Messenger Bots are getting a new focus on personalized customer service with the addition of personas, thanks to a new open beta API.
Most people do not mind engaging with a bot instead of a real person. It’s a fact, and a new reality for most consumers and businesses alike. With its new Persona API, Facebook Messenger is hoping to also bring back a “personal” touch to AI conversations.
The new Personas API allows businesses to introduce virtual “personas” into a Messenger thread. That person may be backed by a human or a bot. Each “persona” can have its own customizable profile picture and name.
When a person is introduced into a conversation thread, a new icon (profile picture) will be shown and all messages sent by this persona will come with an annotation above the message that states the persona name and the name of the Page it belongs to.
This new “personalized” approach can be very useful for businesses who rely heavily on bots for customer care. Note that only one persona can be active at a time. That means that the day your personas will engage in a mutual conversation in front of your customers is not yet upon us.
Developers can start creating personas using the new Personas API which has now been release in Open Beta.
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