arabot, a regional leader in conversational AI and text understanding technologies, has today launched a Messenger chatbot that will enable Jordanians to connect with service providers across Jordan and access official, trusted health information and advice on the coronavirus. Musaed Bot, which works on Facebook Messenger, is available to all users free of charge, and is initially launching in the Arabic language.
Musaed Bot allows key service providers such as grocery stores and pharmacies to continue providing their services for citizens who have been asked to stay at home amid COVID-19 pandemic. The launch comes shortly after the Jordanian government imposed a full nationwide lockdown and asked Jordanian citizens to stay at home. The chatbot service is designed to limit the spread of the virus whilst still maintaining access to vital services.
Abdallah Faza, CEO of arabot, said: “In light of the country’s recent implementation of a strict lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, forcing most people to stay indoors and temporarily shutting down grocery stores and pharmacies, we are pleased to be able to provide Jordan’s 10 million residents with a personalized chatbot service on Facebook Messenger.
In these unprecedented times, chatbots emerge as one of the few channels that can allow the public to get access to many authorized service providers who deliver bread, food, medications and other essentials directly to their neighborhoods, in order to limit COVID-19’s spread and keep people safe. Today, emerging and cutting-edge technologies are opening up new possibilities and driving efficiencies, playing a crucial role in creating the impact on economics, people and the world at large.”
Citizens can access the chatbot service via Facebook Messenger at https://m.me/musaedbyarabot. Users can simply type “Start” to start the conversation. The bot will ask the user to share or type their location, which will prompt a menu of options that contains information about the nearest service providers in their selected area.
The chatbot then replies with a list of the services available including pharmacies, grocery stores, gas stations and energy suppliers across Jordan, through which the user can chose from. The user can change or update their address anytime and share their feedback about the service from the Setting menu. Users can return to the main menu at any point by replying with the sign ‘#’.
Explaining the release of the chatbot service, arabot’s Co-Founder and CDS, Kais Hassan commented: “Today we are extremely pleased to announce the launch of Musaed Bot on Facebook Messenger. The new service has been designed to help the public access vital services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and to give prompt, reliable and official information 24 hours a day. It is vital that our population can stay as healthy and safe as possible. We are actively working to improve the bot conversation and update the bot with additional services and information.”