Everything You Need to Know About Instagram’s New Messenger API for Businesses

Communicating with your customer base is a vital component of running a successful business. This is true, even if you’re a sole proprietor. Instagram is making that easier than ever with its new Messenger API for businesses. It offered the API to select companies at the end of 2020, and now, it’s open to all developers.

Additionally, the social media network is making it available to more businesses, and by the end of the year, it will be open to any user with a business account. 

Find out what the API is and how it can help your business. Then, you can add the API to your messenger platform.
 

What Is the Instagram Messenger API for Businesses?

Right now, you’re probably managing a ton of messaging platforms. You might spend a good amount of time each day logging into different platforms to respond to messages. With the API, that will be a thing of the past. This tool will allow you to manage your communications on one messaging channel instead of going from channel to channel. 

If you handle a high volume of messages daily or weekly, this will be a massive time saver. Additionally, it has some other benefits. Let’s explore the ways that using the Instagram Messenger API can help your business beyond saving time.   
 

Increase Sales 

Often, people need a quick answer to a simple question before buying products. For instance, assume you sell makeup. Someone might want to know which foundation is best for their skin tone. 

Instagram’s new Messenger API will allow you to set up an automated conversational commerce flow to handle these simple questions and make sales. Once you have the workflow in place, the system can respond to product recommendations based on the questions. The bot can even provide links to order the appropriate product. By answering people’s questions quickly, you can boost your sales. Otherwise, they might go elsewhere to buy products. 
 

Transition Difficult Questions to a Live Agent 

The bot you use with the Messenger API will be able to handle most inquiries. However, sometimes, people will need to speak to a real person. They might have a question that a bot can’t answer or have an issue that’s serious enough to make them prefer to speak to a live agent.

The Instagram Messenger API can handle that, too. Once you set up workflows, you can choose how to route messages. If it’s during business hours, the system can transfer messages directly to agents. However, if it’s not during business hours, the bot can provide that information and explain that someone will contact them on the next business day. Then, you will find out what messages you need to respond to when starting work the following day.
 

Handle Large Volumes of Messages With Advanced Workflows

If you are just starting your business, you might not get flooded with messages from Instagram and other platforms. However, that can quickly change as you expand your customer base. The Messenger API can help you every step of the way.

The key is to integrate the Messenger API with a customer care platform that has additional features. Then, you can use automation and workflows to organize your messages and improve customer care. 

For example, you can use your customer care platform to label all the messages that come in from Instagram. Then, you can prioritize messages that are the most important and require an immediate response. You can also route the messages to the appropriate support team. This makes it so much easier to sort through large volumes of messages.

Additionally, it can even help if you only get a few messages a day. By getting messages to the right people quickly, you can provide instant responses. This will improve your customer service, whether you’re dealing with dozens or thousands of messages.
 

Reach Customers Through Various Entry Points

Each time a customer reaches out to your brand, you have the chance to generate a lead or make a sale. Thus, the more ways to connect, the better. With the Instagram Messenger API, your customers can reach you through various entry points. For instance, they can go to your profile page, click on “Message,” and send a message.

Also, your customers can reach you through your Stories. For instance, if you create a Story about a product, your customers can send a message without closing the Story. They don’t have to leave the Story and go back to your profile, so you don’t have to worry about losing some opportunities. 

They can also send messages directly from your Shop or your feed posts. You’re always just a click away.

You can ensure immediate responses by setting up automated workflows for each channel. You can also route your messages to live agents as needed.
 

Read the Conversation History

You might have some customers who regularly message your business. Maybe they like to get the latest news about new products or simply have lots of questions. If you treat each message as the first one you’ve ever received, you can alienate those customers. Fortunately, the Messenger API solves this problem as well.

Once you add the API to your customer service platform, you can use it to retrieve the entire conversation history for each message. That means you can read previous messages before responding to the current inquiry. Then, you can jump right back into the conversation.

Some business owners were afraid that integrating the API into another platform would make those conversations disappear, so this is fantastic news. Since you can still read previous messages, there’s no reason to avoid using the API.
 

Enjoy These Benefits and More

These are the main benefits you’ll get to enjoy with Instagram’s Messenger API for business. If you have a business account, you can set it up. Then you will likely add some benefits of your own to the ever-growing list of reasons to use the API.