PathTalk2Sitting on hold with a business to get a question answered is one of the great frustrations in life. I’ve had days when I just need to know if this one inconsequential item is in stock somewhere, but I first have to wait 25 minutes listening to soft rock in order to get an answer.

Enter Path Talk, a messaging app for iPhone and Android built by Path, the social networking company started by former Facebook manager Dave Morin. On the face of things, Path Talk is yet another messaging app people can use to communicate with one another. But its real power lies in its Places feature, which allows users to search up any business, and send it a text message.

Unlike other services that offer messaging to businesses, Path Talk doesn’t require them to sign up for the service. Instead, the social networking company employs a call center with people who are instructed to contact whatever place a customer wants to reach.

IMG_2227The first time I used it, I felt like I had just found a cheat code for social interaction. I didn’t need to wait on hold to get an answer about the noise level at Mezcaleria Oaxaca; I just fired off a message and let a Path Agent take care of asking.

It’s not a perfect system for conversing with a business, since there’s no way to really hold a conversation, but it can’t be beat for asking short, factual questions.

Users who want priority access to businesses can sign up for Path Premium, a paid subscription service for the social network. In addition to getting a bunch of benefits from Path, they’ll also have their business messages handled first in the queue.

People who actually want to use Path Talk as a messaging app get a number of benefits when conversing with friends, including custom statuses that can include activities, what music people are listening to, and if their device is running low on battery.

If there’s one drawback to Path Talk, it’s the fact that it’s devoid of friends to message. Part of that has to do with Path’s unpopularity, but there are also a lot of competing messaging apps out there. Some people just want to use text messages, while others prefer WhatsApp or Line.

Picking a messaging app is a bit like picking a favorite baseball team — it’s determined a lot by who you’re with at exactly the right time in your life. A friend group that runs on WhatsApp isn’t going to suddenly drop everything to switch messaging apps.

It’s possible that the ability to message businesses will draw more users to the service, but I don’t have high hopes for that. The business messaging service is inherently private – I don’t have to share any sort of identifying information with my friends in order use that side of the app – so I don’t see a reason for Path Talk to spread among friends.

Still, friends or no friends, Path Talk provides an incredibly valuable service, and I’d say it’s a must-have for any busy smartphone user.

Path Talk is available for free from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

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