Zendesk Now Offers Facebook Private Messages For Customer Service

Zendesk has a new feature out today, that lets customers send private Facebook messages that automatically go to agents as Zendesk customer service tickets.

What this means? It’s getting easier than ever to get your questions answered or customer service issues resolved. It also points to the blurring lines between work apps and personal ones. And without question, it shows how our work and personal lives criss cross more than ever.

Customers get the same experience that comes with sending messages on Facebook. As with any private message, only the recipient and the sender see the information passed between the two.

Here is how it looks for customers:

Customer agents using Zendesk see this when messages come in:

In December, Zendesk launched its original Facebook integration that makes it possible for wall conversations to turn into Zendesk tickets. Inversely, a customer service agent may respond by sending a message that appears on Facebook as a wall post.

Get ready for more of these new services. A few years ago, Salesforce.com first started using Facebook as a way for its clients to communicate with customers. In the next 12 to 18 months, we can expect a wave of acquisitions as the concept of customer experience management begins to mature. SAP and Oracle will go head to head. Both recently acquired SaaS providers. Oracle acquired RightNow, which also had one of the earliest Facebook integrations and SAP acquired Success Factors.

The Zendesk service is a smart one. It means its clients can communicate with customers im a place that’s fast and convenient. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than running a call center.