Tech
Question
time
Following the announcement of a
partnership between Aventri and
Sciensio’s AI event chatbot, EN learns
more about the time-saving customer
service technology
M
ost organisers have
spent valauble time
fielding simple questions
with straightforward answers
in the lead up to an event.
Whether it’s the venue, the
dates, the timing of sessions
or the way to the loos, it’s
a time-consuming but
unavoidable part of running
a show.
But chatbots might be set
to change all that.
In early 2019, event
management software
company Aventri announced
a new partnership with
Sciensio, a provider of
chatbots that use artificial
intelligence to answer a wide
range of potential attendee
queries.
The chatbot can be made
available to attendees at an
event through five potential
channels, says Brad Langley,
vice president – channel
and partner management
at Aventri: SMS, webchat,
Facebook Messenger,
WhatsApp or Twitter.
The partnership with
Aventri means that
information can be
transferred from the
registration form directly
to the chatbot, saving
52 — March
organisers time populating
the answers. Plus, the
chatbot becomes a useful
add-on as part of the Aventri
product suite rather than a
standalone that investment
organisers have to make in
chatbot technology.
“The migration ensures
a seamless experience and
eliminates the need for
redundant data entry, and it
makes for better customer
service and insights into the
attendees of the event and
their questions,” Langley tells
EN. “In the end you not only
gain more insights around
the types of questions
attendees are asking but it
also alleviates that burden on
the staff right in the crunch
period when attendees are
really focused on the event.
It’s precise communication
when someone wants and
needs an answer. We felt it
was a perfect marriage.”
In stark contrast to
communication channels
such as email, the chatbot
messages have an open rate
of 98 per cent, ensuring
that attendees will almost
certainly see pertinent
information.
“There are situations
where you could send
scheduled messages through
the bots such as greetings,
feedback requests, reminders
or ad hoc messages in an
instant, such as ‘the party on
the lawn been moved to the
main ballroom due to rain,’”
continues Langley. “You’re
covering more of your
“It is precise communication when
someone wants and needs an answer”
audience, especially with
timely messaging.
“Nowadays corporations
have the responsibility
for proper duty of care
with their attendees. This
provides a great way for
instant communication
as well as addressing
questions during situations
that require an immediate
response. Whether it’s
an earthquake, a weather
situation or whether it’s
a human situation this
provides a powerful tool in
the hands of the planner
to be able to communicate
broadly to all their
attendees.”
Another benefit of the
chatbot is that organisers
can actively review the
questions coming in and
make changes to their event
while it is still in progress.
“You can pull reports to
see what the most frequently
asked questions are,”
explains Langley. “You can
anticipate as a planner how
you may want to tweak or
adjust the next day, either
your communication,
the logistics or even the
temperature of the room.”
If the chatbot is unable to
answer a specific question
to an attendee’s satisfaction,
they can be connected
easily to a member of the
organising team, and that
question can then be added
to the chatbot for future
visitors.
“It’s private. It’s
immediate. It’s accurate,”
concludes Langley. “The goal
is to get people to connect
better and be at their best
when they’re at an event.”
EN