With technological advancements, decision making has also changed. With many companies offering comparable deals, and various types of offers catching a trend, consumers today have numerous options to choose from.

Gartner report predicts that 85% of customer interactions will be managed without humans by 2021. 

The travel and retail industry is getting better with the application of technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning). Conversational automation is one such technology that is gaining momentum by creating simulating human-like conversation through chatbots and voicebots. Chatbots are computer softwares that act like virtual text assistants to communicate with users using text messages. They are intelligent and can comprehend even vague queries submitted by users like ‘Australia hiking places’ or ‘Red shoes online’. They can be integrated in websites and mobile applications to help automated regular tasks and maintain customer service standards. Through their customer oriented communication, chatbots are transforming the travel and retail industry by connecting with users on a personal level.

Let’s look at some areas where chatbots are helping transform the customer experience

Travel assistance

From suggesting destinations to recommending closest airports, chatbots have become the go-to personalized assistants for many travelers. Instead of making innumerable calls and emails, customers can use the efficiency and swift response time that chatbots offer in making the right travel choices based on nuances of human dialogue, preferences and budgets. Furthermore, they can send out alerts about any delays in flights or cancellations and offer features in line with the company’s travel policy.

Ease of ordering online

As per Hubspot, 47% of consumers would not only prefer to receive recommendations through chatbots but also be willing to make purchases through them. While having a personalized offer is what consumers look for, chatbots also offer guidance in an online ordering process. In comparison to a physical store, the attention span of online shoppers decreases significantly, which is where chatbots offer an advantage by providing instant ordering assistance.

Feedback collection

Chatbots are not just meant to act like human representatives, they are there to give a holistic solution to the customer. While they are known to provide pre-travel or purchase assistance, they are also extremely useful in post-sales services like collecting feedback from users or asking them to leave reviews. They can automatically send reminders to customers to share feedback of their online experience in the form of ratings and reviews. In the process, if the user is unhappy with the service, it can address the grievance right there and address the issue in the moment.

As per Global Market Insights, the overall market size for chatbots worldwide would be over $1.3 billion by 2024. 

Multilingual Support

Chatbots are conversation tools that have been made to assist customers by understanding their requirements in the broadest possible sense. The digital revolution has broadened the internet user base including large number of non-English speakers. While many of us are used to speaking in English, we feel more at ease when we speak in our native language. Chatbots can be designed to be multi-lingual, which means, you can reach audiences in other countries and offer assistance in their language. Chatbots are anyway able to handle a large number of queries; with multi-lingual assistance, the bots would be able to handle specific and large number of queries efficiently and increase presence in high demand regional markets.

According to a Chatbot Customer Service Study by Invesp, 64% of internet users say 24-hour service is the best feature of chatbots.

Competitive Advantage

Chatbots can analyze a customer’s intent through their tone, choice of words, the pages visited on a website and the journey made on apps. Chatbots can meet the needs of a customer by keeping them engaged, providing high-quality experience and meeting their needs. They can encourage direct bookings and fully support the booking journeys. Based on past travel data, they can also up sell and cross sell by delivering the messages in a natural manner which would appeal the user. Similarly, in retail, chatbots can customize products based on their browsing history and products placed in their shopping cart. With a fast response rate, they can assist several customers at the same time, with tailored offers and 24X7 support which would contribute to the productivity and financial results of a company.

According to a study by Chatbots Life, the top 5 industries profiting from the incorporation of chatbots are real estate (28%), travel (16%), education (14%), healthcare (10%), and finance (5%). Another study by eCommerce chatbot statistics states that over 70% of chatbots accessed will be retail-based by 2023.

 It is highly likely that chatbot technology will be a preferred choice for many travel and retail brands as it will continue to improve customer experience and cost efficiency. IGT has helped several clients receive positive results with its conversational automation solutions. By using cognitive services like Natural Language Processing (NLP), Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech and Sentiment Analysis from industry partners like Miscrosft LUIS, IBM Watson and Google Dialog Flow, we have enabled our clients transform their customer service experiences. Our engagement models are flexible and can be customized to suit specific needs of the customer.

You can read more about our chatbot service here: https://www.igtsolutions.com/services/automation/conversational-automation/

Sources:
www.enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/12/rpa-robotic-process-automation-2020-5-trends
www.backlinko.com/chatbot-stats
www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/chatbot-statistics/

Author :

Gurmeet Oberoi is a researcher and writer of change tactics and technologies in travel and other verticals, she frequently posts across the digital ecosystem. With 9-yrs of experience in communications and marketing, Gurmeet has a passion for travel and reading among other things. She can be reached at gurmeet.oberoi@igtsolutions.azurewebsites.net

The post Chatbot: Enabling Enhanced Customer Service in Travel and Retail appeared first on IGT Solutions.

Characteristics of Back office and Conversational automation

Back-office automation is a technology through which software robots or ‘bots’ can learn from data and apply this knowledge to resolve problems independently. It can create a spectrum of solutions with next-to-zero downtime because of its machine learning capabilities and algorithm-based solutions. While back-office automation involves the use of software bots, conversational automation, on the other hand, in simple terms, offers virtual assistance in the form of chatbots. These chatbots are smart and capable of handling specific tasks with the help of Natural Language Processing (NLP). They can understand and learn through environments, user journeys and conversations.

Primarily, automation mixed with human intelligence works in tandem towards decision making support. However, each area of automation has a unique role to play. With increasing competition in the travel industry, the challenges are not far behind. In fact, some pain points that travel industries face can be solved if automation is applied.

Let’s look at those pain points and learn how automation can make them pain-less.

 Online reputation management

Customers take to social media to share their experiences and grievances. Travel brands have understood the need to maintain their online reputation and have hired digital teams to monitor their online presence. Automating daily monitoring of your social media platforms will ensure you are not caught off-guard. Travel brands can use back-office automation’s ability to read and segregate information into relevant buckets based on the type of issue of the user. It also has a high degree of flexibility to search brand mentions all over the web, view multiple reviews and comments and identify best suggestions based on pre-scripted notes. By logging into one window, one can quickly personalize and respond on several platforms in minutes and take control of the online presence.

 Maintaining service standards

In an era where customers can switch brands easily, it is imperative to maintain a superior standard to retain them. Just like famous food brands follow precise measurements of ingredients which are universal to all their centers, travel brands can similarly have a rule-based system designed through automation to maintain an indubitable standard for themselves. RPA bots can emulate solutions that are consistent with every assignment and match the requirement of the job. Back-office automation can help create standard operating procedures that can help you track project progress, keeps you up-to-date with the latest data and can communicate critical milestones.

 Dealing with duplicate entries

Organizations use their online platforms such as website, social media etc. not just for brand presence but also as lead generators. It is not in our control when over-enthusiastic customers share their information several times, hoping to get a quicker response. What is in our control is using back-office automation to sift through the duplicate entries from a database and centrally apply changes to eliminate any discrepancy in interdepartmental exchanges across locations. Back-office automation works fast and leaves no room for friction, which could have been the case if done manually, thus reducing rework and maximizing profits.

 High influx of queries

For any servicing brand, online customer service channels like website chat, social media chat etc. always remain open. Many travel companies are prepared to handle a set number of queries; however, during unforeseen times, like a hike in volumes, they face a challenge in responding to the questions promptly. Missing out on your customer queries can result in losing out on business. With messaging becoming a preferred medium of customer service in many countries, conversational automation is being integrated by many brands. Because of its 24X7 availability and rapid responses, conversational chatbots can yield better customer experiences with their intelligent ability to detect keywords, changes in tone, and adjusting to a user’s behaviour.

Regardless of the business type, automation can increase the accuracy of your business process. To increase business opportunities and handle multiple issues simultaneously, travel brands are broadening their horizons by recognizing the potential of automation. At IGT, we strive to take your business to the next level by understanding your business needs and developing the right automation strategy for you.

IGT’s Automation Centre of Excellence offers an array of automation solutions through its RPA and conversational automation capabilities.

Our proprietary automation methodology – ‘iTRIP’, is designed to take the customers from an initial exploratory stage in their automation journey to a BAU Automation Factory Setup, thereby setting up a Centre of Excellence for enterprise-wide cross-functional adoption.

Travel companies must begin with the endgame in mind, aligning company goals with the right technological investments should be a priority. As the industry operations become more complex, integrating automation solutions can be a game-changer.

Read more about the methodology, processes and the engagement model that we follow to deliver automation projects to a large customer base.

Author :

Gurmeet Oberoi is a researcher and writer of change tactics and technologies in travel and other verticals, she frequently posts across the digital ecosystem. With 9-yrs of experience in communications and marketing, Gurmeet has a passion for travel and reading among other things. She can be reached at gurmeet.oberoi@igtsolutions.azurewebsites.net

The post How automation is alleviating the most significant pain points of the Travel industry appeared first on IGT Solutions.