Rakuten Viber Updates its Chatbot Commercial Terms

In keeping with its dedication to smooth customer experience and effective brand-user communication, Rakuten Viber has just updated its Chatbot Commercial Terms.

The changes to commercial terms serve to improve the user experience of chatbot subscribers on Rakuten Viber. They will not interfere with the businesses’ ability to use Rakuten Viber Chatbots to communicate with their subscribers 24/7 and to provide automated replies to their customers with free session messages: chatbots remain free to publish, and chatbot subscribers can engage in conversation or interact with your chatbot at any time without cost. 

What’s new?

Messages exchanged in a chatbot will fall into two categories:

• Chatbot session messages: messages exchanged between the chatbot and its subscribers during a session initiated by the subscriber.
• Chatbot-initiated messages: messages sent by the chatbot owner to its subscribers to engage them in a conversation.

A session starts when a subscriber messages the chatbot, either of their own accord or in response to a chatbot-initiated message, and terminates automatically within 24 hours. After that, the next time a subscriber messages the chatbot, a new session starts. For as long as the subscriber is interested in interacting with the chatbot, this brand-user interaction is smooth, free, and convenient for the user.

For chatbot-initiated messages, each chatbot receives 10,000 messages per month for free, and for messages in excess of this threshold, we charge per message delivered. Chatbot-initiated messages are a great way to strike up a conversation with your subscribers and initiate a chatbot session, within which all session messages are completely free. 

Here you can find out more about the new commercial terms, and if you have questions about them, please visit our FAQ.

Why use chatbots?

Rakuten Viber Chatbots are a cost-efficient and user-friendly messaging solution that helps businesses improve customer experience, be available 24/7, and even drive sales. Here are some of the benefits:

• Chatbots help customers get in touch with businesses whenever they want to, on their terms, and in their own time.
• Subscriber-initiated sessions put the customer in control of their interactions with brands and allow businesses to resolve customer issues in a cost-efficient and timely manner, thanks to automation.
• Chatbots can leverage a rich suite of tools to provide and streamline customer service and even drive sales: cards, carousels, gifs, emojis, stickers, text, pictures, videos, links, files, call-to-action buttons, location, integrated payments systems, and personalized responses.
• Chatbots help improve brand awareness and reputation thanks to personalized look and feel: from logos and branded stickers to custom colors, buttons, and themes.
• Thanks to the CDP and CRM integration, Rakuten Viber Chatbot allows brands to personalize their customer communication.
• Chatbots are a promising business direction: by 2025, business-to-customer interactions by chatbot are expected to reach 95% and the value of the global chatbot economy is forecasted to hit $1,25 billion.
• Chatbots allow businesses to tap into the subscriber base and engage their audience thanks to free welcome messages, unlimited session chats, and a supply of free chatbot-initiated messages replenished on a monthly basis.

How to get started with chatbots?

To make the most of Rakuten Viber Chatbots, brands need to understand how they work. Then, creating a chatbot takes only three easy steps:

1. Create an account. In the Viber Admin panel, provide key information: name and avatar, unique URL, category and subcategory, as well as general information about the chatbot. Receive your unique access key (token), which will enable you to connect your chatbot to our Viber API. Creating a Rakuten Viber Chabot is free.
2. Connect your chatbot. Configure the logic of the chatbot yourself using our Viber API guidelines or with the help of external developers or messaging partners. Use the token to connect your chatbot to the Viber API. Publishing a chatbot is also free.
3. Optional: promote your chatbot. Once you have launched your chatbot, you can get in touch with the Rakuten Viber team to make it searchable and verified for increased visibility. Take advantage of our advertising solutions, to extend your reach to new segments, and leverage your monthly allotment of free chatbot-initiated messages to draw your subscribers into conversations and grow your subscriber base.

Still have questions about Rakuten Viber Chatbots? Get in touch!