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Bots are only going to get smarter. But smarter shouldn’t mean more complicated.
That’s why the Newport Beach-based Carey chatbot (developed by AgentPair founder Clark Giguiere) provides a simple way for agents to set up a bot in only five minutes.
CareyBot requires no coding, downloads, or installation hassles and is in use across multiple industries to engage customer service or ask questions about products. Its latest update helps agents schedule showings and open houses via Facebook Messenger.
(CareyBot powers Inman’s Facebook Messenger content delivery bot, introduced in August 2016.)
For real estate agents who focus heavily on Facebook listings, this might be the bot for you.
How the CareyBot scheduler works
Bots are best assigned to mundane tasks, follow-ups and scheduling of appointments. Interaction with a CareyBot user starts with a “Message Now” button that installs on your Facebook page.
In the context of a listing post, CareyBot jumps quickly into action, telling the customer, “I’ve been assigned calendar duties by AgentPair. You can use the options below to get started now.”
The options, presented in a carousel format, are either “schedule an appointment” or view “upcoming events,” the latter being a list of upcoming open houses with addresses and times. Events can be shared to personal Facebook feeds directly from Messenger.
CareyBot asks you to a pick a day, then a time, and then it’s confirmed.
Appointments are immediately dropped into Google Calendar, in turn alerting the agent to the new booking.
CareyBot removes booking times from its conversation database so the next chat won’t result in booking the same time and date.
It’s that simple.
Testing the waters
I think there’s trepidation throughout the industry regarding the adoption of bots.
They’re really about integrating efficiencies. In my recent column about the power of a simple phone call, I stressed that email can drag out even the most simple interactions. Bots can complete similar tasks on your behalf in moments.
I consider CareyBot the onramp to the interstate of bots, especially for those who are intrigued but not yet ready to hit the highway.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe.
