FacebookMessage for OpenCart - Take the Customer Support to the Next Level
Have you ever heard of conversational commerce? It’s a curious term that was introduced in 2015 by Uber’s Chris Messina, which he explained thoroughly in his popular Medium article.
The term is used to explain the growing trends and benefits of connecting messaging apps with the Ecommerce sector. Business to customer communication is even more simplified using a connection method that arguably everyone has on their smartphone - apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.
Why do customers need a messaging app for online shopping?
Using messaging apps is the easiest possible way to establish clear communication with regular users. This is a conversational approach to customers that is familiar for them and easy for a store owner to operate.
Messaging apps generate a lot of engagement that can be transferred directly to your online store, resolving all manner of customer queries and possible issues. As a business owner, the closer you are to the regular consumer communication habits, the easier it is to establish a seamless connection with a familiar feel and none of the corporate barriers.
An extension like FacebookMessage for OpenCart allow customers to:
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Chat with company representatives
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Get customer support
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Ask questions
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Get personalized recommendations
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Find product information and details
That is what inspired us to create something that eases communication, simplifies the lives of store owners as well as their clients.
FacebookMessage for OpenCart
Installing, Configuring and Using the New FacebookMessage Module for OpenCart
FacebookMessage adds a widget in your OpenCart website where customers can send messages to your Facebook page. Store visitors will be able to send you direct messages in the social network via any desktop, tablet or mobile device straight from your store. They can start a conversation which continues entirely via the Facebook Messenger.
Let’s go over the setup.
Download and installation
Click here to find the FacebookMessage module and download it. It will be in the form of a zip file, which needs to be extracted wherever you wish on your computer.
Use the Extension Installer in your OpenCart store’s admin panel and upload the facebookmessage.ocmod.zip file.
Configure the module settings
Go to Extensions > Modules and install the application. After that, click on Edit and you will open the module’s Control Panel.
Module status: The first thing to do is set the module status to Enabled.
Widget text: Think of a short invitation for users and potential customers to send you a message through the app directly to your Facebook Business page.
Some quick examples that you can steal:
- Message us on Facebook!
- Connect with us on Facebook!
- Let’s talk on Facebook!
- Let’s chat on Facebook!
- Ask us anything on Facebook!
These are some ideas to get started, you can take it from here.
Facebook page URL: Simply copy the link to your Facebook Business page and paste it in this field. This will connect the OpenCart module to your Facebook account and practically - that’s it.
Feel Free to Put FacebookMessage to the Test
Check out how the extension works in the demo site of the module. In the test OpenCart store, we have connected the FacebookMessage module to the Facebook page of iSenseLabs. Use the widget at the bottom of the demo store to send us a message and see how everything works.
You will receive a personal reply from a member of our team!
To give an example of how the module works, I used the demo store to send a message to the Facebook page of iSenseLabs and got a reply immediately.
Users open your OpenCart website, see something they like, click the messaging widget and send you quick messages over Facebook. From there on, communication is as simple as it can possibly get over the web right now.
Some of the other cool perks of FacebookMessage are:
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Full chat history is kept for reviewing at any time...
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The module improves your Facebook page messaging response time...
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It comes with a Like button so users can become fans of your Facebook page!