Newegg, an online computer products and hardware retailer, has partnered with Facebook to offer its Messenger platform as another customer support channel. Messenger supplements channels including email, SMS text message, phone and chat.
Customers can contact Newegg through its official Facebook page or search for it within the Messenger app to start a conversation with any customer representative.
“We are investing heavily in mobile — making it easier for our customers to use our apps (iOS and Android) and our mobile site,” said Merle McIntosh, SVP of Sales and Marketing at Newegg. “Offering support via Messenger is the next important step to provide our customers the best possible mobile experience.”
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The partnership comes as Facebook expands Messenger functionalities to connect consumers with businesses via the chat function. Each business is given a specific username, enabling consumers to chat with them in the same way they would chat with their friends.
As retailers experiment with different social media channels to interact with the consumer, they would be wise to follow Newegg’s lead in working with Facebook Messenger. Facebook’s reach has been beneficial to the marketing efforts of retailers regardless of size, and has given retail teams a chance to develop more personal interactions with consumers.
Unlike the social network’s typical posting interactions, Messenger is positioned as a one-on-one chat, enabling shoppers to reach out to a retailer to ask questions related to the brand in a private, real-time setting. Since the feature can be found on the Facebook Messenger mobile app, consumers can access it to interact with brands at the click of a few buttons.
Retailers that use the feature going forward will have to get their customer service team up to speed with the feature, to ensure that they answer all consumer inquiries in a timely manner.
