Chatbots or chatterbots is said to be the future of customer experience. Chatterbots are simply designed software programs which can mimic conversations as with a human. This is done using voice or language texts. By using specific keywords, the chatbot can help enhance customer interactions, provide product recommendations and much more.
One such industry that has found a suitable use case is Travel Industry, where chatbots can not only help improvise communication but also help Business improve customer satisfaction index.
SMEs or Small and Medium scale enterprises are today ready to experiment tand willing to opt for chatbots to act as a bridge between them and their clientele.
Broadly, there are two types of chatbots available in the market today. One of them is the more commonly used, manually programmed chatbots. These chatbots are fed with logical FAQs, rules and conversations that are at par with the use-cases that are already set up by the company. The other kind of chatbots is those that wholly depend on artificial intelligence. These chatbots use machine learning to understand the commands and statements from a customer and then respond suitably.
Artificial intelligence chatbot comes with ability to fix a goal and works freely to achieve that goal. The AI chatbot adheres to three simple steps to realize the process. It is the sense-think-act cycle that can define the intelligence of the chatbot.
How are chatbots revolutionizing the Travel Industry?
1) Opens up a digital portal: The first step towards running a successful business or enterprise is to comprehend the needs of the customer base. However, this is impossible without having a platform or portal to do so. By using a chatbot, this digital portal is now open to the clientele. Using this channel, especially in the travel industry, a new dimension of communication is made possible. Customers can avail a 24/7 customer service to resolve any concerns and queries that they might have, thus enhancing their overall travel experience.
2) No time constraints: A topic of chatbot is growing very fast and people found it interesting. In small or medium scale travel industries, the servicing time by staff is generally from 9 am to 5 pm. However, using a chatbot gets rid of this constraint. By using a chatbot, customers can interact with the company as and when required. One major advantage of this is that when customers travel to different time zones, they need not worry about getting in touch with the company during an emergency. Chatbots are the best tool to keep the user for longer on a certain platform.
3) Personalized customer service: Using a chatbot enhances the customer’s travel experience at every stage either before, during or after a trip. For example, a chatbot will help assist the customer in booking a holiday that meets all the requirements. After this is done, it will start sending out timely reminders regarding the date of travel, reservation details etc. well in advance. During the trip, the bots will provide suggestions regarding recreational activities in and around the area such as spa treatments, restaurants and tourist attractions. At the completion of the trip, the chatbot will even ask for feedback to further improve their service.
4) Gain valuable market information: Due to the presence of many SMEs in the travel industry, the competition between them is pretty high. In such a scenario, using a chatbot to interact with customers might be the solution to upgrade the business. By collecting valuable qualitative feedback from customers, the company can understand the need of their clientele. They can then customise their services and offers to resonate with their customers which in turn will give them more profit.
5) Reduces overhead: Most travel companies have their contact centres which are used to respond to queries and issues raised by customers. However, the speed at which humans can do this is a lot lesser than chatbots. Thus, chatbots have the potential to foresee errors and correct them to prevent bottlenecks. If a chatbot is used in place of a human, overhead due to training or payrolls are eliminated. This, in turn, reduces the expenditure incurred by the company and maximises profit.
6) Automatically captures the lead: For companies that struggle with building an email marketing list, using a chatbot will eliminate that problem in no time. Since most websites find lead capturing a troublesome task, chatbots help automate the entire process. Thus, if the user chooses to communicate with your chatbot, all the details of the user are automatically fetched from the user details provided and authentication asked for. Therefore, there is no need for asking for the details all over again which in turn reduces the time taken to respond to queries from one user.
7) Keep the customer engaged: A chatbot ensures maximum engagement of their customers as it is the only customer touchpoint. Chatbot in a travel business helps the traveller to solve their queries, give recommendations or just have causal interaction with them. There are so many possibilities with the chatbot which ensures the maximum number of customer’s engagement with your brand more than a mobile app and any social media app.
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