Staples Embraces Chatbots

Since the big announcement two or so weeks ago, the world has waited for an army of chatbots to storm Facebook’s shores and remake the way social commerce functions.

The newest guest at the chatbot party?

Staples.

Staples Inc. has officially announced that it is pairing up with Facebook. Simply stated, that means if a user wants to buy online from Staples, chatting with an AI about their forthcoming paperclip order is now on the menu.

Users ready to jump in the chatbot conga line can now sign up to real-time chat with sales and customer services specialists for various types of shopping assistance. Users can also sign on for personalized updates (such as payment confirmation, shipping news).

“Staples customers are increasingly turning to Messenger to interact with our brand, and by adding these capabilities, we’re making it easier for them to connect with us and keep tabs on their order whenever and wherever they want,” the executive vice president of global eCommerce at Staples Inc. Faisal Masud said in a press release. “We see Messenger as another extension of our omnichannel offering, letting businesses leverage the power of our eCommerce, social media and customer service capabilities to have the best shopping experience possible.”

So far chat is only available on Staples mobile site, but Staples plans to expand their chat program for desktop and tablet users.

Powerfront, a cloud-based customer engagement solution provider, was the technological bridge firm that got Staple up and running on Messenger.