Messaging is basically a conversational platform just like Zendesk’s classic chat. However, it upgrades live chat functionality in a number of ways, including:
- Persistent conversations, so both agents and customers can view past interactions for greater insight into their ongoing support relationships.
- Multiple channel availability, you can include it wherever your customers want to engage with your support services.
- Ticket creation, which lets agents follow up on more complex support requests through Zendesk Support.
- Automated, customized conversation flows, created with Flow Builder, our drag-and-drop designer, can include article suggestions and customized conversational text.
- Integration in the Agent Workspace, so your agents can manage support requests coming in from all of those channels from a single, unified interface.
You can deploy messaging across three channel groups -- website, mobile apps, and social channels -- each with multiple delivery channels and configuration options. Pick and choose any combination of channels to best reach your customers:
- Website channels (Web Widget) can embed messaging in your own website or Zendesk Guide help center.
- Mobile apps (iOS, Android, and Unity SDKs) deliver messaging capabilities via your customers’ mobile devices.
- Social channels (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, LINE, and more) lets you connect with and support customers wherever they are.
Messaging impacts everyone who works on (or with) your Zendesk:
- Admins can quickly set up messaging in the Admin Center, and can use Flow Builder to create automated, interactive conversations with customers. These conversations can include greetings, specific article suggestions, information-gathering fields and questions, and more.
- Agents can respond to their customers at any time and continue where they left off in a previous interaction. Conversation history in the Agent Workspace provides agents with additional context required to respond to customers.
- Customers have the opportunity to self-solve their support issues with targeted article suggestions before connecting with an agent. Conversation history helps them refer to earlier support requests, and give feedback to agents with customer satisfaction surveys.
Since Messaging is a progressing feature, there are some current limitations in functionality. Below are some examples of such limitations (but not all):
- Service-level agreements: Time-based SLAs (First Reply Time, Next Reply Time, and Periodic Updates) are not supported for messaging tickets, as SLAs do not work reliably as agents typically don’t change the ticket status after each reply. However, status-based SLAs are supported.
- Skills-based routing: You cannot route conversations based on agent skills; however, other routing options are available.
- Sell integration: While the Sell integration is currently unavailable, messaging agents can continue to create Leads in Sell from the Agent Workspace.
- Third-party integrations: External Chat-Support integrations will not function after migrating to messaging.
- Banning visitors: Web Widget and messaging functionality cannot be restricted per-customer or by IP address. However, Sunshine Conversations SDK does provide a workaround.
- Multi-agent conversations: Conversations cannot be served by more than one agent at a time.
- Proactive triggers: Messaging is currently reactive-only. The Web Widget cannot open without direct customer action. However, Sunshine Conversations does provide a workaround.
- Visitor path: While you cannot view a website’s visitors via the Chat dashboard, much of the same information is available in the Agent Workspace, through the context panel. Additionally, the context panel shows information regarding the URL of chat visitors for the Web Widget (Classic), but not for the messaging Web Widget.
- Conversion tracking: Business goals cannot be set based on conversion tracking.
- Visitor metadata: Visitor metadata is not collected.
- Private file attachments: Agents and customers can add public attachments of up to 50MB; however, private attachments are not currently supported.
- No support for the Data Center Location add-on: Data residency for non-US and EU customers will be available in the future.
- Chat shortcuts: You can use Chat shortcuts in web messages, but Chat shortcuts with options or dynamic content are not supported.
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