IMImobile launches Facebook Messenger contact centre support

Businesses could soon have their customer service representatives chatting with consumers on Facebook Messenger, with IMImobile launching support for the platform on its IMIconnect cloud communications and IMIchat contact centre software products.

The AIM-traded company said the IMIconnect cloud communications platform enables enterprises to communicate to any consumer anywhere in the world, through a single API which supports telecom, in-app and over-the-top messaging channels.

It said the addition of support for Facebook Messenger as a channel will allow engagement with another 900 million users.

"We have seen a significant shift in consumer behaviour over recent years, with people increasingly using their mobiles to interact with businesses and messaging emerging as the dominant channel on mobile devices,” said IMImobile chief executive Jay Patel.

“This has led to a shift in the requirements of marketing and customer support within organisations, and this will only accelerate with the introduction of 'bots' for Facebook's Messenger Platform, as announced at F8 this week.

“We currently process billions of customer interactions for our clients across different digital touchpoints and expect that machine-led interactions will revolutionise customer support and engagement over the next few years,” he explained.

At 1200 BST, shares in IMImobile were trading up 0.56% at 150.34p.