At its annual developer conference on March 25th, Facebook announced a series of features and updates, and while the news is mostly targeted for developers and app designers right now, Facebook Messenger Business could eventually mean big things for hoteliers.
The major update unveiled during Zuckerberg’s keynote is that Facebook Messenger is becoming a massive communications hub, where users will be able to do much more than chat with others via the service. A noteworthy feature of the growing platform is Messenger Business, which will allow users to communicate with merchants by sending them a direct message or making a reservation and checking shipping information.
People will be able to have personal conversations with companies — specifically, customer service representatives — and be able to make requests, asks questions and get quick responses in an ongoing thread, the company said.
There are 600 million monthly active users on Facebook Messenger, and brands are trained to be where the users are. Daniel Moriarty, director of social strategy at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts said, “Technology developments like Facebook Messenger provide more opportunities to build on the real-time, 24/7 model we have already established to allow our colleagues to lend a helping hand, pass on useful information or create better, more personalized experiences for our guests worldwide.”
The move also strengthens Facebook’s bid to ask consumers for their debit cards and bank account information to transfer cash.