Facebook to Allow Businesses to Privately Message Users

As part of the company’s push to make its Messenger app a standalone platform, businesses using Facebook pages or ads can now include a “send message” button in ads that appear in Newsfeed, allowing users to click a button and send private messages.

If a user posts a comment on a Facebook page, then the business can privately message that person. The changes also include new messaging integration for ads on Facebook. Businesses can incorporate a "Send Message" button into their ads, to let Facebook pages users to initiate a private conversation directly from the ad or page. Also, if a user leaves a comment on a Facebook page, the page owner can respond privately through Messenger.

Previously, businesses could only respond to users' messages using traditional means, either through a comment or a private message.

The changes, announced on August 4^th 2015, are designed to give businesses on Facebook an easier way to connect with customers, answer questions and handle customer support issues.

Facebook also wants to let users know which businesses are the most efficient in their responses to users' messages. Analytics will show Pages that respond to 90% of messages, and have an average response time of less than five minutes will have a "very responsive" label added to their pages, giving them an incentive to connect with the consumer more often. To prevent company spam and message abuse, Facebook users will be able to block private messages from businesses.

Facebook views its Messenger service as more than an app for exchanging messages between individuals or companies. The new features are part of Facebook’s efforts to convince more SMBs in emerging markets, such as India, Brazil & Indonesia, to advertise on its platform.