messages for Business, Google Rich Business Messaging, web chat, and social channels.

With Quiq’s Conversational Engagement Platform, companies can easily orchestrate commerce and service conversations involving both bots and humans. For more information about Quiq, contact us today.

Q: Which devices display the Message Suggest phone sheet?

Message Suggest appears on iPhones with iOS 13 or higher installed.

Q: What can be customized with Message Suggest?

Each registered phone number in Message Suggest can have its intent ID, group ID, and body parameter customized. You can also create custom call-to-action texts and display chat hours. Quiq can help you customize these configurations to fit your needs.

Q: On my website or app, can I have buttons or text-formatted phone numbers bring up the Message Suggest UI?

No. Apple requires you to use a certain telephone URL format for Safari mobile browsers and native apps. Talk to a Quiq representative for additional information.

Apple Messages for Business is a powerful way to deliver a positive, engaging experience for customers, and the right platform makes rich messaging management seamless. Quiq representatives will help you register with Apple Messages for Business and implement the service within your system. Request a demo of Quiq to get started today.

What is Rich Messaging? Everything You Need to Know

Posted on The Quiq Team

If you’ve never heard of this technology, then your first question is most likely, “What is Rich Messaging?”  That’s exactly why we wrote this piece. In this article, we will dive into the topic of rich messaging and all of its capabilities and implications. After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of what rich messaging is, why it is an exciting technology, and the capabilities it brings to both businesses and consumers.

What Is Rich Messaging?

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a method of communication between a smartphone and a cellular service carrier. This messaging protocol aims to replace standard SMS messages with upgraded, interactive messages and supports person-to-person or business-to-person transmission. Senders can attach high-resolution photos and other multimedia to enhance the recipient’s experience.

RCS is likely to be the SMS successor in personal communications and business outreach. SMS messages do not respond as well to encrypted media, handle group chats, or enable other features like read receipts. They also require a cellular connection, which can be limiting. Though SMS is still around, RCS is becoming increasingly popular for personal use and business operations as companies utilize external RCS apps like WhatsApp and Facebook messenger.

There are many ways that RCS impacts businesses directly. Rich messaging means that businesses now have the ability to:

  • Capture new customers
  • Service customers directly via text, chat, or social media messaging
  • Interact with customers in real-time

All of this happens within the messaging conversation with the support of rich media and features that elevate the messaging experience. RCS helps create a solidified and branded experience across all devices since it does not depend upon the recipient’s network.

In this article, we will dive into the topic of rich RCS messaging and all of its capabilities and implications. After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of what rich RCS messaging is, why it is an exciting technology and the capabilities it brings to both businesses and consumers.

Why Expanding Communication Channels Is Important for Businesses

In today’s fast-paced, dynamic marketplace, it is crucial to develop communication channels with your customers in a way that is convenient for them and facilitates lightening fast conversations. Consumers in the modern era are incredibly busy, tech-savvy, and have a massive amount of information at their fingertips. They are not interested in spending any amount of time, unless absolutely necessary, calling a company for help.

Businesses are constantly looking for the next technology that is going to improve and expand conversation, facilitate high-quality customer interactions, and give them an edge over their competitors. That is why more and more businesses are increasingly turning to messaging and rich messaging.

Rich messaging is the next evolution of text messaging, otherwise known as short messaging service (SMS). It is startling to think that the first text message was sent nearly 30 years ago, and yet the experience has not changed much — until the introduction of RCS rich communication messages, that is.

Text messaging has grown in popularity in recent years, specifically as the most common technology used on a daily basis to communicate with family and friends. SMS/text messaging has just as rapidly gained popularity in consumer-to-business communications. Business messaging has quickly gained a foothold as the preferred way to contact companies versus placing phone calls. The next evolution of SMS/text messaging is rich messaging. Let’s dig in some more to rich sms!

How Google and Apple Approach Rich Text Messaging

When we talk about rich messaging, there are two providers, one for iPhone and one for Android devices. Apple and Google are the two giants in the communication space. These two providers are both offering great features via rich messaging; they are just going about it a little differently.

Google and Apple are investing massive resources to convince carriers to adopt the rich messaging protocol.  In order to strengthen the relationship with consumers, consumer-oriented businesses are now utilizing technology that both increases meaningful conversation and decreases the inefficiencies of traditional communication methods, like email and phone calls.

Rich messaging is not one of the messaging chat apps like WhatsApp or WeChat. Rich messaging or RCS rich communications is the next stage in text messaging technology that comes with features like read-receipts, group chat, image sharing, video calls, and a never-ending supply of GIFs, emoticons, and animated features.

Apple’s Approach to Rich Messaging

The Apple approach enables businesses to offer a direct line of communication for customers to engage via Apple Business Chat. While Apple uses the word “chat” in their feature, it is really messaging.  To digress a moment, web chat or live chat is when consumers engage with a company on desktop devices versus using messaging or Apple Business Chat on their mobile device.

Getting back to Apple Business Chat, a few of the rich messaging capabilities available are the ability to present product choices to customers in a tap-to-pick list, offer calendar availability to allow for appointment scheduling, as well as the ability to complete secure financial transactions using Apple Pay.

Google’s Approach to RCS Messaging

Google has come to market with Google Rich Business Messaging (RBM). The Google approach is to work directly with the carriers to encourage them to adopt the rich communication protocols versus Apple opening up the gates directly to businesses on their platform. The native messaging experience Google offers Android devices also offers exciting rich messaging capabilities such as the ability to share real-time updates, book appointments, and complete transactions within the messaging conversation.

A growing number of organizations are taking advantage of these features. Chicago’s transit system uses the Android approach to allow customers to get directions and arrival times. Redbox is letting their customers browse their product availability, reserve their choices, and locate a station, all within the Android platform. Overstock is using rich messaging to allow customers to receive order information like purchase, shipping, and delivery confirmation, as well as presenting a product review survey.

The Benefits of RCS Messaging Services for Businesses

Messaging and chat applications have provided businesses proof that engaging with consumers in more meaningful ways is one of the keys to driving sales and repeat purchases. RCS business messaging is a great way to interact with customers in a convenient way that is above the noise of all the other chat apps now populating the conversation infrastructure.

Businesses of all sizes can utilize rich messaging to create a more holistic conversation with their customers across multiple networks, from any device. This opens up a lot of opportunities for businesses to improve their brand image, optimize their customer service, increase customer satisfaction, and gain deeper insights into the pain points of their consumers. Below are some of the specific advantages you will gain from using RCS messaging.

1. Cost-Effectiveness

When you use rich messaging, you know you will gain competitive business advantages through a solution that is easy on your budget. The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has implemented a universal profile that pulls APIs, display formats, and brings other technological complexities together into one economical and easy-to-use format.

Rich messaging also helps your organization save money by reducing customer support costs. When consumers need to talk to someone at your business, they can speak to knowledgeable agents through your rich messaging platform. You will reduce the need to provide the hardware and staffing required to run a full customer service call center, and you will be able to use those savings to invest in other areas of your business.

2. Real-Time Insights

Using rich messaging, companies gain access to conversation analytics that provide the real-time insights they need for improvement and success. Rich messaging also provides reports on click rates and other helpful interaction metrics.

Businesses can use rich messaging’s real-time capabilities to keep consumers informed and satisfied. You might provide them with real-time order confirmation, delivery updates, and product announcements, for instance.

3. Increased Engagement

credit union member messagingText message marketing through rich messaging enables businesses to boost consumer engagement through rewarding communications. Using rich messaging, your company will engage in meaningful conversations through SMS marketing and business texts that keep consumers informed about and interested in your brand. Your business might also use rich messaging to drive loyalty programs that engage and retain customers.

4. Streamlined Shopping, Scheduling, and Paying

One integral benefit of rich messaging is its enhancement of various consumer activities, from online shopping to appointment scheduling to making payments.

Rich messaging platforms transform the way customers shop by making online purchases more fun and convenient than ever before. They give consumers options for browsing, selecting, and purchasing items, all within the convenient messaging window. When shoppers have questions, support agents are readily available and have a full suite of tools, such as video options, at their disposal to enhance consumer shopping conversations.

Consumers can also schedule appointments with just a few clicks of their mouse and pay for products and services with platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal.

5. Security

In addition to streamlining connections between your organization and its consumers, rich messaging offers dependable security and peace of mind. Rich messaging provides a secure, protected environment for fruitful conversations to take place.

Today’s consumers often seek out trustworthy businesses that have stringent data privacy measures to protect sensitive data. Rich messaging offers consumers the confidence of knowing their messages are going through a reputable organization with enhanced security protocols.

6. Repeat Purchases

Rich messaging tends to make repeat purchases easier and more likely. When consumers experience seamless, convenient shopping through a rich messaging platform, they are more likely to return for future purchases. If a business uses its rich messaging capabilities to develop quality customer loyalty programs, it will boost customer retention and repeat purchases even further.

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How Companies Are Successfully Using Rich Messaging

A highly regarded aspect of rich messaging is the diversity of interactions between consumers and businesses. There are a few different ways that companies use rich messaging in everyday interactions with their consumers.

One example of rich messaging is online chat boxes that pop up when shopping. These chat boxes turn questions or concerns into actionable conversations. The chatbot handles the consumer’s problem, and businesses build their reputation for exemplary customer service.

Business text platforms may change to meet consumers’ needs. In one of our case studies, a contact from Little Spoon notes how their rich messaging service to check order confirmation details quickly became a question line for mothers. Parents could easily ask the company’s employee representatives questions and talk to them as though speaking to a friend. In this instance, Little Spoon’s stakeholders learned and adapted to suit their customers’ needs so they felt heard.

Regardless of how companies use a rich messaging system, the impact remains steady. Rich messaging gives consumers a better experience with the brand while allowing businesses to communicate more effectively with their customer base.

Bottom Line – Rich Messaging Is the Future

The future is coming and it’s coming fast. Businesses across every industry need to shore up their messaging infrastructure in order to remain relevant with consumers. There is significant data that shows traditional customer communication channels, like phone, email, and web chat, have already fallen to the bottom of the preference list.  Companies must have the right plan and platform in place that allows them to react to the current change in customer preferences, as well as the future changes rich messaging offers.In addition to creating a solid foundation for the future, rich messaging offers businesses a greater reach than traditional methods due to the increasing adoption of GSMA’s standards. Major mobile carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T, as well as the OEM’s, namely Samsung, Apple, and Google, have already begun adopting rich messaging technology. More major players are expected to adopt it in the future.

The universal support across Google’s Android network gives every company a wide array of platforms and devices to utilize rich messaging. The emergence of Apple iMessage adopting rich messaging capabilities provides an even bigger boost to both consumers and businesses alike. A2P processes have brought about a boom in interest, investment, and adoption of rich messaging technology and services.

To enhance your SMS text strategies with a rich messaging platform, partner with Quiq. Our platform enables messaging communications that promote personalized engagement between companies and consumers. We help businesses connect via methods their customers are already familiar with, including text messaging, web chat, and social media.

The possibilities and opportunities for implementing rich messaging into current marketing and customer experience initiatives have never been better. If you are interested in learning more about rich messaging and what it can do, you can read more, or schedule a demo today to learn more about our platform.

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Apple Business Chat MSP (Messaging Service Provider): How to Get Started

Posted on The Quiq Team

Today’s smartphones and tablets offer new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers traveling through the buying journey. Customers researching a business on their iPhones or iPads have the option of contacting a business through the messages icon that appears in map and search results. Apple Business Chat facilitates these messaging conversations.

Apple Business Chat software allows customers to use a familiar text messaging interface and receive richer responses compared to in-person interactions. For example, employee representatives can offer to schedule appointments, share product listings, and collect feedback. The ability to complete transactions securely through RCS messaging is another advantage of Apple Business Chat.

To start using Apple Business Chat, businesses must first register with Apple and partner with an approved Messaging Service Provider (MSP).

What is an Apple Business Chat Messaging Service Provider (MSP)?

A Messaging Service Provider (MSP) manages customer message routing between Apple Business Chat and the business. Think of a MSP as an intermediary that allows a customer service team to respond efficiently from their desktops to what customers send from their iOS Messaging apps.

Apple lays out several requirements for messaging platforms if they are to become approved MSP’s. A platform needs to demonstrate it can identify customer intent from messages and queue, prioritize, and route the customer to the right members of a customer support team. The platform must also support asynchronous messaging channels other than Business Chat, and its team must offer resources to help clients become launch-ready for Apple’s rich messaging service.

There are other Apple guidelines to qualify for MSP approval, but perhaps most important is a platform’s ability to manage and monitor multiple channels while collecting customer metrics. Quiq has holistic features that classify interactions and route messages to support agents, integrate with CRM solutions, and organize a complete customer history within the UI.

Why Deploy Apple Business Chat?

Apple Business Chat makes it easy for consumers to initiate a conversation with a company when searching for a business through Maps, Safari, Search or Siri or even in the businesses’ own app. Business Chat allows consumers to ask a question about a product or service, or complete a transaction using Apple Pay. With Apple Business Chat it’s easier to reach a live person and consumers are always in control of whether they share any contact information with a business.

“The things that make text messaging the most popular communication channel with family and friends also make it the preferred medium for customers to engage with companies,” said Mike Myer, CEO and Founder of Quiq. “Adding support for Apple Business Chat allows connected customers to engage with businesses in a way that is personal, frictionless, and easy, using the Messages app on iOS. Companies using Quiq will simply have access to a new messaging channel within the Quiq Messaging platform.”

Today, consumers prefer business messaging over any other form of communication to engage with businesses and a lot of companies have had to sit up and take notice. As mobile browsing and chat interactions continue to grow and overtake traditional channels business messaging, especially through rich communication services like Apple Business Chat has quickly become more than a nice-to-have for companies.

What you need to get started with Apple Business Chat

To get your company started with Apple Business Chat, Apple requires businesses to set up a Business Chat Account, but before they do so, they should follow these steps to ensure a smooth approval process with Apple.

First, your company should outline the business need to support starting a Business Chat Account. This should provide a very clear explanation for why you want to enable Business Chat for your customers as well as outlining a process for how to identify and authenticate customers within Business Chat. If this sounds a little technical, it’s because it is, which is why it is essential (and required) to have an Apple Business Chat Messaging Service Provider (MSP).

There are very specific requirements for the type of account your business will choose to enable with Apple and applications are reviewed carefully. To qualify for a Business Chat Account, you must have an asynchronous messaging platform staffed by live agents during business hours. An Apple Business Chat partner, like Quiq, can help navigate the process and requirements set by Apple to get started with setting up a Business Chat Account.

Quiq was one of the early Messaging Service Provider (MSP) to support Apple Business Chat, which is a new way for users to communicate directly with businesses using the native iOS Messages app on iPhone and iPad.

Once you have addressed the business need, outlined a plan to support inbound Apple Business Chat conversations, and selected an Apple Business Chat CSP, you’re ready to create a Business Chat Account.

As a part of getting your Business Chat Account submitted, your business will want to set up an internal testing account. This gives your business an opportunity to see and test Apple Business Chat internally prior to exposing it to your customers. At this point, you will need to have chosen an Apple Business Chat MSP, in order to proceed with testing. With your internal testing account, you’ll then be able to send and receive messages through your MSP. As an additional resource, Apple has provided a step-by-step guide to Getting Started with Business Chat.

Why Work With Quiq To Implement Apple Business Chat?

Apple recommends that businesses decide which approved MSP will connect their customers to their live agents while waiting for Business Chat Account approval. It’s a good time to get acquainted with Quiq’s capabilities with Apple Business Chat.

Quiq is built around asynchronous messaging, aligning with Apple’s platform requirements, and is an Apple-approved Customer Service Platform. With Quiq, you can seamlessly integrate with your internal system or choice of customer engagement software and offer rich media experiences through text messaging.

Quiq has helped many clients start utilizing the advantages that Apple Business Chat has to offer. Quiq representatives get to know each client’s goals, and a Quiq implementation specialist guides each client through the Business Chat registration process.

Quiq also provides the support clients need to branch out into other SMS, web, and social messaging channels. Our Conversational Customer Engagement Platform supports many customers’ preferred messaging channels. With Quiq, you can begin providing an enhanced customer experience with Apple Business Chat or another business messaging channel and manage cross-platform conversations easily.

Ready to get started?

Quiq makes it easy for customers to contact a business via Messaging, the preferred channel already in use with friends and family. In return, companies get a digital engagement platform to communicate with customers. Try it out yourself today with a free demo!

3 Benefits of Instant Messaging Customer Service to Help Your Business

Posted on The Quiq Team

With the abundance of technology available to companies that promise to streamline processes, increase productivity, and reduce costs within the contact center, why do so many companies choose to invest in instant messaging customer service? The answer is simple. Instant messaging for customer service accomplishes all three of these things plus it’s easy to implement.

The main reason most companies turn to instant messaging for customer service is to provide their customers with a better experience, but there are other, less obvious, benefits that instant messaging provides. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at instant messaging for customer service and why more companies are turning to this method of communication to achieve more than better conversations with their customers.

What is Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is a type of communication that allows two or more people to transfer text in real time over an internet or cellular connection. It’s a great way for shoppers and service representatives to correspond quickly with short, deliberate messages. Unlike other communication types, instant messaging apps help consumers receive answers in seconds without having to meet in person or speak over the phone.

At the turn of the century, people used instant messaging platforms such as AOL Instant Messaging (AOL) to transfer information. IM is the standard for casual communication everywhere today, although the practice has only been mainstream in public society since the 1990s.

Today’s technology lets people send shorter, more personal messages that are easy to read and digest. Also known as text messaging or business messaging, this mode of communication is quickly becoming the norm for sales teams and customer service agents.

The Benefits of Instant Messaging for Customer Service

The way we communicate has evolved and instant messaging has emerged at the top of the food chain. In fact, “4 out of 5 consumers send mobile messages at least daily, while nearly half also use Facebook Messenger and a further third use other messaging apps daily.” (Customer Preference for Messaging, Market Strategies International)

The high adoption of messaging makes it an obvious choice for consumers to reach businesses. Using instant messaging for customer service has been a no-brainer for consumers for a while. Customers who seek to use the same fast, easy, and convenient way to contact companies, as they use to contact family and friends, have been trying to engage via instant messaging for some time. Companies, while quickly adopting the practice, have taken longer to realize their customers preference for instant messaging. Here are three benefits of instant messaging for customer service to help your business that you should prompt you to act right away:

1. Streamline processes

Agent labor is the biggest expense for a contact center, therefore time efficiency is one of the biggest challenges. Requiring agents to do things like cut and paste information from one system to another, gather simple information before receiving a call, or answer basic questions that could be handled without the help of a live conversation, are tasks that can be avoided.

Quiq Messaging has features that help contact centers reduce “time wasters” such as these. Here are a few common scenarios you’ll find in a contact center and how instant messaging can streamline the processes:

  • Gathering basic information
    • Quiq’s web chat has the ability to present your customer with a short form to gather information like name, order number or email. Before the agent even accepts the call they are armed with information to search your internal database and gather valuable customer information. Quiq Messaging has the ability to integrate with a CRM system so that your agent can view customer information alongside the conversation with the customer to provide a better customer experience.
  • Answering common questions
    • Agents can avoid the task of repeatedly typing out your return policy or performing a copy/paste to share the terms of your guarantee. Commonly asked questions can be easily answered through pre-built snippets. This feature allows Quiq clients to store answers to frequently asked questions that agents can access with a few short keystrokes.
  • Scheduling an appointment
    • Quiq’s Messaging platform enables agents to automatically send a list of available time slots that customers can pick from with a quick tap. This feature saves our clients the tedious back and forth usually required when trying to coordinate things like delivery times or service appointments.
  • Understanding what the customer is trying to describe
    • Quiq clients have found that customers can easily send videos and images to better explain their issue since consumers are able to quickly take a photo, screenshot or video with their phone or tablet and attach during the conversation. This feature has helped reduce handle time since agents can see what the customers see and are better equipped to assist the customer to resolution.

2. Increase the productivity of your agents

In addition to streamlining processes that allow your agents to accomplish tasks more quickly, messaging enables your agents to do more tasks. No hocus pocus or smoke and mirrors here. The asynchronous nature of messaging is the magic ingredient to this boost in productivity.

Asynchronous means that your customers can communicate intermittently, as their time permits. It also means that they can shoot off a text to check on an order or schedule an appointment while they are at their kid’s soccer game without missing a single play.

The customer’s pause in conversations presents agents the opportunity to receive and respond to multiple conversations at one time, often handling 6-10 conversations at once, without sacrificing the customer’s experience. In fact, it enhances the customer’s experience because the customer is able to tick that “call” off of their to-do list without disrupting their day.

Instant messaging also enables more efficient team communication, as it allows agents to message back and forth when they need to relay important information. Instead of having to make dozens of phone calls or emails, they can reach each other in seconds with instant messaging systems.

3. Reduce costs

We’ve talked about two benefits of instant messaging for customer service that really focus on saving time within a contact center. The old adage “time is money” hasn’t stuck as a universal truism just because it’s short and catchy.

Phone calls can cost $3-4/call and as high as $12/call regardless of how simple or complex the customer’s question is. In contrast to expensive phone calls, where agents can only handle 1 call at a time, agents can handle multiple messaging conversations at once, reducing work time and costs within the contact center. Quiq clients have been able to reduce work time by at least 35% compared to using phone and email to answer the same customer inquiries.

4. Gain a cohesive instant messaging system

Instant messaging mobile apps and software programs provide a cohesive, streamlined way to reach a wider audience. Quiq supports SMS, online, and social media communication, and its messages allow retailers to update consumers across several different platforms.

Instant messaging is a great way to answer questions, send alerts, provide technical support, and schedule services using a single mode of communication. Messaging allows consumers to interact with retailers directly from their phones, and agents can reduce their workload with advanced technology.

Because it’s so fast and easy, team communication through instant messaging is more sustainable than traditional correspondence methods. Today’s consumers want answers immediately and they want to find them quickly. Mobile phone communication offers both convenience and speed, which makes it a scalable option for many retailers. It helps them meet more demands without forcing them to devote additional time and resources to interruptions. The process is simpler, and customer service representatives can automate certain responses for better service and efficiency.

5. Better serve consumers

People love having access to resources that deliver fast results, and that’s exactly what instant messaging provides. With message platforms, retailer agents can increase job performance and serve more shoppers at one time. The faster a customer receives the answer they’re looking for, the more likely they are to buy the product that catches their interest.

Consumers are fickle, and it’s important to find new ways to keep them engaged. With analytical insights and archive keeping, leaders can monitor performance and create more effective improvement plans. Instant messaging apps are also effective for helping retailers collect feedback on new strategies and policies. Surveys and post-purchase questions allow instant messaging service agents to determine customer satisfaction.

These platforms may also come with a variety of features such as multi-language support, group chat options, and automated bots. Instant messaging breaks down communication barriers between retailers and consumers while providing solutions that can generate accurate answers to simple questions within seconds.

Evolve the Way You Communicate With Consumers

Instant messaging has evolved into the preferred method of communication for consumers. This shift in consumer behavior means there’s an opportunity for companies to leverage this channel to streamline processes, improve agent productivity, and reduce costs.

A growing number of companies have realized these benefits within their contact center because they partnered with Quiq Messaging to better engage with their customers. If you’re ready to learn how you can realize these benefits, text or chat with us today.

See a Demo Today

Digital Customer Engagement for Retail

Posted on Lauren Winder

As messaging continues to help spur retail growth, we’ve seen more companies look to this channel to improve the customer experience. We’ve aggregated some of our most popular resources to help you with your research into messaging for your business.

Top Retail Use Cases:

Feel free to download these resources:

Quiq’s Retail Stats 1-Pager

Real results from leading brands using Quiq’s messaging platform to deliver brand-defining experiences.

Download the PDF

7 Reasons Your Customers Want To Text You

Your customers want to text you. Read our most popular white paper that spells out the 7 compelling reasons to implement messaging now.

Download the PDF

Ebook: Messaging Best Practices for Retailers

Expert advice on launching and implementing messaging within your business.

download the pdf

Quiq’s Essential Guide to TCPA for Retailers

Implementing messaging in your organization means maintaining TCPA compliance. Here’s how it’s done.

download the pdf

Quiq’s Chatbot Workbook
Download our easy to follow, step-by-step guide to understanding and implementing bots in any organization.

download the pdf
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Join These Leading Brands Who Use Messaging  

Business Messaging: Hindsight is 20/20

Posted on The Quiq Team

How many times have you said to yourself, “Hindsight is 20/20”?

While the origins of the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20,” is unknown, its relevance comes out in nearly all aspects of our lives.  One recent example in my life is the Pro Bull Riding event I went to on my birthday up in Big Sky, MT. I have been to dozens of rodeos in my days here in Montana, but this event was off the charts amazing.  After the event was over, I was definitely feeling like, “If I’d have known the Big Sky PBR was that amazing, I would have started coming years ago.” I won’t miss another.

Here at Quiq, we regularly hear these words coming from the voice of our customers.  “If I’d have known that we were going to see these kinds of results, we would have done this a long time ago.”  But it isn’t just the results that they see, it’s the fact that not all Business Messaging is created equally – in other words, being able to send and receive texts is table stakes – what isn’t equal are all the other messaging capabilities Quiq brings to bare.  Most of our customers were using some form of SMS capability before they came to Quiq – some simply using individual cell phones, others using their Contact Center or CRM provider’s rudimentary version of texting, and others trying to build their own.

What is it that Quiq clients discover? There now exists an enterprise-grade business messaging platform that isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” but is an integral part of their business that drives significant value.  Mike Parish, Sr Manager, CX Design & Application Development for Brinks Home Security states, “With Quiq, we (the digital team) have the exact same processes that the call center has today.  However, because of the ease of the asynchronous communication, our CSAT is naturally 14 points higher, on average, than our voice channel in the call center.”  Brinks is also able to reduce the number of agents on the phone, repurposing them to higher value interactions.

“With Quiq, we (the digital team) have the exact same processes that the call center has today.  However, because of the ease of the asynchronous communication, our CSAT is naturally 14 points higher, on average, than our voice channel in the call center.”
~Mike Parish, Senior Manager

Another customer, TodayTix, the premier digital gateway to shows, arts, and cultural experiences in NYC, started with a channel mix of 80% Voice and 20% email. They have a goal of reducing overall call volumes down to just 10% and saw Quiq as their digital communications partner to help them get there. In less than two years, they are seeing that nearly 85% of all communications are now coming through channels other than voice. Incredible!

Conversational Commerce

Let me throw some staggering stats at you. In 2018, it was estimated that 40% of all holiday purchases were made over a smartphone. Early reports are showing this trend has increased by as much as 27% and Statista predicts that number could be as high as 70% by 2020. Most of our customers report that well over 60% of their online traffic comes from mobile. According to Statistic Brain, the number of monthly texts sent has increased more than 7700% over the last decade.

If human “conversations” aren’t happening over voice channels any more, why should we expect anything different with eCommerce and Consumer Services. Messaging for businesses has become a customer experience imperative. Imagine a customer being able to message your business, engage in a buying cycle, and complete the transaction all in one interaction, asynchronously! Wait, huh??

The Power of Asynchronous

Last week I woke up at my normal 6:30 AM. It was going to be a super busy day, so I sent a text to a house painter we are looking to hire. Had I only had the voice channel to work with coupled with the schedule I had that day, I would not have been able to call Ian (my painter) until after 3:00 PM that afternoon. Instead, when Ian was able, he returned my text at 9:09 AM. I then responded at 11:13 AM and he replied at 1:45 PM. Our business was concluded. With asynchronous communication, we communicate at the speed of our own lives – and now, with conversational commerce, brands have the ability to collect payment all inside of the messaging channel – TRANSACTION COMPLETE! Cha-ching.

Rich Messaging

Another, “Hindsight is 20/20” we are hearing a lot these days is how compelling rich messaging is. Customers like Overstock.com have taken messaging to a whole new level utilizing rich messaging to personalize their shipping notifications and post-delivery surveys. Utilizing Quiq’s two-way outbound notifications for product delivery, Overstock continues a personal conversation using a seamless combination of bots and humans to insure complete customer satisfaction, all with “web” quality experiences using rich messaging.

Oh, and unlike emails, these interactions have a 98% open rate (their words not ours), AND have reduced their inbound phone call volumes by 14%!!!

Bots for Dummies

Anyone who knows me well understands that, while I sell software for a living, I am basically “entry level” when it comes to technology. The other day I was watching the demo for our new Designer Bot Builder and was shocked at 1) how powerful it is, and 2) how easy it is to build your own Bot in the Quiq platform. Our customers, like Nintendo and Stio, who participated in our Beta program are already seeing tremendous results (see our Bot Webinar). I promise you, if you knew how easy it is to build a powerful Bot that interacts with your customers and agents, as an agent, you’d be building one.

So now you know…

“But, where do I start?” We get that question a lot. The lame answer is that it depends on the business. In the Credit Union industry, we see mortgage and lending as a great starting point, later moving into the contact center. In the Retail/eComm space, we see everything from organizations like Overstock.com starting with delivery notifications to others who put Apple Business Chat, Bots and SMS on mobile experiences for pre-sales support. We see business and consumer services organizations, like HVAC and Plumbing, start with appointment reminders. Many other organizations start in their contact center. Without fail, we always find that organizations have areas of the business where customer communication is changing and messaging is the answer.

Customers’ lives are connected and on-the-move. The phone channel is becoming more and more inconvenient. Quiq brings an array of asynchronous channels into a scalable, enterprise platform designed to serve the customer at the moment of truth. In a world where bots and humans are both considered “first-class citizens,” the expectation for customer satisfaction is morphing. Synchronous phone conversations are giving way to digital interactions that are real time, yet spread out within our busy schedules. Businesses on the forefront of customer experience have figured out how to meet their customers where they are, and both are discovering that communicating has never been more enjoyable.

Aspira Stakes out a New Way to Communicate With Customers

Posted on The Quiq Team

Besides technology, Aspira knows a thing or two about adventure and connection. For over 30 years, Aspira’s technology has allowed people to book outdoor recreation experiences at parks and conservation sites all over the US. Aspira’s customers contract directly with them to use their software, marketing services, and sometimes their centralized contact center to manage reservations for many of the most popular state and provincial parks as well as conservation agencies throughout the US.

Camping in Florida? Fishing in Ohio? Aspira is the technology behind many of those adventures
that connect individuals and families to the experiences they love.

When it was time to embark on an adventure of their own to discover new ways to connect with their customers, Aspira investigated business messaging with Quiq. The company wanted to look for ways that might help save money through reduced call volumes but also wanted to find a way to engage with their traveling, “on-the-go” customers. Aspira knows that customers who are on their way to a campground, setting up a site at the park, or preparing for a day of fishing don’t want to call in and sit on hold to get a question answered.

“You constantly have to think about the customer experience. Messaging lets us engage with customers who are active and mobile. This is the direction that people are going. If you’re not looking at innovating, then you probably aren’t going to get very far.”

~Jessica Himmel, Senior Manager

The Path to Messaging

Aspira securely facilitates nearly 50 million transactions between people and outdoor experiences each year. The process involves fielding over 1 million phone calls to their contact center annually. There could be a many as 250 agents handling calls during the peak season between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During the fall and winter, the number of agents can dip to about 100.

With that call volume, Aspira knew that messaging was a move in the right direction, but wanted to see what would happen in this uncharted territory. The company started with a soft launch that included 3 park locations that Aspira manages in New York, Delaware, and Ohio. Implementation of Quiq Messaging as a standalone platform went smoothly and launched on May 31, 2018. 

The new text messaging channel was promoted through Aspira’s private label websites including: MontanaStateParks.ReserverAmerica.com and FloridaStateParks.ReserveAmerica.com. A “Contact Us” button was added to the private label websites showing visitors on desktop computers the phone number to text for questions, and if visitors are on their mobile website, they can text directly from their phone.

Visitors to FloridaStateParks.ReserveAmerica.com are greeted with an invitation to text if they seek help through the “Contact Us” button.

Aspira has been surprised at the volume of calls they’ve been able to deflect to the text messaging channel. The company has now added messaging to 14 of their reservation sites and receives about 300 to 400 messages a day. Aspira conducted a survey at the end of every text message conversation and discovered that nearly 70% of the customers who texted would have called in if the “Text Us” option was not available.

Cultivating Connection Through Messaging

Since Aspira manages reservations for many of the most popular state and provincial parks, as well as conservation agencies throughout the US, about half of the inquiries that the company receives in the call center is about campsite availability. Although adventure seekers can go online to ReserveAmerica.com to check availability and reserve a campsite at over 35 camping, fishing, or hunting locations, they would often call to ask if what they saw online was accurate. 

With Quiq, instead of calling, customers can connect using their preferred channel: texting. Jessica Himmel, Senior Manager at Aspira, says the company finds it “extremely valuable that we are able to deflect a lot of these calls to the messaging channel. We prefer to text the customers who are just confirming availability because it’s such a quick and easy thing to respond to.” 

It’s not just booking availability inquiries that are handled quickly through the messaging channel. A lot of people want to cancel reservations, change dates or site location, while others want to know about facilities and amenities at specific locations. In general, Aspira finds that messaging conversations are a lot shorter and faster than phone calls. Agents have observed that it usually takes just 10 messages back and forth on average to get to a resolution. 

The company’s investment to make it easier for customers to engage with their agents is definitely getting a return. Aspira has seen a 4% decrease on the number of calls from their private label sites, as well as a 4% increase in reservations made online. With the volume of calls they receive hovering around a million per year, that’s no small feat.

Customers aren’t the only ones reaping the rewards of messaging. Agents really like being on the messaging channel and there are agents who ask to work that channel. This is great news for Aspira who hopes to increase staff for the messaging channel by 67%. Anytime there are extra hours that need coverage for the SMS/text channel, agents volunteer, due in part to how easy it is to use Quiq’s messaging platform. Agents not only handle multiple, simultaneous conversations at once but can use productivity-enhancing features like snippets to quickly share links to campsites and park policies. 

What’s Next

Results like these have Aspira looking for more ways to leverage messaging. To start, Aspira is exploring ways in which they can take payments over messaging, integrate Quiq into their workforce management system to help predict staffing, and expand the messaging channel to more of their contracts. One of the first things the company wants to do is to simply expand the hours messaging is available and supported. The company suspects that a lot of the messages they see come in during off-hours could be handled if messaging was available for just a couple more hours at night. 

Looking ahead to tornado, hurricane, and wildfire season, Aspira thinks that an increase in volume due to weather events may be on the horizon. The company anticipates a higher volume of questions such as “Is the park closed?” and “My site is flooded, what do I do?” In fact, Aspira is considering using outbound messaging as a proactive way to notify customers going to a park or location where the weather could adversely affect their reservation. If 

Aspira leadership believes it’s an exciting time for messaging and Quiq couldn’t agree more. The number of companies adopting business messaging continues to grow as more consumers demand the convenience, ease, and speed of the messaging channel. From the shopper that needs help with a purchase, to the camper that needs to make sure their dog is allowed at their campsite, messaging has become the preferred channel for our busy lives.

Video: Bots and AI

Posted on Lauren Winder

Bots and AI are a testiment to the investment and focus companies have placed on improving customer experience. No longer technology you’d just see in sci-fi movies. Companies such as Stio and Pier 1 are actively using bots to engage with customers across multiple digital channels and the results have been more than impressive.

Implementing a bot strategy across your organization doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At Quiq, we believe bots should seamlessly integrate into your current workflow, and work with your human agents. View this short video to see why implementing bots with Quiq Messaging can directly impact your ROI for the better. Schedule a demo today.

AFPA Provides First Class Member Service with Messaging

Posted on The Quiq Team

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) is the largest independent flight attendant union in the US. The organization, based in Texas, serves over 27,000 members who work for American Airlines and reside all over the world.

The nature of their profession requires members to spend a good portion of their time in transit. Members may be sitting at the back of delayed planes, waiting for flights at the airport, or riding in vans being shuttled from one place to another when they may need information. APFA, run by flight attendants themselves, fully understands the mobile nature of their membership, which is why they sought and found a better, more mobile way to engage with their members through Quiq.

“As we were evolving, so was our membership. We wanted to stay ahead of the tech curve and meet them where they are by using their favorite way to communicate.”

~Erik Harris, National Contract Chair

The Shift to Messaging

Prior to implementing Quiq, flight attendants were reaching out to AFPA primarily through phone and email. In 2018, the entire union handled over 33,000 calls spread out across 31 representatives. Calls regarding sick leave, vacation, rescheduling, and transfers are still the most common for the reps who each handle an average of 30-50 calls per day.

The organization also implemented live chat as another channel of engagement but was dissatisfied with having to switch between the live chat platform, a Facebook window, Twitter, and their own internal systems to help members

APFA chose to switch to Quiq because it allows them to serve their members on multiple platforms in one unified desktop

APFA chose to switch to Quiq because it allows them to serve their members on multiple platforms in one unified desktop. APFA leadership especially likes that reps can easily handle every incoming message because no matter how, over which channel, the flight attendant connects with APFA, it all comes into the same place and is handled the same way by the rep.

The ability to add text messaging was one of the biggest selling points to selecting Quiq. The organization’s leadership recognized there was a shift to mobile communications that was perfectly suited to their member’s on-the-go lifestyle.

The organization integrated Quiq into their existing website and customized the look with some additional coding. Afterward, they found a night to train their reps who live across multiple time zones. Reps have found the platform easy to use and intuitive, which is critical for a team that rotates out on a monthly basis. When reps return to the headquarters after weeks or months, they waste zero time relearning Quiq’s messaging platform.

To let their members know about their availability on these new channels, APFA promoted messaging in multiple ways. The organization sent an email to the union’s 25,000 email subscribers, posted a message on their Facebook page, added copy to their website, and asked leadership to share the news with their respective bases. Immediately, the contact center received feedback from members who “love the convenience of being able to text in” and shared delighted messages like “OMG I’m so glad I can finally text you.”

Contact Us

Video: Shopify store – Conversational Commerce

Posted on Lauren Winder

Your customers are already using their cell phone, computer, or tablet to browse your Shopify store. Why not give them the mobile experience they’ve come to expect. Quiq Messaging makes pre-sales support and post-sales service fast, convenient, and easy. Help customers find and select products all within a messaging conversation.

Watch this short video to see how Shopify retailers can use messaging. From completing transactions to shipping notifications, to give their customers a seamless shopping experience. That’s the power of conversational commerce. Schedule a demo today to see how easy it is to integrate Quiq into your Shopify store.

Is AR Chat the New Retail Battleground?

Posted on The Quiq Team

Augmented reality or AR has been growing in popularity and has continued to evolve, even since the days of Google Glass and Pokémon Go. Technology has progressed enough to make AR available on mobile phones and ripe for commerce. Retailers are taking advantage of the popularity of messaging to offer conversational commerce to consumers. Now, retailers are combining messaging with the advances of AR to create yet another innovative way to engage with consumers called AR Chat.

The use of text messaging via SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web chat is on the rise as consumers look for more convenient ways to engage with their favorite brands. In this post, we’ll take a look at how messaging has become a retail must-have and discuss what kind of impact AR will have on the messaging movement.

AR Chat – A Must-Have Retail Tool

Messaging has been changing the face of commerce. This hasn’t been a stealth transition by any means. Consumers have been forthcoming about their need for more convenient ways to engage with companies.

Frustration with today’s channels has played out with consumers screaming into their cell phones at hold music, and repeatedly pressing zero to get out of phone tree purgatory when they need help from a retailer. In the worst case, consumers don’t bother to pick up the phone or write an email and instead jump sites to choose a retailer that is easier to do business with.

Savvy retailers have recognized AR Chat as an opportunity; offering interactions on more convenient, mobile channels such as SMS and social media. Two-way engagement with customers on messaging platforms such as social media has been a focus for retailers as shoppers turn to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, not only to discuss things among their community, but to engage with brands as well.

Digital engagement isn’t just taking place on social media platforms and isn’t just seen as a novel, one-time thing. In the report, The Future of Customer Conversations, research shows that 65 percent of consumers have engaged with brands over SMS or messaging apps, while 70 percent have done so at least twice in the previous month.

Retailers’ strategy to use digital channels to increase engagement has paid off in big ways. Offering digital channels has made it easy for consumers to handle pre-sales questions and post-sales service with the touch of a button. These asynchronous conversations happen anywhere and anytime that is convenient for the consumer. From increasing conversion rates to improving customer satisfaction and driving repeat customers, messaging has been a win for both consumers and brands.

Uniting AR and Messaging for a Better Customer Experience

While messaging is already a highly personalized experience for consumers, AR Chat enhances the shopping experience by adding an additional layer of personalization and customization. With AR, shoppers can view objects, like a chair or rug in their living room, allowing them to “try before they buy”.

According to AR Insider, as more and more consumers interact with brands through messaging, augmented reality will help them visualize a product, bring more dimension to the conversation, and increase sales. Some brands, like design and home renovation company, Houzz, credits AR for increased engagement with their products. According to an article in Techcrunch, AR helped increase dwell time, with users spending 2.7 times more in the app compared to those who did not use AR.

Increased engagement onsite or in-app translates to a consumer who is more heavily vested in your product. In fact, Houzz credits AR for an 11% increase in a consumer’s likelihood to buy. The convenience of messaging, coupled with the personalization of AR leads to an increase in sales.

Enhanced Messaging for Retailers with Quiq

Quiq supports a number of enterprise retailers, such as Overstock.com, Pier 1, Tailored Brands, and Office Depot to name a few. These particular retailers are a perfect example of how brands can take full advantage of all that messaging can provide. These etailers have implemented messaging and have increased efficiency, improved engagement, and made substantial impacts to their bottom line because of it.

For example, both Overstock and Office Depot offer Apple Business Chat on the Quiq business messaging platform. This rich messaging channel allows these retailers to present their products in ways that go beyond simple SMS/text exchanges, including the ability to engage AR within a messaging conversation. Rich messaging enables brands to present product pickers, schedule appointments, and process payments all within the messaging conversation.

With Quiq, messaging conversations are transaction-enabled, meaning customers can browse and buy products, all without leaving the conversation.  Customers have a seamless experience on the channel they prefer.

Quiq’s retail clients have quickly realized the value of messaging for customer experience and have been reaping the financial benefits that conversational commerce provides. Join some of the most successful brands in their use of messaging. Schedule a demo with Quiq to explore how our platform can enhance your brand experience.

Video: Authentication and Payments

Posted on The Quiq Team

Accessing financial records, certain account information, and other sensitive data requires you to authenticate your customer’s identity. Quiq enables you to authenticate your customer’s identity without asking them to leave the messaging experience across all of our supported channels.

View this short video to see how you can even complete transactions with the confidence of having an authenticated customer. Let’s get started. Schedule a demo today.