Twitter has launched a feature that continues to extend its reach beyond the service’s apps. The company today introduced a new button for websites that’ll allow site visitors to message administrators and customer support representatives through Twitter’s Direct Messages capability.
As part of its strategy around live conversations, the creation of a website button is another step in the direction of showing why Twitter should be relevant in everyday issues. But Twitter is not the first to think about this — other services in the space include Intercom and Zendesk. Even Facebook has been exploring the inclusion of call-to-action buttons to communicate with businesses directly.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2037392,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"dev,social,","session":"D"}']Announcing our new Message button. Now people can easily slide into your DMs from your website. Get yours now! https://t.co/ash9ouvgzu
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In order for this button to work, the business will need to modify its Twitter account setting to receive direct messages from anyone. From here, they can embed the new message button on their site after configuring it with the right Twitter handle and user ID.
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Where this will come in handy is in customer service, especially if you’re trying to buy something or have questions. What Twitter doesn’t want you to do is to not even consider Twitter when you have feedback, instead turning to chatbots on Facebook Messenger, Kik, or Slack; using email; or even calling the company’s support number.
Years ago, the direct message route may not have been feasible because of its 140-character restriction. After all, if a customer has a complaint, they’re not going to endure having to compose numerous messages just to be heard — they just want to air their grievances or thoughts. Fortunately Twitter has since modified the limit to 10,000 characters.
This isn’t the first embeddable button that Twitter has — other buttons allow you to share content, follow accounts, mention someone, and participate in a hashtag conversation — but none were really geared towards private discussions that someone may have. This new button streamlines the process, but will it actually persuade people to use Twitter in order to address concerns?
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