There were plenty of developer-focused announcements at Google I/O today. Not too surprising, considering this is a developer’s conference. One of the announcements was the new Reply to Reviews API. This basically allows third-party help desk software to work with Google Play and allow developers to reply to reviews that are left on the Google Play Store in one location. This is helpful because some developers use platforms like Zendesk to make tickets for issues that need to be resolved, or for tracking feedback. Now they can reply to reviews, and immediately put in a ticket to fix a bug that may be plaguing their app or game.
The first company to announce that they are taking advantage of the new Reply to Reviews API, is Zendesk. Who is a really popular platform for providing support for companies. Now, developers can reply to users directly through Zendesk, instead of having to go through Google Play. Making for a much easier and more convenient experience for developers. Billy Robins, who is the director of business development at Zendesk, stated in a prepared statement that “the lines between customer service and marketing continue to blur, and ultimately, customers make the decisions about which channel they want to use for support. With our Google Play integration we are helping Businesses be proactive when it comes to interacting with their customers. Responding directly to app reviews is the perfect opportunity to let people know that someone is listening.”
Zendesk is the first, but they won’t be the last to utilize this new API that Google announced today. It’s a great API that is going to make it much easier for developers to provide support to their customers. As Robins was stating, customers often times will complain about issues with an app on social media, on the Google Play Store, or just send in a bug report. Now with integration with Zendesk, developers can help out their customers on all platforms. Currently, there are three developers already using Zendesk’s new integration with Google Play. This includes Halfbrick, Robinhood, and Wrike, all of which have some pretty popular apps and games on the Play Store.