Satisfi Labs and LAFC announced today a new partnership to expand their virtual assistant platform with Apple Business Chat, a new way for users to communicate directly with businesses using the Messages app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. This new Order-Ahead offering is designed to enhance the fan experience at Banc of California Stadium, expanding upon an existing relationship between LAFC and Satisfi Labs forged in 2018, in which the team’s in-app virtual assistant, Olly, uses Satisfi’s AI-powered Knowledge Management Platform. LAFC is the first MLS team to utilize Apple Business Chat to enable conversational commerce.
The new Order-Ahead feature includes food and beverage pre-ordering, allowing customers to order and purchase food seamlessly in the chat flow and pick up their food at their convenience, ensuring customers never miss match time. The new feature is a collaboration between the LAFC, Satisfi Labs, Tapin2 and their concessionaire, Legends.
Until now, customers could only access Olly and LAFC’s deep knowledge base through the LAFC app. With the Satisfi Labs Knowledge Management Platform available on Apple Business Chat, customers can now communicate directly with LAFC’s Olly using the Messages app on any Apple device. Satisfi Labs ensures the information available through the conversational search is accurate and engaging, improving the customer and event experience.
"We want our customers to feel in full control of their experience when they come to an LAFC match. Satisfi Labs has allowed us to provide a seamless, clean integration with Apple Business Chat, which gives us a powerful and engaging direct connection with our customers. Apple Business Chat makes communicating with LAFC as easy as messaging a friend, so we expect it will quickly become our customers’ preferred customer service channel.” said Christian Lau, LAFC Vice President of Information Technology.
“We're excited to expand our offerings in AI conversational commerce with an organization that is forward-looking and always putting the customer first. We have seen incredible engagement and success with Olly. This new offering in The Banc of California Stadium, a state of the art facility, will continue the legacy of LAFC elevating the customer experience through valuable and successful interactions,” added Don White, CEO of Satisfi Labs.
To start an Apple Business Chat to Order-Ahead, customers can open their camera to scan a QR code in the stadium (or tap the Messages icon in the LAFC app, available in the App Store). A conversation with Olly will open instantly in the Messages app, and users can take their time responding when it’s convenient.
Apple Business Chat is available in beta for users and businesses worldwide and is built into iOS 11.3 and higher. For more information visit: apple.com/ios/business-chat. With Business Chat, customers can always reach a live person and are always in control of whether they share any contact information with a business.
