Zendesk officially launches Apple Business Chat option for customer support

After a long trial period, Zendesk has made Apple's Business Chat in Messages generally available to all customers.

Following its adoption by the likes of American Express, and its rolling out to other countries, Apple Business Chat is now being offered by Zendesk.

"Apple Business Chat makes it easier for customers to message you than to call, helping drive engagement at a lower cost," says Zendesk in an announcement on its website. "With more self-service options and tools for delivering personalized experiences, you can unlock new revenue streams while bringing CX [Customer Experience] to the next level."

What this means for Zendesk's customers is that those firms can now provide online help to where their users most want it. For those users, it means being able to send a Message to support exactly as easily and conveniently as they might a friend.

Apple Business Chat also integrates this support with other iOS features. So from within Messages, a company's support representative can offer phone numbers, for instance, to local stores. That information can then be displayed on Apple Maps, too.

"[You can deliver] an interactive messaging experience with advanced messaging capabilities like pick lists, date and time pickers, and custom iMessage apps," says Zendesk.

Apple Business Chat is available to customers on Zendesk's Sunshine Conversations plan, which begins at $495 per month. The service was launched in the US by Apple as part of iOS 11.3 in 2018, and has steadily expanded to more companies and countries since.