Sinch AB (publ), a global leader in cloud communications for mobile customer engagement,  launched a worldwide API for business messaging through Instagram to coincide with the availability of the Messenger API for Instagram announced by Messenger from Facebook during its F8 conference. The Messenger API for Instagram enables brands to have scalable conversations with their customers using Instagram DMs or Stories, facilitating engaging user interaction and enhanced customer support.\

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Businesses are now able to leverage the Messenger API for Instagram through Sinch’s Conversation API, a single API that lets businesses create rich and engaging conversations with their customers via a range of widely used consumer channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, MMS, RCS, and more.

People and brands are exchanging messages with each other more than ever, and Instagram is an important channel for connecting customers and building long-term relationships. Instagram has more than 1 billion active accounts worldwide. According to Instagram, 81 percent of respondents said it helps them research products and services.

“Instagram is a powerful channel that lets businesses engage with their customers in a simple, secure and effective way,”, said Eduardo Henrique, Sinch’s Chief Business Development Officer. “The results from our early access trials are very encouraging as customers appreciate the faster responses and improved customer experience that the new offering entails.”

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Sinch had early access to the functionality behind the Messenger API for Instagram. One of the first brands that Sinch enabled to leverage the Messenger API was Leiturinha, a Brazilian children’s book club with over 800,000 followers. By leveraging API-powered direct messaging through Instagram, Leiturinha recorded a 35 percent reduction in comments of customers requesting assistance by Instagram DM’s in the first 11 days.

In addition to facilitating processes, business messaging through Instagram also speeds up contact with users who name the brand through mentions of Stories, which makes communication even more dynamic and interactive. As a result, the response time to calls related to direct messages decreased by 42 percent, compared to the average of the last 6 months.