Tag: messenger

How Brands Can Promote Their Messenger Bot Via The Upcoming Discover Tab

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook launched Messenger Platform 2.0 at last week’s F8 developer conference, and one major focus of the update is to improve bot discovery on the popular messaging app. A big part of this is a dedicated Discover tab that works similarly to an app store, showcasing popular and recommended bots by categories such as news, lifestyle, and health and fitness. The tab will start rolling out to U.S. users next week and a global roll-out is scheduled to follow in the next few months.

What Brands Need To Do
In order to be featured in this upcoming tab, brands with their own Facebook chatbots need to fill out the Discover submission form located in Page settings on Facebook. The form will require you to clarify which category that your bot should appear in and the languages it supports, along with a brief description of your bot. If your bot is not associated with a Facebook page, Facebook says it will use “existing categorization and page metadata to determine which category” your bot will appear inside Messenger. If your brand has made a Messenger bot, this is something you will want to get done soon to maximize the visibility of your bot and drive conversations.

The Lab has extensive experience in building Alexa Skills and chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good showcase of our expertise. If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please contact Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

More Financial Services Come To Facebook Messenger

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook Messenger is about to get a lot better at handling your money, as five major financial services launched or upgraded their services on Facebook’s popular messaging app in tandem with Facebook’s F8 event. On Tuesday, Western Union and MoneyGram both launched Facebook Messenger bots for handling cash transfers, while Wells Fargo announced it is testing a Facebook Messenger bot for basic banking tasks such as checking account balances and transferring between accounts. In addition, Mastercard also announced that its Masterpass online payment service will power select Messenger bots, allowing them to take payment from MasterCard, as well as from banks like Citi and Capital One.

What Brands Need To Do
Last fall, Facebook rolled out the Messenger Payments API, which works with services like PayPal to add payment support to chatbots. Now with more and more banks and financial services getting on Messengers, customers will have increasingly convenient access to their money without leaving the chat app, which, in turn, would accustom them to the idea of buying stuff on Messenger and open the door for conversational commerce. As the online banking experience continues to evolve from a website-based experience to modular service integrations on popular platforms, banks and financial service brands will need to adapt to the changing consumer habits by developing conversational experiences to allow easy access and management.  

For more news on what Facebook announced at this year’s F8 developer conference, please check out our latest Fast Forward analysis.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Facebook Starts Developing Chatbots For Group Chat

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is reportedly ready to introduce some new chatbots at its upcoming F8 developer conference that will appear in group chats on Messenger. These group bots are not intended to be part of the conversation, but to keep users informed about real-time news such as a sports game’s progress, e-commerce deliveries and more. Previously, Facebook had a similar vision for its virtual assistant M to pop up in group Messenger chats whenever it’s needed. But these new bots seem to be more specialized in their functionalities.

What Brands Need To Do
According to eMarketer’s forecast, the number of messaging app users worldwide will reach 2 billion by 2018, which will be 80% of smartphone users. A significant portion of today’s mobile communications happen on messaging apps, yet many brands are missing out on this so-called “dark social” channel. This new group chat bot initiative underscores Facebook’s commitment to building out its Messenger bot platform, giving brands an opportunities to reach more mobile customers by providing useful services in group chats.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about reaching consumers on mobile messaging apps and building branded chatbots. The new NiroBot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Barrett ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Facebook Messenger Updates Platform Policies To Allow Unprompted Messages

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook has updated its Messenger Platform policies to offer brands more agency in their efforts to reach customers on the chat app. Customers still need to be the one of initiate the contact, but now brands have a 24-hour window since the customer’s last message to send unprompted messages. Facebook has also removed a previous restriction on promotional content for this type of standard messaging, allowing brands to send customers an ad or a value offer within a day of their chat.

Moreover, a new subscription messaging is now in being tested to allow communication with a user outside of the 24-hour window. It specifically disallows all promotional content and only open to limited use cases such as news and productivities. Notably, these two updates seem to be inspired by WeChat, which divides all commercial accounts into subscription accounts and service accounts so as to differentiate their use cases and limit how many messages a brand can send users within a month.

What Brands Need To Do
As Facebook loosens its policies for brands to reach Messenger users with promotional and unpromoted messages, it would be smart for brands to adopt a responsible approach and develop a communication strategy for reaching customers on Messenger. The promotional message allowed within the 24-hour window is particularly important for re-engaging them. If the use cases fit, brands with a repertoire of non-promotional content should also consider using subscription messaging to create a consistent brand presence on Messenger app.

How We Can Help
Based on our extensive experience in building branded chatbots to reach consumers, the Lab has developed a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Facebook Developer News

 

Domino’s Adds Full Menu And Customizable Orders To Messenger Bot

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Gearing up for the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday, the busiest day of the year for pizza deliveries, Domino’s Pizza has updated its Facebook Messenger chatbot to add more ordering options. The Dom pizza bot was launched in August last year and only supported reordering the default order saved on a Domino’s customer account. Now with this update, Messenger users can chat with the bot to put together a customized order from a full menu without a Domino’s account. One caveat remains, however, that all orders made from the bot will have to be paid with cash, as Domino’s opted not to integrate the bot with Messenger’s existing payment system.

What Brands Need To Do
Domino’s latest move in improving its chatbot reaffirms its commitment to developing chat-based ordering tools to better serve mobile customers. The pizza chain also launched an Alexa skill last year to allow customer to place order via voice. It also shows how brands may consider a tiered release strategy when it comes to creating branded chatbots. After all, no bots are totally perfect at launch, and it is crucial that brands continue to put resources and efforts into maintaining and improving the bot based on customer feedback long after the initial launch.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building branded chatbots to reach consumers on messaging apps. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a chatbot experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related clients and learning opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

 

Kia To Launch Super Bowl Spot Via Messenger Chatbot

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Kia announced Monday that it will release its Super Bowl spot via NiroBot, the Facebook Messenger chatbot that the Lab created in collaboration with Ansible, as the auto brand looks to bolster the technologically advanced image of its new Niro crossover. Starting this Wednesday, Messenger users will be able to ask NiroBot to play Kia’s Super Bowl spot for Niro crossover starring Melissa McCarthy ahead of the game day.

What Brands Need To Do
Designed as a customer engagement tool, the NiroBot packs some great customer service functions including a guided vehicle discovery, comprehensive technical knowledge, and test-drive scheduling. Choosing the NiroBot as the place to launch its anticipated Super Bowl spot is a good way for Kia to draw attention to this new chatbot and send more customers on the discovery journey to learn more about its Niro model.

Facebook Messenger is used by more than one billion consumers worldwide monthly, and study has shown that more and more customers are opting to communicate with brands on social and chat apps. For brands looking to connect with customers on those messaging platforms, a well-designed chatbot is an effective tool that brands should consider for handling basic customer service and boosting engagement.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building branded chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. We’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue, which aims to help brands build a chatbot experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related clients and learning opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: AdAge

Header image courtesy of Kia’s YouTube

Facebook Starts Testing AI-Powered “M Suggestions” In Messenger

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is getting ready to inject a dose of artificial intelligence into its Messenger app with “M suggestions,” which the company started limited beta testing today. Designed to help move your conversations along, Facebook’s machine learning-powered virtual assistant M will suggest appropriate responses and stickers according to the context. For example, M would surface several emojis for you to common phrases such as “thanks,” or suggest sharing your current location in response to a question such as “where are you?” Facebook says other suggestions Messenger already makes, such as event reminders and ride-hailing, will be rolled under the “M suggestions” as well.

What Brands Should Do
This move marks a promising start to Facebook’s roll-out of its virtual assistant service M, offering  a glimpse into how Facebook may position M in its messaging app and how brands may leverage it to build conversational customer service. We are optimistic that Facebook would open up M for sponsored content and branded recommendations in the near future, given Facebook’s trajectory in making Messenger’s platform more brand-friendly so far. And brands need to be ready for what could essentially be an updated version of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that plays around AI algorithms to make sure their content shows up in advantageous positions in M’s recommendations.

Machine learning and its brand implications is a topic we will be diving into in details in our upcoming Outlook 2017 report. Please check back in January to read more of our take on this hot industry trend.

 

Source: Engadget

Sam’s Club Launches “Gift Genie” Chatbot On Facebook Messenger

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Members-only retail chain Sam’s Club launched its first Facebook Messenger bot today to make it easier for customers to find the right gifts for family and  friends. Dubbed “gift genie,” the bot is created by Rockfish Interactive and Conversable and uses a combination of both natural language conversational exploration and random gift idea generation to help Sam’s Club shoppers quickly find suitable gifts by categories.

What Brands Should Do
This is the latest example in brands exploring chatbots’ potential in conversational ecommerce. Previously, eBay and TGI Fridays launched their respective Messenger bots to sell directly on the messaging app whereas fashion brands such as Burberry have used Messenger to launch new product lines. The rise of conversational commerce points to changing consumer behavior on mobile and a shift in brand-customer interaction. Therefore, other brands should take note and start developing a strategy for conversational commerce.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about reaching consumers on mobile messaging apps and building branded chatbots. The new NiroBot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Facebook Adds HTML5-Based Instant Games To Messenger And News Feed

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook has added a new feature to its platform to spice up its content offering. Starting today, users can enjoy fast-loading gaming experiences that Facebook dubbed “Instant Games” right in Facebook Messenger and their News Feeds. Instant Games are HTML5-based and thus work on both mobile and the web without installing additional apps. The first patch of Instant Games comes with 17 titles that include household names such as Pac-Man. Pepsi is among the first brands to take advantage of this new feature to launch a branded game on Messenger to connect with mobile consumers.

What Brands Should Do
As mobile gaming continues to absorb consumer attention, a number of brands have experimented with branded games in recent years to connect with mobile consumers. Last month, Chipotle created a branded memory matching game to reward players with free food, and Michael Kors launched a series of casino-themed mini-games on WeChat for its Singles’ Day event. Just yesterday, Pepsi launched a chatbot-powered branded game on Messenger to connect with mobile consumers.

Given Facebook’s brand-friendly track record, it seems safe to assume that more brands will soon be able to leverage Instant Games to create branded gaming experiences to engage with consumers on Facebook.

 

Source: Engadget

Facebook Launches Analytics Tool For Messenger Bots

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is introducing a first-party analytics tool for bots within its Facebook Analytics for Apps dashboard to help developers and brands better track the performance of their Messenger chatbots. The new analytic tool will provide detailed information about user interactions with the bots, such as the number of messages sent and received, the number of blocked messages, and the number of users who engage with a bot but are later transferred to a human agent. In addition, Facebook is also opening its developer program FbStart to bot developers to give them access to tools like Facebook ads credits and other tools from third-party partners such as Dropbox or Stripe for their bot campaigns.

What Brands Should Do
In combination with News Feed ads for bots that became available last week, this new analytics tool allows brands making Messenger bots to track and target users based on demographic metrics and locations. With over 34,000 developers having made Messenger bots since the platform launched in April, it is imperative that brands should leverage the available Messenger tools to effectively reach their desired audience and track user activities to optimize their bots.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: TechCrunch