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Transactional Messages on Facebook Messenger: Definition, Best Practices, and Examples

transactional-messages-on-facebook-messenger:-definition,-best-practices,-and-examples

When businesses think about transactional messages, they tend to use them as a one-off message to satisfy their customers. Sure, the point of a transactional message isn’t to promote new products, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage these types of updates as a marketing opportunity for your following campaigns and flows. 

Did you know the average open rate on Facebook Messenger for businesses using Octane AI is between 80% – 95%?  Right now, the most popular methods for sending transactional messages are through email and SMS. Although both these channels are great, using Facebook Messenger for your transactional messages is an untapped opportunity for businesses that want to stand out to their customers and bring their Messenger chatbot to the next level. 

We’re going to share all the best practices for ensuring a positive chatbot customer experience, specifically with transactional messaging, right here.

Transactional messages may be a new term for you, but you’ve probably already been sending them. Opposite from the promotional message, transactional messages are automated messages triggered by customer actions. These messages are usually expected because they share information that the customer is wanting to receive, including receipts, delivery details, order confirmations and more.  

A few examples of transactional messages include:

  • Welcome or onboarding messages
  • Order confirmation messages
  • Shipping notifications
  • Delivery status updates
  • Two-factor authentication messages
  • Event registration confirmation messages
  • Customer feedback request messages
  • Security check messages
  • Coupon or discount code messages
  • Password reset messages

Naturalicious get started campaign

These messages are meant to ensure positive customer service experiences, which are key to building brand loyalty and increasing customer retention. In fact, 73% of companies with “above average” customer experience perform better financially than their competitors. The truth is, transactional messages contain important information that your customers are asking to receive, so ensuring they get those updates in a timely manner with all their requested information is key to success. This is why we’re here to introduce you to the idea of transactional messages on Facebook Messenger, giving your Shopify Messenger chat an upgrade.

Do you want to set up Facebook Messenger automation for your promotional and transactional messages? Chat with us to see how we can help! 

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The opportunity with Facebook Messenger and transactional messages

There are 1.3 billion Messenger users globally, but only 1% of companies engage with their clients through Messenger chatbots. The convenience of connecting your Shopify store to an ecommerce chatbot means you can start sending transactional messages that are direct and personalized, and the messages will reach your customers in real-time to provide valuable information immediately. Knowing that the majority of Messenger users check the app at least once a day, you can easily update your customers about their Shopify order status at any time without the message being lost in a cluster of other promotional and transactional emails from brands you’re competing with. 

A major difference between sending transactional messages on Facebook Messenger versus other channels is the ability for users to respond to you and ask you follow-up questions. In a survey report from Retail Touchpoints, 51% of consumers want real-time visibility into the status of their orders, but getting this visibility can be difficult if your customers have follow-up questions. There’s nothing personal about receiving an email from an address that clearly states “Do not reply.” With AI smart responses, if a customer has a follow-up question from a transactional message, your Messenger bot can instantly recognize and respond to these inquiries immediately, just like how Skinny Mixes does below. Hello, happy customers!

Skinny Mixes AI responses example

Businesses can build back-and-forth conversations with new subscribers for a personalized onboarding experience. A survey by Segment found that 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after a personalized experience, which is why it’s important to ensure your transactional messages should be optimized for positive engagement. We’ll share a few best practices down below, but make sure your onboarding customers using your brand voicetransactional messages don’t have to be serious, after all!

The best transactional messages will also enhance your promotional campaigns. Using some of these best practices will help you increase opt-ins, open rates, click-through-rates, and conversions, so you can start sending the best transactional messages on Facebook Messenger.

Look for ways to increase opt-ins

Before you can send transactional messages on Messenger, you need to have Messenger subscribers first. There are a variety of ways you can increase your subscriber rate using both promotional and transactional means. For example, including welcome and exit-intent pop-ups are a great way to capture website visitors and convert them to your marketing communication by offering a coupon or discount code. This pop-up on DOYOUEVEN’s website is a great example.

doyoueven popup example

You’ll also want to include opt-in buttons on various pages on your site. Including an opt-in checkbox on every product page can help you increase your list. Whenever a customer is on the checkout page, ensure you’re including an opt-in button and ask if they’re interested in receiving updates through Facebook Messenger. Finally, give customers an option to receive order updates on Messenger on their order confirmation page. 

Order confirmation opt-in

These are all great ways to start increasing your Messenger subscribers, send promotional messages to those new subscribers, increase conversions, and send awesome transactional messages that ensure a positive experience so those customers come back for a future purchase. 

P.s. Want to see how DOYOUEVEN made an additional $155,000 in monthly revenue using Octane AI? Check it out!

See How They Did It

Be your most authentic self

One of the biggest myths about transactional messages is that they don’t need a brand voice. How boring is it when you get a message from a brand that simply states: “Thanks for shopping with us. Here’s your order number.” There’s nothing memorable about that experience. Since you’re engaging with your customers on Facebook Messenger, talk to them like you would to your friends and family. No need to be serious hereunless that’s your brand’s regular tone. Naturalicious does a great job at making their transactional messages playful and exciting. 

Screen Shot 2020-07-14 at 12.45.20 PM

Leverage other post-purchase follow-ups

Since 40% of shoppers consider the post-purchase experience the most memorable part of the brand experience, think about the other types of messages you could be sending customers to compliment your transactional messages. This is where promotional messages and transactional messages work well together. Once you have captured subscribers that asked for a shipping confirmation on Messenger, these subscribers are now available for cross-selling, up-selling and other promotional campaigns and flows. 

It’s also important to ask customers about their purchase experience. After the customer has received their products, you can send them a request to fill out a post-purchase survey or write a review about that product. This shows your customers that you appreciate that they chose to shop with you and that you’re genuinely interested in how their experience went. This also allows you to get a better understanding of how your customers think and feel, and you can use that information to send extremely targeted messages. 

Include all value-adds

There are key items in a transactional message that your customers will expect. Not including these can lead to a negative customer service experience. The goal is to ensure your customers aren’t feeling like they need a ton of questions answered based on your message.

For example, an order update should include details about the product purchased and when it was purchased, and shipping confirmations should include details about the product they purchased, estimated delivery date and a tracking link. Providing a link to your store’s FAQ page about shipping and orders would be especially helpful. Facebook Messenger shipping updates give customers requested information immediately, and who doesn’t want that? Check out how Rage Nation Apparel does this on Messenger.

Screen Shot 2020-07-14 at 12.52.22 PM

Believe it or not, transactional messages are key to the rest of your messaging strategy. When customers are looking for clear information, it’s up to you to make sure you’re providing that information in the best way possible. You want to keep your relationship with every customer positive, so using Facebook Messenger for transactional messaging is a great strategy.

Knowing your messages won’t get lost in a sea of other promotional campaigns from brands, letting customers interact back with you with AI smart responses, and interacting naturally with your shoppers are all reasons why Facebook Messenger is the way to make the most out of your transactional messages. 

The next steps are simple: invest in a Messenger app. Check out how you can use Octane AI to send transactional messages that properly engage your top customers.

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This article originally appeared in the OctaneAI blog and has been published here with permission.

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