What is Google’s Business Messages and how to get started?
Sam Watson
Did you know that there are 3.5 billion searches every day on Google? That means the search engine processes over 40,000 queries every second.
It’s clear that when we have questions, we Google them.
Now, Google has made it even easier for users to get the answers they need. They have connected the power of search to the ability to message by introducing Google’s Business Messages.
Embedded within Search and Maps, Business Messages gives users the ability to discover and start messaging a brand. To do this, users simply tap a button that appears alongside their website, click-to-call, or directions icons. It’s a solution designed to create richer messaging experiences through an asynchronous channel.
Using Business Messages, brands can put themselves in front of potential and existing customers, turning billions of searches into conversations.
What are the features of Google’s Business Messages?
When a conversation starts, Business Messages offers a number of rich features to improve customer interactions:
Rich cards show important content. They can include images, titles, and description text to make it easy for users to consume the information that matters most.
Carousels display multiple rich cards that allow users to scroll through options like a list.
Suggested replies guide users through a chatbot experience and enable them to respond with a tap of a button.
Typing indicators, delivery confirmations, and read receipts enrich the messaging experience and drive the conversation forward.
Expected response times help to set customer expectations.
The ability to send and receive rich media, such as emojis, images, and videos to personalize interactions.
To see some of these features in action, visit the imimobile Business Messages showcase page to try our demo.
How will customers use Google’s Business Messages?
The launch of Business Messages is an important development for brands. Just consider these stats:
75 percent of customers would prefer to use messaging channels for customer service.
63 percent of Google US organic search originates from mobile devices.
48 percent of consumers start their purchase journey on search engines.
The next generation of messaging channels, which includes Business Messages, are emerging as a powerful way to orchestrate more meaningful interactions. Consumers are increasingly using these channels to learn about products, manage services, access the latest content, and receive customer support. They prefer to do this rather than call the contact center, send and open an email, or browse a website.
Brands are using Business Messages to make it easier for users to go from searching to interacting. Once the conversation begins, they can offer conversational messaging experiences for purchasing, scheduling, and upselling. For customer care, users can self-serve for common queries and live chat with agents. This is helping to improve the customer experience while reducing inbound calls and operational costs.
How can your brand get started with Google’s Business Messages?
Google works with a number of communication providers as part of their partner program, of which imimobile is a member. This allows us to build with the technology, influence the roadmap for future features, and get to market quickly.
The general process for getting your brand live using Google’s Business Messages is as follows:
1. We register your brand with Google’s services
We’ll gather important information to set up your Business Messages profile. This includes your logo, agent name, automated welcome messaging, and other key information.
2. We load your top FAQs into our bot-building platform
We’ll create a chatbot that welcomes customers and enables them to solve common queries through self-service. We can customize predictive and suggested replies to help guide customers throughout the conversation.
3. Select a fallback option
If the chatbot isn’t able to handle the customer’s request, we can pass the chat to an agent through our unified agent console or we can enable your own agent console.
We are ready to help you get your Business Messages program up and running. Get in touch to talk to one of our Future Messaging experts today.