Customer service leaders are on the hunt for integrated solutions that can support their business priorities of growing digital service channels and providing proactive customer care. Many have turned to Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Customer Service, especially those who are familiar with the Microsoft ecosystem.
Dynamics 365 Customer Service is an all-in-one customer support platform, from integrated case management to AI-power analysis and suggestions, allowing businesses and agents to deliver a unified and contextualized support experience. Designed to be omnichannel, it offers businesses a multitude of ways to service their customers, including SMS, telephone support, live chat, and social channels.
However, customer service leaders still feel the pressure to keep pace with customers’ changing and diverse preferences. Sixty-four percent of customers used a new support channel in 2020, with a surge in support requests coming from messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. And in Southeast Asia alone, four different messaging apps are preferred across six key markets.
Recognizing the gap, we’ve expanded the 8×8 Chat Apps API capabilities to support integration with Dynamics 365 Customer Service. Here’s what you can expect.
One key to many doors
Through the single 8×8 Chat Apps API, you will gain access to six of the most popular messaging apps all at once, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, Zalo, and KakaoTalk. That’s right—there is no need to go about convincing stakeholders which channel works best, and no need to register different business accounts and connect individually.
And here’s what’s powerful about the integration between 8×8 Chat Apps API and Dynamics 365 Customer Service. No matter which messaging app a customer chat is initiated from, you will be able to manage all conversations right from your support dashboard.
Along with being easy to integrate, the 8×8 Chat Apps API is designed to help create seamless cross-channel connectivity while streamlining your processes.
- Smart retry of undelivered messages—orchestrate your message routes across chat apps if there are instances of unsuccessful delivery
- Automated fallback to SMS—guarantee that any undelivered or unread messages reach your audience as intended
- b—easily retrieve logs for analysis and optimization via 8×8 Connect
- And many more!
💡 Learn more about which messaging apps work the best in which market in Asia in our infographic, The State of Chat Apps in Asia and How Brands Can Benefit.
A side effect of happy customers (and happy agents)
Sixty-nine percent of customers expect a connected experience across touch points when interacting with brands. Integrating 8×8 Chat Apps API with Dynamics 365 Customer Service does exactly that.
With the integration, you will be able to provide support services on customers’ preferred channels with greater ease. And you don’t have to worry about them changing their minds about which is their favorite messaging app for the day.
The best part: even if customers switch between messaging apps (e.g. jumping from WhatsApp to Facebook Messenger and back), your service agents will not lose any context. With all conversations across the chat channels consolidated within Dynamics 365 Customer Service, agents will be able to tend to customers’ queries using familiar features.
After implementing the integration, watch your NPS and CSAT rating climb!
It’s just easier to get the buy-in you need
Underutilized workplace technology is a reality and has proven to be costly. This can sometimes make it difficult to justify adopting new technologies, changing processes, or adding new customer communication channels.
But with the integration of 8×8’s Chat Apps API with Dynamics 365 Customer Service, it’s easy for you to build a business case.
- Even with the addition of messaging apps, your service agents will continue to interact with customers via the Dynamics 365 Customer Service dashboard, further utilizing an existing tool and platform
- The customer interaction data collected from the different messaging apps can be shared within the larger Microsoft ecosystem, meeting a wider variety of business needs
- Having visibility into the customer-facing communication channels enables process monitoring and operational controls
How does it work?
Say that a customer sends in an inquiry via WhatsApp. Through the 8×8 Chat Apps API, a customer conversation will be created on Dynamics 365 Customer Service. The service agent on duty will be able to pick up the ticket and begin a live chat without leaving the support dashboard. On top of text, agents will be able to receive and reply to messages in rich content, such as links, images, and videos. Once the conversation has ended, the chat history will be saved within the dashboard just like any other support ticket.
Here’s a demonstration of a customer initiating a conversation via WhatsApp and an agent responding via the Dynamics 365 Customer Service dashboard, enabled by the 8×8 Chat Apps API.
Prerequisites for Dynamics 365 Customer Service and 8×8 Chat Apps API integration
Before you get started, here’s what you need:
- Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise, with the add-on of Digital Messaging
- Microsoft PowerBI (the free subscription will do)
- Microsoft Azure Bot Service (Direct Line API)
- Microsoft Azure Key Vault
Next steps
All you need is access to the 8×8 Chat Apps API and we will guide you through the integration steps. Learn more about the Chat Apps API or talk with our experts at hello-cpaas@8×8.com.
