Apple Messages for Business: What it is and how to use it for customer support
Getting closer to your customers when they need you is now easier than ever with Apple Messages for Business.
When customers reach out, they expect answers, and fast. But too often, traditional support channels create friction: long wait times, repetitive questions, or limited availability.
Apple Messages for Business offers a smarter way to connect. It brings your brand directly into the messaging app your iOS customers already use; turning search, support, and even checkout into a single, seamless conversation.
In a market where 88% of customers say experience matters as much as products, how you show up on mobile makes all the difference. This blog explores how Apple Messages for Business can help you deliver real-time, personalized support at scale, and how to get started in five simple steps.
Why is it time to upgrade your customer service with Apple Messages for Business?
The customer journey increasingly begins and ends online. In fact:
In other words, how and where you engage customers matters more than ever.
To respond to these shifts in consumer behavior, businesses have been transforming the way they interact with their customers by moving from traditional channels to digital ones.
A business’s online presence is no longer just its website and the keywords it uses to rank on search, it’s also how easy they make it for customers to contact them and complete their journey.
What is Apple Messages for Business?
Apple Messages for Business is a native iOS messaging solution that allows brands to connect with customers directly through the Messages app; on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.
Whether it’s customer support, scheduling, product discovery, or Apple Pay-enabled checkouts, Apple Messages for Business helps you meet iOS users directly in their preferred messaging app. Securely, seamlessly, and on their terms.
Now, you might be asking yourself: why should I cater to iOS users?
Well, 50% of mobile users in the US are Apple users, and with over 1.5 billion active iPhone users worldwide, not having an Apple Messages for Business presence can lead to a lot of missed opportunities. Or worse, you could risk losing customers who prefer to shop exclusively from brands that offer their services on the channel.
All in all, communicating with customers through Apple Messages for Business helps you deliver a fully connected experience to a wider audience.
11 ways Apple Messages for Business can boost your customer service
Assisting your customers can help them understand what they’re looking for and improve their overall digital experience with your brand. Here’s how communicating with customers through Apple Messages for Business can help:
1. Make messaging a first choice
Introduce messaging as the first choice for your customers by enabling “Message Suggest” so customers can start a conversation directly from Safari, Maps, Siri, or Spotlight. This reduces pressure on your contact center while offering a fast, familiar way for customers to reach you.
2. Build a premium, branded journey
Stand out with rich, personalized conversations that reflect your brand. With Apple’s built-in Messages app, customers enjoy a high-quality, native iOS experience that feels trustworthy and professional.
3. Capture attention with rich content
Deliver rich experiences to keep customers engaged through the entire journey. Make your messaging more exciting and visible with media-rich messages; share images, videos, carousels, and links that entice customers to click and continue the conversation.
4. Streamline the journey with quick replies
Help customers act faster with tap-to-respond options. Quick replies reduce friction and keep conversations flowing smoothly.
5. Guide choice with a list picker
Present multiple options, like store locations, product types, or service categories, by using a list picker. Each item can include text and images, and lists can be grouped into sections to simplify selection and improve clarity.
6. Simplify scheduling with a time picker
Let customers easily book appointments by selecting from available time slots. The time picker also displays potential calendar conflicts, helping customers choose the option that works best without back-and-forth messaging.
7. Enable in-message payments with Apple Pay
44.5% of online users worldwide prefer digital mobile wallets as a payment method. Make your purchasing process a part of your Apple Messages for Business conversations by offering authenticated Apple Pay options; streamlining the checkout process without ever leaving the Messages app.
8. Enhance security with end-to-end encryption
Let your customers know that everything stays between the two of you with end-to-end encrypted messaging that ensures security and builds trust.
9. Send and store important documents
Share digital assets like tickets, order confirmations, or loyalty cards that can be stored directly in Apple Wallet, ensuring customers always have access when they need it.
10. Make interactions more expressive and immersive
Add life to your new digital channel by sharing 3D files, emojis, or AR content to make your customers feel like they are right there with you.
11. Transfer to agents without losing context
Offer customers personalized service at every step of their journey by seamlessly transferring to live agents without losing context or conversation history.
How to start using Apple Messages for Business in 5 simple steps
Before getting started, define what kind of experience you want to deliver. What types of questions will customers ask? What use cases will you support? What are the key entry points: Safari, Maps, Siri?
Once you have the answers, add them to a simple document that our team can share with you. If you are a little unsure, don’t worry, we can help you to map a customer journey that is just right for your business goals.
This blog will serve as a guide for your implementation phase, outlining what you need to prepare, how to set up your account, and how to go live with confidence.
Step 0 – Get approval from Apple before you begin
Before you can move forward with setup, Apple must first review and approve your proposed use cases. This is a mandatory step. Without Apple’s approval, you won’t be able to continue with the onboarding process.
- To start, you’ll need to prepare and submit the following:
- A short document outlining your planned customer journey
- A flow diagram of the experience
- Visual mockups showing how the messaging interaction will look
Once you’ve compiled these materials, our team will send them to Apple on your behalf. Only after Apple approves both your use cases and your business profile can you proceed with account setup and integration.
Step 1 – Log in
Log into the Apple Business Register with your business email, preferably using your business email, by clicking on this link: Apple Business Register.
Step 2 – Create an account
Provide basic details about your business, then select Infobip as your authorized Messaging Service Provider. Once submitted, Apple will review and confirm your registration.
Step 3 – Connect
Next, you’ll need to connect your test sender to the Infobip platform. This is done by clicking the “Test your Messaging Service Provider connection” link in the Apple Business Register.
You’ll be redirected to the Infobip Portal, where you can log in and add each test sender as a communication resource. This connection allows you to start testing your setup and preview how messages will appear in a live environment.
You are now connected! You can now explore all the opportunities to use Apple messaging through Infobip’s chatbot building and contact center solutions, and can send real messages to your test device.
Step 4 – Business goals
To keep the focus on your business goals you can refer back to the user experience that you envisaged in your initial document. Start with a chatbot to triage your customer queries – offering them a list of options, including transferring them to a live agent if the bot is unable to help.
Step 5 – Prepare to go live
Once everything is finalized, let our team know that you are ready. We will send Apple the recording of a user experience, and they will review it and give feedback.
Once Apple confirms that your experience is flawless, you will be ready to go live. Some final steps to ensure a successful launch:
- Make sure all of your internal operations and marketing are ready
- Agree on the metrics you would like to track with our team
- Enable all the entry points so that your customers can easily find you
And after launch, we stay with you. Infobip continuously monitors performance and helps optimize your conversational experiences.
Ready to deliver next-level support with Apple Messages for Business?
Apple Messages for Business is more than just a messaging channel. It’s a powerful tool to build loyalty, drive conversions, and streamline operations. With Infobip as your partner, you can activate messaging in days, not months.
Start building meaningful customer conversations on the channel they already use and trust.
Let’s launch Apple Messages for Business together.
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