Chatbots Now Sell Coverage Through Facebook Messenger

Insurtech startups Insurify and Next Insurance have launched chatbots — automated artificial intelligence platforms that can ask the questions required to quote and issue an insurance policy — on Facebook Messenger. Facebook Messenger is increasingly a mobile communication platform of choice, according to both companies. Insurify, an online agency, has been using chatbots since its launch last January to sell insurance via SMS, or text messaging. The Facebook bot works much the same way, just in a different channel, says Snejina Zacharia, the company’s founder.

“The Facebook interface is basically a different phase of a tech we have already built,” Zacharia says. “People are spending more time messaging with their friend on the platform than actually texting. We know they are there, so we are enabling it as a platform.”