Only a few Instagram users realize that the platform is becoming a conversation medium with the help of the Instagram Messenger API.
Instagram API brings brands one step closer to turning conversations into opportunities. So, business owners can now transact directly with their customers through private conversations. It is a powerful feature that can single-handedly make your brand more reliable, get more customers with lifetime value, and increase conversion quickly.
If you are growing your brand on Instagram, you must know the usage and benefits of Instagram API. This blog post will teach you everything, including its price, features, and benefits. So read till the end to find all your answers.
What is the Instagram messenger API?
The Messenger API for Instagram allows brands to engage with their customers using their preferred messaging channel. Instagram’s Messenger API integrates with existing tools and data to give brands a simple and easy way to manage high volumes of customer messages.
The Instagram Messenger API allows brands to manage large volumes of customer messages. It simplifies long technical requirements, offers more efficient workflows, and enhances the customer experience.
How much does the Instagram Messenger API cost?
There is no charge for using the Instagram API. However, you must first register and access it through Instagram. But you must first create a developer account and submit your application for review to access it.
How can you access the Instagram API?
Starting August 16, 2021, all Instagram business accounts can now connect to Instagram’s Messenger API. However, there are a few regulations that your business account needs to meet to use the Instagram API.
- You must get your Instagram business account linked to your Facebook page.
- You need to accept all of Meta’s terms and conditions.
- You must implement Webhooks, the Conversation API, and the Send API.
- You need to adhere to the technical documentation standards of Meta.
- You have to implement Instagram Story mention and reply and the handling of media CDN URLs.
- Finally, you must ensure the messaging experience has an escalation path to a human agent.
Now that you know how easy it is to start with the Instagram API, it’s time to discover its benefits.
Why do you need to integrate the Instagram Messenger API?
On average, posts from business accounts have an engagement rate of around 0.96%, with 1 in 100 followers. Comparing these statistics, you need to know that Facebook and Twitter have an engagement rate of 0.1%. So, Instagram is a pool of engagement for the target audience.
But how can it benefit your business? Let’s find out.
How can Instagram’s API benefit your business?
The Instagram API is designed to support the growing need for brands and businesses to manage consumer requests at scale. It can benefit your business in multiple ways.
- Enhance the brand’s support system.
With the Messenger API of Instagram, you can automate parts of your conversations for an always-on and consistent user experience. It allows you to leverage customer loyalty and generate quick sales. It will enable brands to instantly respond to customer inquiries in an automated system and access live customer support when needed. By integrating Instagram with a customer support automation platform, businesses can instantly respond to FAQs and escalate complex questions to live agents.
Additionally, brands can enjoy other benefits of an automation platform. You can label queries to give agents a unified view of customers and prioritize queries based on the query type. It has given brands the ability to connect with their customers during off-hours.
- improves visibility to the next level
Customers demand more convenient interactions with brands every day. They want immediate answers from brands. As a result, many customers turn to messaging apps and social media channels to get their queries answered quickly instead of traditional customer support systems.
Instagram’s Messenger API allows brands to become ubiquitous across various social media platforms and provide an excellent customer service experience. Businesses can streamline conversations with the same customer support automation platform they use on other channels. Agents powered by conversational AI can see all requests in one place, improving efficiency.
- Centralized conversation and enhanced workflow
One of the most notable advantages of the Messenger API for Instagram is that you can manage all your customer communications in one place. Send direct messages (DMs) to customers directly from a shared inbox or dashboard, seamlessly communicating without accessing the app natively.
Another excellent benefit of Instagram API is that it makes your team more efficient and responsive at scale. It makes monitoring response times, assigning tasks, and collaborating with teammates more convenient and quicker.
- Improves CSAT with satisfied customers
When a company engages with its customers efficiently and quickly, it deepens the producer-consumer relationship on a personal level. A company’s responsiveness helps increase buyer confidence. These consumers are therefore associated with businesses over time and eventually become informal promoters of brands. And that’s precisely where Instagram API comes to play.
For instance, Instagram cited H&M’s example. Working with Sprinklr to recognize language and route messages to the right support team improved their CSAT score by 9 points. It also increased agent efficiency by 31%.
What are the unique features of Instagram API?
- Webhooks
This feature notifies you when various interactions or events occur. You will get notified when a person sends a message.
- Messaging and Conversation
With the help of Instagram API, you can now send messages with media and also recover old chat histories with a customer.
- User Profile
The User Profile API lets you use an IG Scoped ID (IGSID) to receive user profile information. This retrieved data can further get used to personalize customers’ experience interacting with your brand.
- Quick Replies
You can present some buttons in the conversation to your users for instant and to-the-point replies.
- Private Replies
Instagram API allows you to post a private comment directly without making it public.
- Ice Breakers
Ice Breakers is an excellent feature allowing users to start a conversation with a brand using common FAQs. You can set 4 questions at maximum with the Ice Breaker API.
- Handover Protocol
It allows multiple applications to collaborate by handing over the control of the conversation (thread) between the Primary Receiver and Secondary Receiver apps.
- Generic Templates
It allows the brand owners to send a structured message containing buttons, images, and text.
- Product Template
With the product template feature, you can quickly send a structured message from the Facebook Product Catalog for a customized user experience.
Final Thoughts
The Messenger API of Instagram provides many opportunities for businesses. Another outstanding benefit of this API is it offers businesses an effective channel to reconnect with previous customers. It can also review the history of customer interactions with products and services for better context. Instagram API can help you increase conversions and improve customer service while significantly reducing your time managing customer communications. Thus, you must start integrating Instagram API to scale your business immediately.