Order ahead via Messenger bot at Bo’s Coffee

MANILA, Philippines — Homegrown coffee chain Bo’s Coffee continues to upgrade the customer experience with the introduction of advance ordering bot called Botty.

Botty allows Bo’s Coffee customers to skip the long queues and let them order ahead of time through Facebook Messenger and pick up their order when it is ready.

“This product will take the experience of Bo’s to the next level,” Bo’s Coffee chief operating officer Steve Benitez said.

“We really want to give our loyal customers the best of both worlds. If they want to unwind and relax, they can come to our stores and enjoy the ambiance. When they want to save time and don’t have time to line up, we also have the platform for that and that’s Botty,” he said.

To use Botty, simply open the Messenger app and search for Bo’s Coffee Advance Ordering Botty. Then, customers can send their location or choose the store to place their order.

Customers can pay through cash,online using Visa or MasterCard credit/debit cards and Paymaya Card and Cash. Other online payment options such as GCash and GrabPay will soon be accepted.Delivery service will soon be available as well via GrabExpress.

At present, the service is available in 47 branches in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Palawan, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

“I think what’s good to note is that the number of users is not yet that significant compared with our base, but everyday, every month there is growth,” Benitez said.

Benitez said the company is targeting to reach a user base of 500,000 in six months.

“So that’s why we decided to roll it out in more stores. I’m very confident that this will spike up,”Benitez said.

He added that the company is planning to roll out the service to more stores nationwide.

“For now, it is just for select stores but there are plans to expand it to all stores so that all our customers in the Philippines can have this experience,”Benitez said.

Apart from upgrading its customer experience, the homegrown coffee chain is also eyeing to reach more customers by opening more stores across the country.

At present, there are more than 100 Bo’s Coffee branches across the country, 65 percent of which are company-owned while the rest are franchised.

Benitez said the company is targeting to reach 250 stores in the next five years as it plans to open 20 stores each year.

He added that the company is also set to open more stores in Qatar, where its first overseas store is located.

“We signed up for seven stores in Qatar. One is open, two more are coming up to open this year. And the rest will be opened within the next years,” Benitez said.

While the company works on its aggressive expansion locally, Benitez said they are also aiming to open more international stores in the future.

He said they are targeting to be present in at least five foreign countries by 2023.