Perhaps the most exciting of these features, well for this geek anyway, was how messenger bots and AI will fundamentally change my business and open up a world of possibility across the events business.
Messenger bots are autonomous digital messages that can answer questions, provide automated responses and be programmed with simple AI.
Facebook Messenger bots are a new communications channel. With 1.3 billion monthly active Messenger users, this new feature has the potential to disrupt the way businesses across all industries connect with their customers on a one-on-one basis.
Let’s look at an example for event attendees: You’re already connected on social with your ticket vendor bot and now with a few clicks, you can find out what’s happening in your area, how much tickets are and ask for reminders to purchase them. You can share these events with your friends and share your booking info so they too can book.
You can complete the transaction including payment without having to leave the platform and will receive your ticket as a QR code straight to your Messenger app. You’ll also be able to split tickets and send them directly to the people going with you.
Event managers, on the other hand, will get real-time stats and analytics on ticket sales and will be able to engage and chat directly to any guests that have opted into the service via Messenger. Tickets can be issued immediately and your database of contacts could be directly targeted and invited to select events.
For business owners, these developments and feature could significantly cut marketing costs, while customising the message and thus enhancing the customer experience based on an individual’s needs as the chat progresses.
These types of experiences foster sincere engagement with businesses and dovetail with our natural need for social interaction.
In more traditional marketing terms the process involves reaching the widest possible audience with something in common in order to pitch a product or service to them. Chatbots engage individuals on a more personal level and respond to their individual requests through the power of artificial intelligence which allows them to be highly interactive.
And for anyone who has ever had to organise an event, perhaps the ultimate benefit of chatbots means not having to answer the same questions a million times over.
