Hi I'm excited about the new announcement for Business Messaging in Zoho Desk.
However I'm unclear the use case for Business Messaging when Live Chat already exists? Is Business Messaging essentially a new version of Live Chat but built for use in the Instant Messaging Module?
If this is the case am I right in guessing that the point of the new Business Messaging is to bring embedded Live Chat functionality into the IM Module rather than having a separate Live Chat/Sales IQ Module?
Is it a case that the new Business Messaging also allows for chat Bots to interact with the chat and for those conversations to be handed over to a live agent, where as SalesIQ Live chat couldnt do this?
Or am I missing the point completely with the new Business Messaging? Should I stay with SalesIQ live chat? OR should I move my live chat system over to IM/Business Messaging
We’re excited too and delighted to see your enthusiasm!
You're correct—Business Messaging is a native live chat option within Zoho Desk, providing a unified platform for all your instant interactions with customers. It indeed supports chatbots and enables smooth transitions to live agents while preserving context. Additionally, it provides functionalities like easy ticket conversations and access, business hours sync, and APIs for sending messages, among others.
While Zoho SalesIQ remains available as an integrated live chat service, Business Messaging brings the advantage of managing all live customer interactions directly within Zoho Desk. We have more features and enhancements planned for instant messaging, and we’ll share updates as they’re ready.
Give it a try, and we’d love to hear your feedback! If you’d like to learn more, feel free to reach out at support@zohodesk.com—we’re happy to discuss it further.
There are too many overlapping features across the Zoho ecosystem, each with slight variations but essentially serving the same purpose.
As Zoho users, it’s challenging to determine which tool to use, when to use it, and why. This is even before considering the development aspect—so much effort is spent creating something that Zoho already offers, rather than improving the product or adding missing features that aren’t available at all.
I understand the confusion. The main goal of introducing this feature in Zoho Desk is to provide users with a seamless and streamlined experience by consolidating all channels in one place within Zoho Desk, eliminating the need to switch between different apps. From a development perspective, business messaging is built on the same platform as Zoho SalesIQ and it’s not a redundant effort. Although it may appear similar to Zoho SalesIQ, business messaging offers native features that bridge many gaps. This release is just the first phase, with many more functionalities planned, such as automations and more.
Regards,
Shivani | Zoho Desk