ServiceNow’s new messaging service aims to help organizations connect with customers via WhatsApp

Organizations need to offer customers convenient methods by which they can ask questions, get help or support, and make requests. For many people, text messaging is one of the most convenient methods, and a new service from digital workflow company ServiceNow aims to offer popular messaging tools to its own business customers.

SEE: Electronic communication policy (TechRepublic Premium)

Announced on Thursday, the new ServiceNow Messaging Service lets businesses purchase SMS and WhatsApp directly from ServiceNow to integrate them into their workflows. The goal is to give organizations a way to connect with customers and employees no matter where they’re located and more quickly address and resolve customers requests.

ServiceNow Messaging Service is designed to help organizations better meet customer expectations by providing a more transparent process for two-way conversations. Customers will be able to use SMS and WhatsApp to easily reach out to an organization. Employees of an organization can also use these messaging tools to request help across different departments, such as IT and HR.

“COVID reinforced the importance of putting the customer first, which is why today’s organizations must deliver digital experiences that are seamless and effortless for customers,” John Ball, SVP and GM of Customer Workflows for ServiceNow, said in a press release. “With ServiceNow Messaging Service, we are improving customer engagement while supporting customers on the channels of their choice. This is a natural extension of ServiceNow Customer Workflows, which unite the front, middle and back‑office to create a great end‑to‑end customer experience.”  

Running on the Twilio platform, the ServiceNow Messaging Service expands ServiceNow’s partnership with Twilio. The two companies have worked together since 2019 to foster messaging as a key way for customers and businesses to communicate with each other.

SEE: Top 5 things to know about messaging apps (TechRepublic)

“Digital leaders in every industry have figured out that messaging with customers in transparent, two‑way conversations is the most effective way to build strong customer relationships,” Molly Fischer, senior director of Strategic ISVs at Twilio, said in the press release. “More than 100 billion messages were sent across Twilio’s platform last year, and 97% of messages are read within three minutes.”

The integration with SMS and WhatsApp follows the release of ServiceNow’s Rome platform, which offers both Customer Workflow and Employee Workflow services. Rome provides several key services, including the following:

Conversation Autopilot allows an customer service agent to transfer a chat to a virtual agent for repetitive tasks. The Focused layout for Customer Service Playbooks pairs agents with a virtual coach to guide them through each step of a customer service request. Rich Messaging elevates appointment booking and other tasks that require more than a simple text to help a customer. And Employee Center is a single portal where employees can find personalized information and get help across different departments.

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