Twitter announced today new features that help companies use the Direct Messages aspect of their platform to improve communications with customers. They have enabled companies to build in Quick Replies and Welcome Messages via Direct Messages so that businesses can serve customers better.

The new tools let businesses better incorporate Direct Messages into their CRM strategies. Twitter hopes that this further encourages businesses to make its platform the heart of their customers experience.

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Quick Replies and Welcome Messages

Twitter’s new Welcome Messages allow businesses to pre-set greetings or offer information at the top of their Twitter feed to encourage questions and speed resolutions.

“Businesses can create multiple welcome messages and deep link directly to a specific greeting from Tweets, websites, or apps,” said Ian Cairns (@cairns), Customer Service Product Manager. “Welcome messages help businesses demonstrate their commitment to service and help people learn what options exist to engage with a business in Direct Messages.”

The Quick Replies feature gives businesses a way to automate replies to customers by letting them choose from a list of options. Businesses could combine Quick Replies and Welcome Messages in order to make the customer interaction more efficient and effective. Cairns says that they might, for example, prompt faster resolutions by encouraging customers to provide specific information before a customer service agent is actually involved.

Twitter noted that Pizza Hut is using the new features to improve the customer experience. “We are constantly pursuing ways to simplify our ordering experience,” said Baron Concors, Global Chief Digital Officer at Pizza Hut. “This platform allows our consumers to quickly order or get information within Twitter where they are already spending a great deal of their time.”

Twitter has listed these companies as currently incorporating the new features into their Direct Messages experience with customers: @EvernoteHelps, @PizzaHut, @AirbnbHelp, @SpotifyCares, @NortonSupport, @Tesco,@TfLTravelAlerts, @WeatherNetwork, and @AirTailor.

Information for Developers

Twitter has worked to integrate these new features with a number of ecommerce tools including: Assist, Audiense, Conversable, Conversocial, Dexter, Hobbynote,Lithium, Massively, Proxima, Rozie, Spredfast, Sprinklr, and Sprout Social .

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