Introduction

• Version: 2.10.8
• Last update: October 31, 2024

Apple Messages for Business is a service that allows your organization to directly message with your customers using the Messages app. You can use the rich feature set to help your customers resolve issues, schedule appointments, make purchases, or make payments with Apple Pay.

To manage these customer interactions, businesses work with an approved Messaging Service Provider (MSP), which provides the necessary tools and software for handling conversations.

Depending on your configuration, customers can start a conversation through multiple entry points, such as your website, app, email, or QR codes, and also directly from Apple Maps or by tapping on your phone number.

The first step for businesses interested in Apple Messages for Business is to contact their MSP, who will guide them through the process of connecting to the service. MSPs provide the software that allows your agents to manage customer inquiries using the Messages app. For a list of approved MSPs, please visit Apple Business Register.

The diagram below shows the Apple Messages for Business service flow.

Qualifying as a Business

Apple Messages for Business is designed to allow businesses to provide rich, engaging experiences in messaging to their customers on Apple devices, while protecting user privacy and security. User journeys should be built to prioritize tap-friendly, fast and easy to use conversational flows, using the power of automation for fast responses and triage, as well as efficient scaling. While automated is critical to responsiveness and scalability, there must always be a way to reach a real human agent for escalations.

To qualify for an Apple Messages for Business account, your company needs to select an Apple-approved Messaging Service Provider (MSP). The MSP will provide the asynchronous messaging platform and access to Apple Messages for Business channel. They will also provide automation support (bots/AI), and custom integration with your back-end business systems, such as CRM, order management, authentication, etc.

Qualifying as a Roadside Assistance Provider

With select models of the iPhone enabled with iOS 17, users can request Roadside Assistance via satellite when cellular and Wi-Fi networks are not available.

As a provider of roadside assistance service, your users can initiate the call through the Emergency SOS via satellite feature or by navigating to Messages, tapping “New Message”, and typing “Roadside.” After the user responds to a few simple questions (type of problem, type of vehicle, number of passengers, etc), a service request is made to the provider.

Roadside Assistance via Satellite is an extension of the Apple Messages for Business service. To get started, your organization must have an active Apple Messages for Business account, and provide support to your customers via Apple Messages for Business.

The ideal Roadside Assistance via satellite provider candidate will have these qualities:

• Geographic coverage across entire country (with no or few exclusion zones)
• 24/7 support hours
• Live Agent call center staffed with provider employees
• Many years of service in the field of roadside assistance
• Full range of services (towing, winching, battery/fuel replacement, unlocking vehicle, etc.)
• Must support both on-grid and off-grid service requests via messaging

Qualifying as a Messaging Service Provider

To qualify for a commercial MSP account, your platform must support asynchronous messaging with live agents and basic automation support. Your platform is also expected to have the capability to determine customer intent, queue, prioritize, and route messages to the appropriate agent or group of agents, and send and receive messages and app content to your clients’ customers using the Apple Messages for Business service. MSPs are required to support all features of the channel, and stay current with all future updates. MSPs must also have professional services resources trained on Apple’s guidelines and requirements, who can assist brands in building their customer journeys.
Apple prioritizes MSP candidates that have clients in the medium-to-large enterprise categories, and are already live on other asynchronous messaging channels.

Note: We are currently focusing on polishing the user experience and solutions with our existing MSP ecosystem before we add more partners to the community. We are not onboarding new partners at this time. Please check back for future updates.

Preparing to Launch

For businesses, readiness for launch means ensuring your company can resolve general customer queries through this channel, just as you would via phone support. The experience should follow Apple’s requirements and guidelines, with an emphasis on fast and easy, tap-friendly interactions, not just text.

It's also essential to collaborate with your MSP to create a ramp-up plan for conversation traffic, ensuring entry points are easily discoverable by customers, and the right resources are in place to handle increasing demand. Regularly collecting customer satisfaction data, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and other key metrics will help optimize and improve the overall experience.