Chat Integration

Integrating chat into a social media environment means offering instant messaging or conversational capabilities. These may be powered by chat apps, chatbots, or direct messaging platforms that enable users, businesses, and brands to connect and interact with their audience, followers, and customers. And all this is happening without requiring the user to exit the social media platform and switch to another app.

Annie (2018) provides a few examples of what this might look like. You can message directly via the Instagram platform, or you can converse using Facebook Messenger. You can also embed a customer service chat window directly into your profile, which is accessible through various social media platforms.

Another common use case for integration is that of direct messaging between brands and users on Twitter. Still another, perhaps less common, use case is that of chat integration with third-party tools—e. g.

, autonomous platforms or CRM systems.