I'm SO in!

October 16th works best for me

I'm here!

Where is the sleeping bag section?

Thanks. I'm there now but I need help. Can you send someone?

Where is the sleeping bag section?

You are an existing customer of Monument Outdoors and are browsing their webpage for some new camping equipment. You spot a banner about an upcoming sale of Monument’s new fall line.

This banner is inviting you to start a conversation via Facebook Messenger to find out all the details.

Monument Outdoors greets you with a message, inviting you to opt in for the sale event.The system can process responses in plain English (and many more languages) using Natural Language Understanding.

The interaction is fully automated yet looks and feels like a conversation with a person. The responses from Monument Outdoors come within seconds.

This is Interactive Text Response (ITR).

After a short on-the-spot interaction, the in-store visit is confirmed for the 16th.

The system confirms everything with a final message.

You visit the store on the 16th and are shopping for a new sleeping bag to take on a camping trip in November.

Facebook Messenger lets you combine text with images and other rich media to offer an interactive experience for the customer. This example shows the use of a personalized QR code as a further incentive to make a purchase.

Having only shopped online before, you don't know the store layout and aren't sure where the camping section is. Instead of having to look for an employee, you reply to the message right within Facebook Messenger.

The ITR application easily understands the "where is <productname>" syntax and gives the location of the sleeping bag display along with a planogram link to visually give directions.

An image of a store map is directly included in the message. In addition, the customer can tap it to be directed to a disposable app.

Disposable apps are special-purpose mobile Web apps that work on all smartphones, do not require prior download, and let you accomplish tasks more efficiently by sending you directly to relevant context derived from the prior engagement, bypassing tedious log-in or menu screens.

Knowing the customer – based on their phone number – the link provides more than a generic in-store map. It takes the context of the conversation into account and points the customer to the specific section requested.

Beyond the static content of the map, the customer can get access to their account, a shopping list of saved items and in-app help for further assistance.

Not knowing much about the various sleeping bag ratings, it would be helpful to talk with an employee face to face.

While ITR applications can parse through text to find the most likely intent, we can flag for specific phrases such as “need help” to dispatch someone right to the customer.

Because the application tracks context, Monument knows the customer is in the sleeping bag section from their prior interactions. 

That’s what we call Experience Continuity.

Using context cookies, the solution builds a repository of contextual data of all interactions between a customer and a company during any touchpoint across any channel, incl. the contact center.

Using the same text interaction system, we can notify all employees (based on skill level) that a customer requires assistance, what products are involved and the customer’s location. Employees do not have to use Facebook Messenger for that: the system leverages basic text messaging (SMS), which works on old cell phones and smartphones alike.

The first confirmation by an employee will trigger a notification to the other staff members that someone is on their way.

While it would be great to have employees know everything about the items for sale, it’s not always possible when a store has thousands of SKUs.

The employee can be equipped with critical just-in-time information to assist the customer:  Questions to help the customer qualify which product suits them best, inventory counts, and related products for potential cross-sell and up-sell.

This type of data would otherwise only be available to agents in the contact center, but with a smart device, they can access it easily and with valuable context.

Our in-store employee helps make the sleeping bag purchase and with the suggested items list, is able to cross-sell a cooking set perfect for camping trips. As this set is not available in store, the employee is able to place the customer's order directly from their smartphone on the floor for home delivery.

Our in-store employee helps make the sleeping bag purchase and with the suggested items list, is able to cross-sell a cooking set perfect for camping trips. As this set is not available in store, the employee is able to place the customer's order directly from their smartphone on the floor for home delivery.