In the news: This week it’s about chatbots, payments and partnerships with highlight on Booking.com, Malaysia Airlines, Amadeus, Cebu Pacific, PayRemit, CarTrawler and HostelWorld
CHATBOTS: Booking.com’s chatbot assistant is now available globally to help travellers with stay-related queries
The Booking Assistant helps with accommodation-related queries (Image credit: Booking.com)
Travel companies are increasingly turning to chatbots to attend to their customers’ queries. The latest is Booking.com, which announced recently that it has expanded the pilot version of its new service and support chatbot, the Booking Assistant, and make it available to English-language bookings worldwide.
The chatbot merges proprietary Artificial Intelligence technology with Booking.com’s customer service support. It allows customers to get first-line support for their bookings including timely responses to their stay-related requests or post-booking related questions through a single intuitive chat interface via their preferred device and platform.
According to Booking.com, the Booking Assistant leverages natural language processing technology to identify the most frequently asked questions from customers such as payment, transportation, arrival and departure times, date changes, cancellation requests and other commonly asked questions.
The company is training the model to refine the current number of questions it can manage into more than 90 specific subtopics that can be quickly identified and handled appropriately.
It added that the chatbot, which was built entirely inhouse, can currently respond to 30% of customers’ stay-related questions automatically in less than five minutes.
If the Booking Assistant can’t answer a question it pulls in support from either the Booking.com customer service team or the property, adding their response directly into the conversation. The chatbot always identifies the source of that information, so that it’s 100% transparent for customers.
“For us, AI is not about replacing human interaction, but is instead a vehicle to facilitate an even more personalised, instantaneously gratifying and frictionless travel experience for consumers,” said James Waters, global director of customer service at Booking.com.
Travellers can interact with the Booking Assistant on their iOS or Android devices, via Facebook Messenger or the Booking.com website on desktop. They just need to look for the chat icon and the text ‘Ask a question’.
MANAGEMENT TOOL: Malaysia Airlines deploys Amadeus’ solution to personalise service
Malaysia Airlines is using Amadeus’ solution to improve its service delivery
One of Malaysia Airlines’ visions is to deliver “excellent service” to its customers, and to meet this objective the carrier has adopted Amadeus’ Customer Experience Management tool.
Described as a “cutting edge solution”, Amadeus said it would help Malaysia Airlines “understand its customers and deliver highly personalised offers across all touchpoints, maximising every merchandising revenue opportunity.”
The technology takes data about the traveller from multiple sources, builds a 360-degree, real-time picture of who the traveller is and integrates it with advanced personalisation logic so that the airline can cater to their expectations and demands while travelling.
The solution could also help Malaysia Airlines increase revenue by upselling tailored and relevant offers to customers through the right channels at the right time, while improving customer retention by delivering personalised and proactive care to frequent travellers in the event of disruption
Malaysia Airlines group chief executive officer, Izham Ismail said the technology adoption would be an important differentiating factor for the airline.
“We have had a great journey with Amadeus so far and they have been a true partner in supporting our transformation and sharing the same drive to put the customer at the centre of our services,” he added.
In mid-2017 Malaysia Airlines migrated the airline’s passenger service system (PSS) to the Amadeus Altéa Suite, and it also shifted to Amadeus’ e-Retail Internet booking engine earlier in the year.
PAYMENTS: You don’t need a credit card to fly with Cebu Pacific
Possible now to make booking with Cebu Air without a credit card (Image credit: scyther5/iStpck-Getty Images)
Travellers who do not have credit cards can now book flights on Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) as the airline has expanded its payment options in a partnership with PayRemit, a payment gateway owned by Ventaja International Corp.
Through PayRemit, CEB customers can purchase tickets online via the airline website or the mobile app without the need of a credit card. They just have to note down the reference number, present it at any of the authorised PayRemit counters in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Canada, paying for the tickets in cash.
“PayRemit allows our customers the opportunity to book year-round low fares on Cebu Pacific, and pay for these through a convenient and hassle-free payment portal. Our Filipino expatriates, in particular, will now have more flexibility to book and buy flights,” said CEB’s Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing.
Mix Acuros, area manager for Asia for Ventaja added the company’s alliance with CEB would see more of its customers benefitting from the airline’s low fares.
PayRemit is available in 26 countries with 55 remittances agents and their 500+ branches. CEB customers can pay for their flights at any of the PayRemit partner agents – Hatari Exchange in Hong Kong, Brunphil and Redimoney Express in Singapore and Speed Money Transfer in Japan. In the UAE the exchanges are Al Fuad, Al Ghurair, Al Rostamani, Delma, Emirates India, Progoti and UAE.
PARTNERSHIPS: Hostelworld teams up with CarTrawler
Hangover Hostels, Mirissa in Sri Lanka (Image credit: HostelWorld website)
Leading online travel technology platform, CarTrawler, has formed a partnership with Hostelworld, the largest online hostel-booking platform.
This deal will enable Hostelworld customers to avail of car hire and ground transport solutions through the direct implementation of CarTrawler’s existing technology platform.
CarTrawler’s said in a statement that its “ability to deliver both rental car and all other forms of ground transportation services gave the Irish firm the edge over competitors when securing the contract.”
Commenting on the new partnership Aileen McCormack, chief commercial officer of CarTrawler, said the company’s “multimodal car rental and ground transport solutions, combined with the global accommodation offering of Hostelworld, will create a one-stop-shop for customers internationally.”
Hostelworld’s global head of brand, Marek Mossakowski, said the booking platform connects young travellers with hostels in more than 170 countries, and the partnership with CarTrawler would help its customers and partners with their car rental and ground transportation needs.
• Featured image credit: Booking.com
