As a product manager who can write code, I’ve recently been playing with an open-source framework for WeChat bots: wechaty. Because it’s so easy to get started, I’ve also written my own WeChat bot by modifying the “hello world” example. This has sparked a lot of ideas, and I’d like to share them with you.
Theoretically, a WeChat bot can do anything a human can do using the WeChat client. Of course, some limitations still exist:
- There’s no API related to Moments, so that’s a no-go. Many interesting things that could be done with Moments are not yet possible.
- It’s very good at accepting “keyword” commands, but implementing natural language operations (dialogue) is very difficult.
What can a WeChat bot do?
1. Customer Service
This is the most common application. Many companies use WeChat bots to provide customer service. For example, you can ask a bot for the weather, or for the latest news.
2. Marketing
WeChat bots can be used for marketing. For example, you can use a bot to send coupons to your customers, or to send them a happy birthday message.
3. Entertainment
WeChat bots can be used for entertainment. For example, you can play a game with a bot, or you can ask a bot to tell you a joke.
4. Personal Assistant
WeChat bots can be used as a personal assistant. For example, you can ask a bot to remind you of an appointment, or to help you book a flight.
Conclusion
WeChat bots are very powerful. They can be used for many things. I believe that in the future, WeChat bots will become more and more popular.
Microsoft Tech Summit - 快速搭建一个聊天机器人