How to use chat software to facilitate meaningful conversations with your customers

Terazo Team

The Evolution of Customer Service Technology

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, advances in technology have helped companies work smarter—more productively, more efficiently, and more profitably. That progress extends to customer service.

In the 1920s, department stores created customer service departments, and order-by-mail products began including user manuals—all designed to create happy customers. Since then, customer service technology has continued to evolve, largely through automation.

Today, one of the most powerful examples of this evolution is chat software.

What is chat software?

Chat software facilitates real-time conversations between customers and your website or native apps via SMS. It allows businesses to provide personalized customer service that, depending on the situation, may or may not require human support.

Chatbots vs. Live chat

Chatbots automate replies by mimicking natural conversations. By anticipating customer needs and common scenarios, they can respond efficiently without involving a live representative.
Live Chat involves a customer service agent interacting with customers on the platform in real time.

Both options are now familiar to most consumers and are often prominently placed on customer service pages through “How can I help?” icons or pop-up prompts.

Key benefits of chat software

Increase opportunities to engage
- Chat allows you to scale conversations and interact with multiple customers simultaneously—something phone-based service cannot match.
Provide a self-service option
- Automating conversations saves time for both customers and service reps. Customers can get answers faster, and companies save time and money.
Improve engagement across platforms
- Chat supports omnichannel strategies, offering service across web, mobile, and apps. This enhances the customer experience and strengthens retention efforts.

Twilio conversations API

Not all chat software is created equal. Zennify partners with Twilio, a leading provider of chat technology.

Twilio’s Conversations API delivers best-in-class performance to power conversational workflows on both native apps and websites. Features include:

Cloud-based archives with message history
Data analysis for personalized customer interactions

Designing the right chat solution

At Zennify, we customize Twilio’s chat platform to fit your unique needs:

Scenario planning – Collaborating with you to identify common chatbot interactions.
Conversation design – Developing decision trees and scripts in a natural, relatable tone.
Fast deployment – Delivering a Beta-ready model in as little as two weeks.
Refinement – Adding sophistication and nuance until we are confident it meets real-world demands.

What to look for in chat software

When evaluating solutions, consider:

Comprehensiveness – Does it cover all functionality and scenarios you need?
Flexibility – Can it be tailored to your exact requirements?

Zennify provides expert guidance to ensure both criteria are met.

Why chat matters

Customers are increasingly comfortable with chatbots, especially as they demonstrate logic, intelligence, and problem-solving capabilities.

Given their role as a primary entry point to your company and their impact on your reputation, it is critical that your chat functionality performs at the highest level.