Citi is to launch its first natural language chatbot for Facebook Messenger in Singapore ahead of a wider roll out across the Asia Pacific region.
Citi Bot will first be made available to some 600 Citi customers and employees who will form a beta testing community to help refine the experience ahead of a commercial launch in Q4.
As part of its initial launch, Citi Bot will be able to address a range of common customer needs, including account-specific enquiries such as checking of account balances and transactions, providing credit card bill summaries, rewards and points balances and answering frequently asked questions.
A second phase will introduce more features such as card activation, ability to lock and unlock credit cards and transaction alerts for cards among others.
Felimy Greene, customer franchise head for Citi Asia, says: "Our strategy is to be present where our customers live, work, and play. By connecting with them on Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular social platforms in Asia, we are doing just that."