Event recap: Rakuten Viber / 8x8 webinar

(Original version published on the 8x8 blog, October 2021)

8x8's webinar "How to Hook Customers with a More Human Experience in a Digital World" took place on September 30 and among the speakers who discussed business growth in the era of mass digitalization was our Senior Director of Business Messaging Solutions Etienne Dupont who shared Viber's experience as one of the world’s most popular messaging apps.

While acknowledging that it is indeed difficult, the webinar panel mused over how businesses can use chat apps to maintain quality service at any time of day. Chat apps like Viber not only allow free-flowing human conversation, but they also provide rich content that people can relate to in the form of videos and emojis. With consumers spending more and more time on their devices, it absolutely makes sense for businesses to get in on the action.

The panel agreed that to keep customers coming back, frictionless customer care is a must-have and chat apps make this possible.

The icing on the cake is that chat apps are also a cost-effective option. With apps like Viber, companies can reach out to new audiences, and communicate better with their existing customers, in a native environment. It’s possible to send targeted offers and promotions that turn prospects into paying customers, and then gain their loyalty over time by building deeper relationships. While the future ahead is indeed uncertain, all signs indicate that chat apps will only get bigger and better in the business world.

Of course, live service staff will always be required to do the heavy lifting—especially for high priority tasks and emergencies. In that sense, chat apps have been proven to be useful during interim periods, working symbiotically with service agents to keep customers informed.

Watch back the webinar here and be sure to sign up to our newsletter to receive future event updates.