KLM is working on customer service and flight information via Facebook Messenger

Facebook hopes that companies will eventually use its Messenger service to interact with customers. One of the companies that will make use of the Business options is KLM, which wants to pass on flight information and ticket details via Messenger.

KLM customers should eventually be able to receive all information about their flight, such as flight details, boarding pass, check-in desk and possible gate changes via Messenger. The customer can communicate with the airline via the same channel: for example, if a ticket needs to be changed, the passenger can arrange this via Messenger. That’s what Facebook CEOs David Marcus and Stan Chudnovsky say in an interview with Wired.

KLM will use Messenger for Business to offer information and customer interaction via the chat service. This business program was launched by Facebook earlier this year but is still in its early stages. For example, there are already companies that communicate with customers via the Business program, but it is not yet open to everyone. We work together with middleware providers to be able to process all business information in the app. Users see individual companies as a ‘bubble’. Here they can find their entire ‘interaction history’ with the company in question.

Chudnovsky announced that AI functionality will be built into Messenger for Business. For example, a customer can search for airline tickets via his airline, whereby an algorithm determines which are the most attractive. Incidentally, there is also the possibility to ask a customer service representative for help if the results are not satisfactory. Then found tickets can be booked directly from the app. The AI ​​technology used is called M and is based on Wit.ai, a company that Facebook acquired earlier this year. Customers can ask questions in natural language, so the functionality appears similar to voice and information services such as Siri, Google Now and Cortana.

Because the Business functionality is still under development, it is not yet clear exactly how many companies are participating in Messenger for Business. It also remains to be seen when all the functionality mentioned in the interview will be brought to the chat application.