Conversocial says its customers are now able to use Apple Business Chat, a new way for users to communicate directly with businesses using the Messages app.

CEO Ido Bornstein-HaCohen says customers can use Apple Business Chat to deliver a conversational customer experience, bringing both human contact center agents and virtual assistants together into messaging to deliver quick responses to FAQs, handle customer service issues or allow customers to quickly and securely pay for items directly within Messages using Apple Pay. With Business Chat, customers can always reach a live person and are always in control of whether they share any contact information with a business.

Conversocial enables businesses to connect both bots and agents on one platform, ensuring a hand-off between the two. Conversocial’s platform includes an agent  workspace, which is purpose-built to help live agents communicate with customers across messaging channels, as well as a bot development product, allowing companies like Lush Cosmetics to build and launch virtual assistants focused on key use cases that complement Apple Business Chat.

To start an Apple Business Chat conversation, customers can tap the Messages icon on a businesses’s website. In iOS 13, when a user taps to call a supported business phone number, iOS offers a suggestion to start a Business Chat instead. If they choose ‘message’, a conversation with the company’s agents will open instantly in the Messages app, and users can take their time responding when it’s convenient.

Apple Business Chat is now available in beta for users and businesses worldwide, and is built into iOS 11.3 or later. The new chat suggestions feature is available starting with iOS 13. For more information visit: apple.com/ios/business-chat.