Tankfarm launches sales bot ‘Ashley’ for new propane customers

Tankfarm has released an artificial intelligence-powered natural language processing sales bot to help onboard new propane users. The bot is able to discuss propane pricing, delivery, tank monitoring and walk the consumer through a comprehensive comparison with their current propane marketer.

“We call the bot ‘Ashley,’ and she doesn’t sleep and she doesn’t take vacation,” says Andrew Heaney, Tankfarm co-founder and CEO. “This is just the beginning. Our bot will only get smarter and better at what it does as more customers use it.”

Headquartered in Millbrook, New York, Tankfarm is a propane distribution company focused on the residential market. It invests in software and tank monitors to make deliveries more efficient and profitable for propane marketers and more convenient for consumers.

Tankfarm partners with propane marketers across the country to fulfill deliveries to end users. It’s already joined with top marketers in 30 states and from over 200 locations.

With Ashley, Tankfarm sought a way to connect automatically with consumers who are interested in signing up for propane service. The software, Heaney says, gives consumers the flexibility to interact with the company on their terms.

“The fundamental purpose of the Tankfarm mission is to begin to address the modern propane consumer,” he says.

“We’re focused on the customer experience,” he adds, referencing the likes of Uber and DoorDash. “We’re trying to begin to match expectations that many of the other software companies have created in other industries.”

Heaney says three-quarters of consumers engaging with Tankfarm already use propane. He was pleasantly surprised to learn about the other quarter looking to use propane for the first time and what that means for the industry.

“That’s really exciting,” he says. “We have a huge opportunity to make inroads with thousands of customers who aren’t yet there.”

While Tankfarm’s goal with the bot is to engage consumers who don’t yet have a relationship with the company, its mobile app is the mechanism to engage with current customers. Tankfarm customers can utilize the app to track their propane levels and usage patterns, and the company plans to build out its capabilities.

“The bot is an important part of the technology ecosystem we are building that includes mobile applications, tank sensors and customer care software that delivers a uniquely superior experience for our suppliers and our users,” Heaney says. “We believe this proprietary digital front end will eventually help make Tankfarm one of the largest propane suppliers in the country.”