WHITEPAPER

Facebook Messenger
for Customer Care
Set your customer teams up for success with
Facebook Messenger for social customer care
Contents
1 Why deliver customer care with Facebook Messenger?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 How Facebook Messenger supports the customer journey. . . . . . . . . . . 6

3 Key benefits of using Facebook Messenger for business.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Deepen customer connections.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Drive business growth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Improve employee experience.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4 How to get started with Messenger for customer care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5 Customer success story: ENGIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

With an estimated 2.74 billion Facebook users

worldwide,1 it’s a safe bet that your customers are
using Facebook Messenger in their daily lives.

In this white paper, you’ll discover the key features of

Facebook Messenger that can help your business achieve
its customer communication goals, including higher
conversion rates, better customer experience, lower costs,
and higher customer satisfaction.

2 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Why deliver customer care with
Facebook Messenger?
You already know that Facebook Messenger is a real-time
messaging app built into the largest social media platform
in the world. You know it’s fast, mobile, and has great
features for managing conversations. And you might know
that it’s the most popular messaging app in North America2
and is second only to WhatsApp worldwide.3

But did you know that Facebook Messenger is also an

excellent tool for supporting customers? With built-in live
chat features that connect Facebook to your CRM and help
desk, it’s an ideal way to connect with customers on the
messaging channels they use every day. It’s a platform that
over a billion people use to talk to friends and family
members, so why not their favorite brands, too?

Available across multiple platforms and devices, the

Facebook Messenger app allows people to move freely from
mobile to desktop and back again, on Android and iOS,
quickly and seamlessly. The platform supports text
messaging, voice, and video calls, including group video calls.
Users can personalize their experience with a selection of
chat themes, stickers, and custom reactions featuring avatars.

3 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

Messenger is also a popular customer service channel for brands that have a presence
on Facebook. Businesses can use it to answer questions from customers or as an
advertising channel. And it’s free to use for anyone with a Facebook account and an
internet connection.

A Facebook Messenger chat enables you to leave a conversation and come back
without having to start all over again. The customer’s conversation history stays in the
thread, saving time and effort for both the customer and the agent whenever they
pick up the conversation.

Top messaging Apps by country

Facebook's native messenger is most popular in countries like United States,
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, and Thailand.

WhatsApp
FB Messen
Viber
WeChat
Line
Telegram
imo

WhatsApp
Kakaotalk

FB Messenger
Viber
WeChat
Line
Telegram
imo
Kakaotalk

Source: MessengerPeople, Global Usage of Messaging Apps, Penetration and Statistics

4 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

Adding Facebook Messenger to your social care strategy creates multiple benefits
for customers and customer care teams. Customers can communicate and resolve
problems in their own time, on a familiar channel, while customer care teams can
automate responses to common questions and free up valuable time to deal with
more complex issues.

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite is a trusted and experienced partner in integrating

Facebook Messenger into our clients’ digital customer care strategy. By successfully
connecting Facebook Messenger with Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, your support
team will be able to:
■ Manage conversations efficiently in a single dashboard
■ Create teams and work simultaneously with colleagues on incoming conversations
■ Route conversations to teams based on specific criteria
■ Proactively send relevant and timely messages to customers at scale

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite

See it in action!
Scan the QR code to the right to see how we have
implemented our WhatsApp customer care solution.

5 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 How Facebook Messenger supports the
customer journey
Many businesses have used Facebook Messenger to drive results
across the customer journey—from building awareness and
facilitating sales to post-sale customer care and advocacy.

When someone initiates a conversation with a brand on Facebook

Messenger, they’ll typically answer an initial, automated “filter” question,
after which they can engage in a two-way conversation. From that
point, there’s an opportunity to guide them, address possible concerns,
and deliver the information they need at each step of their path to
purchase and beyond. It’s an effective and personalized way to build
brand equity and create a sense of belonging that can lead to loyalty.

Here’s a look at the role Facebook Messenger

can play at each stage of the customer journey.

Stage Awareness Consideration Decision Service Loyalty

Customer View online ad Conduct Make a purchase Receive Make another

activity research product/service purchase
See social
campaign Compare Contact Write a review
competitors customer
Share with a care team Share
friend Review features experience
and pricing Read
documentation

Customer
experience
🤓 Interested 🧐 Curious 😃 Excited 😟 Often
frustrated
😍 Satisfied
Teams involved Marketing Marketing Marketing Customer Customer
Care / Customer Care / Customer
Sales Sales Success Success

Customer Care

Customers I’d like to learn Which product I’d like to buy I have a question I love this
might say... more about this is right for me? this about my product
product purchase because...

6 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Key benefits of using Facebook Messenger for
business
At Hootsuite, we believe that every social customer care program should
be built on three pillars: deepening customer connections, driving
business growth, and improving employee experience. Here’s how
Facebook Messenger contributes to these three objectives.

Deepen customer connections

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite offers brands a Facebook Messenger solution
that allows them to connect with customers in a space where
communications integrate seamlessly with daily life. Customers can
message their family in one moment and ask a quick question about their
order in the next—all without switching devices, downloading new
software, or making a phone call.

From the perspective of the customer, messaging is more convenient and

less stressful than making a phone call or sending an email. Messaging is
now a preferred way to talk to a business, with some 64% of people across
age groups saying they’d rather message a business than call or email.4

Provide quality customer service

Across all generations, people are spending more time online than ever—
and they expect your business to be online and available. In a global survey
by Facebook, more than 70% of people said they expect to be able to
message businesses for customer service. Additionally, more than 59%
expect to message businesses to make purchases.5

7 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

How are people using Facebook Messenger to connect and interact with
businesses? Here’s what respondents to a Facebook research poll reported.6
■ 81% message businesses to ask about products or services
■ 75% message businesses for support
■ 74% message business to make a purchase

A little personalization can go a long way in showing customers you value

them. Little things—like using someone’s name—make a big difference.
In a Facebook survey conducted across eight global markets, 91% of
consumers said they were more likely to shop with brands that recognize
them, remember them, and share relevant information and offers.7

When you integrate Sparkcentral by Hootsuite with your CRM system, your
team will know if each person contacting you is a potential new customer
or an existing one. If they’re already in your database, the platform retrieves
their name from your CRM system and includes it with their message.

Sample customer journey

Relationship
Awareness Consideration
Transaction I've got a
I’d like to learn Which product is
I'd like to buy it. question about
more. right for me?
my purchase.

8 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

Build trust in your brand
If your company is open to dialogue, it’s easier to win customers’ trust.

And you can earn that trust on reputation alone. In a poll by Facebook, the majority of
people who message businesses say that the option helps them feel more confident
about a brand.8 Just knowing messaging is available is enough for some customers.

Imagine you’re about

to make a big purchase.
If you have to choose
between a company with
messaging support and
DEC 8, 7:05 PM

another without, which

I have a question about
would you pick? Which my order. Can you help?

one would you return to?

Unsurprisingly, once people
start messaging businesses,
it often becomes their top
way to contact businesses.9
Acknowledge Hi Hannah, thanks for
receipt of message reaching out to us. Our
store is closed right now.
Set expectation on We are open M–F from
when response can 9AM to 6PM PST. One of
be expected our store associates will
reach out to you as soon as
they're back in the office.

Follow up promptly DEC 9, 9:01 AM

Michael from Outdoor Sports joined the
conversation

Michael

Hi Hannah, can I have your

order number please?

9 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Take sensitive topics private
Whether it’s a question that a customer feels shy about asking in public or a conversation
on social media that would be better resolved one-to-one, Facebook Messenger is ideal
for conversations that are better kept private.

By handling these conversations in a private channel, you’ll demonstrate to customers

that you’re willing to engage with them as individuals, and that you value both their
business and their privacy.

Respond quickly to user-

initiated messaging
Facebook limits how often
Unfortunately, this item
a business can reach out to isn’t in stock at the
moment, but we can let
Facebook Messenger users. you know when it is!
Businesses can only contact Request user’s Get Notified: When our
individuals after receiving permission to Recycled Blue Duffle Bag
is back in stock!
send a message
a message from them first. By clicking "Notify me,", you may
outside standard receive a message from Outdoor
messaging window Sport in the future about this topic.
With Sparkcentral by
Notify Me
Hootsuite, you’re able to
reply to customers within Notify Me

seven days of a request,

using the same dashboard
you use to manage your
customer conversations Sends relevant Recycled Blue Duffle
notification Bag is back in stock
across messaging platforms. Buy now while stocks last!

Buy Now

10 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Drive business growth Once your brand has responded to an
initial message, there are several reasons
Facebook Messenger is a powerful tool
why you might want to re-contact this
that can improve business outcomes at
customer in the future. And now that the
every stage of the customer journey. You
channel is open, you can. For example,
can let the world know you’re reachable,
you might follow up to make a special
automate conversations using chatbots,
offer, anticipate a need, introduce a new
qualify new leads, process payments,
product or service that might be relevant,
and send proactive notifications that
and so on. Plus, when you add a new lead’s
improve customer satisfaction—and
information in Sparkcentral by Hootsuite,
with Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, you can
it’s automatically saved to your CRM
do it all from one central platform.
system so your teams can easily identify
When using messaging with Sparkcentral the lead in any future conversations.
by Hootsuite, brands have reported a
Increase intent to purchase
30-minute response time for 85% of all
The option to message your business
online conversations, a CSAT rating of
earns customer trust. And trust makes
up to 86% for social and messaging
it easier for customers to shop. In a
channels, and a reduction of as much
Facebook poll, 65% of people said they’re
as 30% in operational costs for social
more likely to shop with a business they
and messaging vs. phone and email.10
can reach via chat.11
Generate high quality leads
And for those times when a potential
When someone reaches out to you
customer is one question away from
on Facebook Messenger, it creates an
making a purchase, Facebook Messenger
opportunity for your brand to follow
simplifies the question-and-answer
up. Each message exchanged is a
exchange, allowing your brand to help
chance to learn valuable information
customers make shopping decisions.
about a customer that can help build
a long-term relationship.

11 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Automate conversations using chatbots
One of the most powerful features of Facebook Messenger is the ability to automate
your customer care messages. For example, using Sparkcentral and Heyday by
Hootsuite, we can set up a virtual Facebook Messenger assistant for your brand that
automatically responds to incoming customer messages.

With a Facebook Messenger assistant, your customers can interact with your brand and
get the information they need even when customer care agents are unavailable, such
as after hours or during breaks. The potential reduction in operational spending is
substantial, with Juniper Research predicting that as early as next year, companies will
save about $8 billion per year in customer support costs through the use of chatbots.12

I want to buy a bag for the

gym for under $50. What
do you recommend?

Hi Hannah, here are a few

bags for you to consider.

Recycled Blue Duffle Recycled Blue Duffle

Bag—$49.95 Rucksack—$49.95
Learn more Learn more

Add to cart Add to cart

12 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Improve employee experience
Facebook Messenger helps your customer care team work smarter, not
harder. Keeping track of this additional channel for communication and
customer service can feel like a lot of extra work—but you can streamline
and automate it with the right tools.

Create responses for frequently asked questions

Set up responses for frequently asked questions that your chatbot can
handle—saving your customer care team from the burden of answering
the same questions over and over.

13 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Schedule automatic Away Messages
If your business is closed, you can create Away Messages to let customers know when
you’ll return or reopen. Think of these as out-of-office emails, but for Facebook Messenger.

Let chatbots handle repetitive tasks

Handling queries with a chatbot can substantially reduce demand on your live agents.
In fact, customers using Heyday by Hootsuite have reported handling up to 83% of
queries via automation.13

A chatbot can simultaneously help multiple customers and deliver answers faster than
a live agent—reducing the burden on your teams and allowing them to focus on
higher-value interactions.

👋
Hi Hannah I'm Owly,
your friendly Outdoor
Sports helper 🦉
How can I help you today?

Track my order

May I have your order

number? I'll chase down
🔍
its location for you!

14 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 How to get started with Messenger for customer care
Delivering support via Facebook Messenger allows you to engage with your
customers in an authentic way on a platform they already use, and offers
opportunities to automate multiple components of your customer service.

Here are six recommendations to help you deliver effective, world-class

support on Facebook Messenger without losing the human touch that
makes customer service so valuable.

1. Start with presence

Start where your customers are. Today’s customers demand convenience—and they
want to reach out to brands on the channels that they themselves use frequently.

Start with your own website and your Facebook page, where potential customers are
likely to come to learn about your business and initiate a conversation.

2. Personalize and contextualize

Know who your customers are and their history with your brand. Integrate your CRM
system with your messaging solution to create a 360 degree view of your customer,
and use that information to deliver personalized, world-class customer care.

3. Add Facebook Messenger to your marketing mix

When developing your marketing content, make it easy for customers to initiate a
conversation with your brand. Here are a few tools you can use:

A link to Facebook Messenger: Every Facebook Messenger chatbot has its own
unique link. You can include your link in emails, on your website, in posts on social
media, and so on.

15 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Facebook Messenger checkbox plugin:
The checkbox plugin allows you to display
a checkbox in forms on your website that
visitors can click to opt-in to receive
messages from your Messenger bot.
QR codes you can scan: Scannable
codes are a good option for brick-and-
mortar locations or other physical media
like displays, flyers, receipts, and so on.
Facebook click-to-Messenger ads: These
ads show a “send message” link that
viewers can click to start a conversation
with your brand. With extensive options
for targeting and customization, these ads
are a flexible and powerful way to connect
with potential customers.
4. Respond fast
Speed doesn’t always mean an
immediate response from a live agent.
If you’re dealing with high volumes, an
immediate and friendly reply from a bot
or an autoresponder starts a conversation
off on the right note.
Bots also allow you to gather more
information about a customer’s inquiry
before the conversation is handed over
to an agent. Plus, an automated message
can immediately set the customer’s
16
expectations around when they can
expect an answer from your agent.
To get started, consider the two following
options to make your chatbot available:
Website chat: Add your chatbot to
your website with the chat plugin to
help visitor initiate a conversation.
Facebook post autoresponders:
With this option, when someone
comments on your Facebook post,
you can set up an automated response
inviting them to move the conversation
to Facebook Messenger.
5. Deliver consistent, high-
quality content
Create social media and messaging
guidelines for your employees to ensure
all interactions with customers reflect
your brand’s identity—right down to
spelling, voice, and even emoji usage.
6. Create new opportunities
to exceed expectations
Go beyond customer service to offer
proactive customer care. For example,
turn a routine interaction (such as ship
date inquiries) into opportunities to offer
product discounts or other benefits that
will surprise and delight your customers.
Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper
 Presence
Use the
channels your
Hi again! customers prefer

Personalization Hello Hannah, how can I

Recognize your help you today?
customer

I have a question about my

order

Context I see, you ordered new

Know the shoes yesterday, and it
customer seems they haven’t been
context
delivered yet 🤔
Yes, that’s it. I was wondering
ve a question about my if I can still expect it today...
er
Let me check and get
🧐
Quality
back to you! Check your
grammar, tone
Generate I’ve identified some delays of voice, use of
opportunities in your region but your emojis and guide
Increase the order will be shipped by your customer

EOD. Let me give you a 10%

likelihood of a throughout the
conversation
next purchase
off voucher for your next
purchase on our website.

17 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 What’s in it for your brand
■ Many ways to get in touch with your customers (customer service,
consulting, marketing)

■ Massive reach via an app used by 2.74 billion users worldwide

■ Automation options that can save up to 80% in effort

■ Agents can successfully handle around 2–3 chats at a time and

offer quick resolutions

■ Employee satisfaction (using a tool that customers love)

■ Happy customers and increased Net Promoter Score

What’s in it for your customers

■ No need to adapt to a new channel or communication tool—
Facebook is a familiar app that people use daily and they don’t
need training or help to get started

■ Skip the wait times associated with other communication channels

(no hold music or endless menus of options)

■ Feeling confident that the brand will resolve issues quickly (Facebook
Messenger displays how quickly a business responds to messages
with a color-coded badge)

■ Cross-device messaging (start on desktop and transition to

smartphone, or vice versa)

■ Communicate more efficiently with photos, videos, or voice messages

■ Receive effective service from agents who can easily look up

chat records and notes

18 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Customer success story: ENGIE
ENGIE is a global pioneer in low-carbon energy with 170,000 employees and
a turnover of €55.8 billion in 2020. From offshore wind farms and hydrogen
breakthroughs to electric vehicle charging stations, the company is working
to build a more sustainable future through cleaner, greener energy solutions.

Recognizing a need to be more proactive in the way it engaged with

customers, ENGIE Belgium transformed its customer communications with
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite. By shifting to a messaging-first strategy—a
pioneering approach for a utility company—the business has raised customer
satisfaction scores and become 30% more efficient in its communications.

We know there are certain issues that don’t expect a response immediately.

If they can contact us via social, and we respond within the day, that is

preferable to hanging on the phone. For the customer, it is text and relax.”

Els De Groote
Process Engineer, Interaction Management, Engie

30% 86% <75%

Lower operational CSAT rating for social share for direct
costs for social and and messaging messaging channels
messaging vs. channels vs. public social
phone and email

19 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Endnotes
1 Hootsuite and We Are Social. Digital 2021.
2 Statista. Most popular mobile messaging apps in the United States. 2019
3 Statista. Most popular global mobile messenger apps. 2021.
4 Facebook IQ. Why Conversation Is the Future of Commerce. 2019.
5 Facebook IQ. Why Messaging Businesses is the New Normal. 2018.
6 Meta for Business. Turn conversation into customer loyalty with Messenger.
7 Facebook IQ. Why Messaging Businesses is the New Normal. 2018.
8 Meta for Business. Turn conversation into customer loyalty with Messenger.
9 Meta for Business. Turn conversation into customer loyalty with Messenger.
10 Hootsuite. Sparkcentral Case Study: ENGIE.
11 Facebook IQ. Why Conversation Is the Future of Commerce. 2019.
12 VentureBeat. How AI can reduce customer service costs by up to 30%. 2020.
13 Hootsuite. Heyday Case Study: Mobilia.

Start implementing Facebook Messenger

into your social customer care strategy today.
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite
To discover how you can deliver an
exceptional customer service experience
with Facebook Messenger, visit
hootsuite.com/products/sparkcentral

Have a question?
Scan the QR code and chat with us.

20 Facebook Messenger for Customer Care Whitepaper

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With over 200,000 paid accounts and millions of users, Hootsuite
powers social media for brands and organizations around the
world, from the smallest businesses to the largest enterprises.

Hootsuite’s unparalleled expertise in social media management,

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to strategically grow their brand, businesses, and customer
relationships with social.

Trusted by leading brands worldwide Social marketing

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