Streamlining Taxi Bookings: Co-op Taxi's Success with Facebook Messenger and SMS Bot
Overview
Co-op Taxi is among the biggest taxi companies in Edmonton and has been providing safe, reliable and professional taxi services within Edmonton over 65 years. Known to have iconic red and yellow cabs, Co-op Taxi wanted to take its customer experience to a higher level and make the cab booking process easy. To attract even more customers, we also introduced Facebook and SMS bots that enable people to book a taxi or calculate the fare in a few clicks and without having to download or use a mobile application.
Technology Stack
Overview
Co-op Taxi is one of Edmonton’s largest taxi companies that has been providing safe, reliable, and professional taxi services across Edmonton for the last 65 years. Known for their iconic red and yellow cabs,
Co-op Taxi wanted to take their customer experience to the next level and simplify the cab booking process. With the goal of engaging more customers, we implemented a Facebook and SMS bot, allowing users to easily book a taxi or estimate fares without relying on a mobile app.
Technology Stack
Problems
Being one of the established businesses, Co-op Taxi saw the necessity to implement the use of modern technology to enhance customer service. The classic method of booking a taxi and the overreliance on mobile apps posed a problem to some users, which frequently led to frustration and time wastage.
Objective
The task was to improve the process of booking a cab with an individual Facebook and SMS chatbot. The idea behind this solution was to make the booking experience easier, it would take less time to book a taxi, and users would be able to book a ride using Facebook Messenger or SMS, without having to open a mobile app every time.
Solutions
This is how Mindpath assisted Co-op Taxi in automating the booking process and enhancing customer interaction.
Custom Facebook Messenger Bot
We designed a custom Facebook messenger bot, which they can use to book a ride, estimate fares, and communicate directly with the customer support team using a straightforward chat interface.
Custom SMS Bot
We created an SMS based bot which allows users to book a taxi in a few steps even when there is no stable internet connection, which makes it accessible to all customers.
Google Maps API
To minimize errors and make the booking process faster, we added the Google Maps API to the chatbots that would suggest five correct location options to the customer and use them based on the input data.
Quick Fair Estimation
We have also incorporated a smarter fare estimation tool to calculate taxi fares according to the pickup location, destination, and the type of vehicle chosen to ensure that our users plan their journeys well.
Results
After introducing Facebook as well as SMS chatbots, Co-op Taxi recorded almost thirty percent growth in taxi booking in half a year. The chatbot solution made the process of booking a cab easier, faster, and allowed the customer to book a taxi anywhere, 24/7, without using a mobile application. The automated chatbot processes also ensured 24/7 booking and support services and saved a lot of money on the costs of manual operations and training of staff.
