Thinking Capital, a Canadian online lender for small businesses has launched an artificial intelligence chatbot that can help users qualify for financing on Facebook Messenger.
Like many financial services firms, Thinking Capital is using Facebook Messenger to house a bot, called Lucy, which acts as a customer service assistant, answering queries 24/7.
However, the firm is also going a stage further - by asking key qualification questions, the bot can also identify whether users are eligible for business financing up to $300,000.
Anthony Lipschitz, chief strategy officer, Thinking Capital, says: "Lucy is a welcome addition to our customer service team. We want to be present and accessible in all major communication channels our customers are using."
Thinking Capital is also in the process of integrating the chatbot into its web and SMS platforms so users can switch from one channel to another. More functionality is also in the pipeline, such as allowing customers to check individual account information.