How Chatbots can be used for venues?

The problem with mobile apps

There are numerous mobile apps created specifically for venues to keep guests engaged and informed. They can be for shopping malls, hospitals, stadiums, hotels, museums, exhibitions and airports. The common thing about these mobile apps is that they are mostly used when users are actually inside of the venue. In other circumstances, the venue can send some updates with notifications. Apart from that apps are not used on daily basis. Why? It is simple: Because you don’t need the app except you are in the venue.

It is unquestionable that venue mobile apps have lots of value offering for visitors, digitalization is one of core strategy nowadays for venue owners. However, installing apps is a preventive factor to discover total value because apps don’t reach to mass mostly. In such case, there is dilemma to resolve. Apps for venues are nice, but users require them for a specific period of time.

It is for sure that mobile apps offer more engagement and better service for the visitors of venue, however there is a question rising up: Does it worth installing a mobile app to use just for once or several time?

The answer is mostly: NO! People only download and continue to use apps that they are planning to use daily basis. Even users download the app, they remove as soon as they are done with visiting the venue and this is a big barrier for venues. Because users don’t find it worthy enough.

We accept the value of mobility and instant information in venues for visitors. Yet, there should be a better way to do that. No download, no apps!

Solution: Chatbots for Venues

A chatbot offers a way to automatically communicate with people in a personal, contextual way via instant messaging services and social media. It’s a simple communication-based artificial intelligence.

Chatbots totally eliminate the biggest barrier: There is no need to download venue mobile apps anymore…

Furthermore, Chatbots can offer the same functionality of a mobile app does and it’s even easier to use. Just text and get what you need to know…

Also marketing costs of app installation is considerably high compare to chatbots. You can easily inform you audience about your Chatbot service via social media and make them interact with one message.

Whether the chatbot is offered in Facebook messenger or Twitter, both platforms are perfect matches for the needs of a passenger in a Airport, visitors of a museum or shopping mall.

Facebook Messenger hits 1.2 billion monthly users, Twitter also exceeds 320 million monthly users. These figures tells are your potential visitors probably already use one of these platforms.

Let’s consider Airport scenario:

Passengers may use the chatbot to ask questions about their upcoming trip. The chatbot can communicate with passengers in multi languages. Users can get real-time updates, even more, by providing personalized live flight information both through Twitter and Messenger, as well as offers, shops, restaurants and F&B notifications.

The similar scenarios are also valid for other venues such as shopping malls, hospitals, stadiums, hotels, museums, exhibtion centers and airports.

If messaging apps become the #1 way people communicate, then every business is going to need a way to engage on these platforms.

Answering Questions:

Before, during, and after visit to your venue, your visitors will have questions. In addition to the usual channels of phone and email, what if you offered a chatbot service to field common questions? For example:

• What’s the wifi password?
• Where is the shop x located?
• Where is the restaurant x located?
• What time does is my flight?
• Where is my gate?
• When does dinner start?

Gathering Feedback:

The key to measuring venue success is asking the right questions and getting feedbacks of visitors. The standard way of getting attendees to fill out surveys is to send them an email with either the survey linked or embedded or asking question in mobile app. Imagine being able to cut out the friction of email, downloading apps and being able to send surveys directly to attendees via the messaging app of their choice.

Value for business:

Chatbots can help venues to meet business objectives and gaining additional value from their social media fan pages. The RoI would be much higher because of lower cost of development, marketing and a large engagement with audience compare to mobile apps. Chatbots will and should replace venue mobile apps.

Drop us a line anytime to learn more about chatbots and how we can help to boost your venue experience with chatbot based mobility.