Facebook is going all in on Messenger. They want us to no longer be tethered to a phone number. Will this be the future? It’s too early to tell. But as more people get smart phones and make less calls this could be true. I know in my circle of friends the text or messenger is the preferred way of contact.

Why is Facebook going all in on Messenger? Thy have added some great features this year:

• Can send money
• Opened it up to people outside your Facebook network
• Added video calling
• New importance placed on businesses

You maybe asking how this will affect your business. With the emphasis on business they are going to develop more customer service functions for the platform. One area I have hard a lot of buzz about are bots. I’m not talking ones that are annoying and spam people. Rather, ones that can answer peoples simple questions. Many companies have these on their sites and you will soon be able to do that on Facebook. It will open new possibilities in the world of social customer service.

One thing that will benefit Facebook Messenger is that its where people are already. They don’t have to sign up for a new service if they are already on Facebook. Facebook users are familiar with the interface and as the infographic says, 800 million people use it each month. If you aren’t a member of Facebook you don’t need an account to join messenger.

Will this be a key to their success in the messaging platform? It’s too early to tell but they are off to an interesting start. 2016 will be a year to watch Messenger and see who they innovate.