“New solution aims to bridge the gap between public social media comments and private, revenue-generating customer interactions.”
8×8, the cloud communications and contact centre provider, has launched a new solution aimed at helping retailers convert social media conversations into sales. The product, named 8×8 Social Connect, integrates social listening capabilities from Meltwater with 8×8’s own contact centre technology.
The system is designed to monitor social media platforms in real-time to identify customer intent and sentiment. When a potential sales opportunity or a customer complaint is detected, it is routed to a live agent who can then engage the customer in a private chat through channels such as SMS or WhatsApp.
According to Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8×8, Inc., “Every missed social comment is a lost sale, and every delayed response risks your reputation. With 8×8 Social Connect, retailers can finally bridge the gap – moving customers from public comments to private, branded chats where agents can personalize interactions and close the sale instantly or solve queries privately.”1
The company states that the tool will allow agents to share product details, schedule appointments, and process payments within a single interaction, utilising its 8×8 SecurePay feature. The platform is also intended to improve agent efficiency by providing full conversation context and AI-powered suggestions in a unified workspace.
The move comes as consumer use of social applications to interact with businesses has reportedly increased. Citing research from Metrigy, 8×8 highlighted that faster customer service can lead to increased consumer spending, with Robin Gareiss, CEO at Metrigy, noting, “when companies can meet consumers where they are, satisfaction and spending are higher.”
CRM/CDP Topics Covered in this Article: Product Announcements, First Party Data, Real-Time Data Ingestion, Analytics, Customer Insights, Omnichannel Engagement, Hyper Personalization, E-Commerce and Retail, APIs.
Companies and Products Mentioned in this Article: 8×8, Inc., 8×8 Social Connect, 8×8 Contact Center, 8×8 SecurePay, Meltwater, Metrigy.
