Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, Inc. (TASLI), a subsidiary of Dennis A. Uy’s Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., has launched its Facebook Messenger chatbot for passengers book trip and access information.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Chelsea said the chatbot, called TASHA (TASLI Happy Assistant) was designed to happily engage passengers in a real- time booking experience and it can be accessed thru this link: bit.ly/TalkToTASHA.

With TASHA, passengers can check trip schedules and recent news and promotions of TASLI, get information on tourist attractions in TASLI’s areas of operations, and access Frequently Asked Questions about passage and cargoes.

It also allows passengers to instantly book and pay for a trip through GCash or credit card.

“With the passengers’ busy schedule and evolving needs, they are always looking for faster and secure ways to book their travels,” said Chelsea Logistics President & CEO Chryss Damuy.

He added that, “The Chelsea Group is pleased to deliver automated customer support, informative content, and interactive experience through the TASHA Chatbot. This is part of our continuous efforts to improve our customer service by making sea travel accessible and stress-free.”

TASLI General Manager Sheila Sy said “We usually receive an average of 100 queries daily across our communication channels, including email, FB messenger, hotlines, and SMS, and these were previously handled manually.”

“Now that we have TASHA, we are happy for our passengers and also for customer service representatives. TASHA Chatbot is an efficient AI that eliminates human errors and provides seamless booking experience for our passengers. For our customer service team, the TASHA Chatbot gives them more time to focus on more strategic tasks like developing more client-centric programs onboard,” she noted.

Chelsea Logistics Technology Department Head Efren Bernardino said the Group’s strategy to be present where customers spend most of their time doing their daily tasks.

“Based on Facebook’s global advertising audience reach numbers published in July 2022, the Philippines has at least 56.5 million active Facebook Messenger users. Investing in the latest technology is worth it as we reach our customers through FB Messenger, one of the world’s top social platforms,” said Bernardino.

TASHA chatbot was developed in collaboration with AIAH, a marketplace that brings together companies needing AI and developers building AI.

Following TASLI’s Chatbot TASHA, Chelsea Logistics’ two other shipping lines, Starlite Ferries and SuperCat are targeting to deploy their own chatbots namely, ‘Stella’ and ‘Cath’, before the year ends.

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This story originally appeared on Manila Bulletin.