Customer engagement platform developer BrandChat’s newest software tool enables companies to control social media engagement with customers over multiple channels simultaneously, says BrandChat director Pete Matthaei.

Organisations can share targeted content across multiple social media and messaging applications (apps) and then manage multiple customer engagements from one dashboard, which ensures faster, relevant responses, and better, more valuable customer relationships.

Social media engagement has already risen by 23% and phone transactions handled by call centres have dropped by 12%, according to information technology firm Dimension Data’s 2016 ‘Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report’. These trends indicate the transformation of how customers and businesses interact with one another across multiple messaging platforms.

“Social media is, by far, the channel people most want to engage through because these are channels that are familiar to them and 82% of our customers can already attribute cost savings through improved communications,” Matthaei says.

A chat interface is not limited to texts, but enables a two-way conversation with customers, and can involve any transaction, from conversing and enquiries to booking an Uber and even ordering food. Starting a chat is quicker than downloading an app, more immediate and cheaper than making a phone call, is simpler than traversing an unknown website and is often easier for customers, he explains.

However, balancing digital demand with the human touch is critical to the effectiveness of these communication platforms. While digital volumes are growing, the service they deliver often falls short of both customer expectations and the potential of the channel, Matthaei emphasises.

Therefore, BrandChat integrates with existing customer relations management platforms specifically designed for brands aiming to connect more meaningfully with their clients.

The platform helps manage client engagements across multiple chat platforms and its content management system is in development and will be network agnostic, adds Matthaei.