The Tampa Bay Lightning’s in-arena virtual assistant has arrived as the organization partnered with Satisfi Labs to launch a customer service artificial intelligence chatbot called “ThunderBot.” With the collaboration, the Lightning are the first NHL partner for the intelligent engagement platform, which will operate across multiple Lightning channels including web, Lightning text club and NHL and Amalie Arena apps.
Thunder Bot will serve to answer fans’ questions around parking, concessions, ticketing and other arena-related topics. After an initial run during the final month of this past season, it will be fully rolled out for the upcoming year. In the future, the chatbot will also be integrated into the team’s Facebook Messenger page, too.
“We are very excited to partner with Satisfi Labs on this innovative endeavor,” Lightning Vice President of Marketing Eric Blankenship said in a statement. “Teaming up with Satisfi Labs to bring our fans cutting-edge technology is going to be a very valuable asset for years to come. This new technology will make it much easier and convenient for our fans to attend games and follow the Lightning.”
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Added Satisfi Labs Chief Executive Officer Don White in a statement: “Partnering with the Tampa Bay Lightning has been exciting. Working with (Lightning owner) Jeff Vinik and the organization he has put together in Tampa is great for our business moving forward and we look forward to providing these innovative solutions.”
As fans continue to interact with the chatbot, it will better understand questions and comments and adapt accordingly to offer more focused answers. Even if Thunder Bot doesn’t have the right answer for a fan, a team customer service representative will be able to chat directly with him or her as well.