GOING into the third year of the pandemic, one thing is clear – travel companies have used this time to invest in technology to meet the needs of customers and business partners. Here’s how Trip.com Group used technology to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic.
At the beginning of 2020, the volume of customer requests received by Trip.com Group soared to 10 times pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the traveller issues that its Customer Service agents and chatbots handled were more complicated than ever. Despite this, it managed to hold its customer satisfaction rate at an average level of 90% in 2021.
Said the group, “At the onset of the pandemic, as we saw more travellers in need, we implemented an immediate upgrade of our intelligent storage auto-expansion technology, so that even if we faced a surge of customer requests over 10 times our average levels, our system would remain flexible and stable.
“In order to resolve the most pressing requests faster in times of large-scale emergencies, our Tech team also developed a new mechanism to automatically recognise and prioritise the most urgent cases. Using this technology, customers with the most pressing need are able to connect with our Customer Service staff first.”
Here are other tech solutions it implemented.
- Its AI chatbot solves up to 70% of requests
In 2020, the tech team upgraded the AI model of the chatbot, enabling it to automatically identify trending information in real time based on the most recent Covid policies and frequently asked questions. The technology also automatically updates the “frequently asked” section on a day-to-day basis, so that customers can easily find the right answers when they engage with the chatbot. With this improvement, customers can quickly self-solve over 70% problems via AI chatbot without the need to speak to a Customer Service agent.
- Seamlessly connecting customer requests with providers
Imagine you are about to begin your trip but the hotel you booked on Trip.com is yet to confirm the reservation for you, so you ask our AI chatbot to confirm the booking. In just a few minutes, you receive a confirmation message from the hotel.
“The secret behind such seamless service is our AI technology. When our AI chatbot receives your request for confirmation, it automatically routes this request to the hotel immediately without the need for Customer Service agents to intervene, which would inevitably slow down this process.”
And now imagine if an earthquake, tornado, or other extreme weather event occurs when your flight is about to take off (fingers crossed this never happens!), so you hit the flight reschedule bottom on the booking page and choose a different departure date.
“In seconds, the flight provider will receive your reschedule information. In the past, customers needed to call customer service and possibly wait in line for some time, especially in times of large-scale emergencies. Now, Trip.com Group’s AI system can automatically send the request and relevant information directly to the airline, helping customers to reschedule their booking ASAP.
“This technology is currently being piloted across our platforms and will continue to be upgraded in the future. From current trials, it saves at least 10 minutes for both customers and Customer Service agents in solving a request.”
- AI assistant tool for Customer Service agents
With the pandemic putting Customer Service staff on the frontline, Trip.com Group’s AI Development team has created an assistant tool for service agents to automatically label and categorise requests when speaking with customers in real time. This function automatically summarises countless cases related to flight and train bookings every day, saving customers’ and service agents’ time and energy, as well as accelerating case solving efficiency.
“The pandemic prompted us to enhance the efficiency of solving customer’s requests through AI technology, it has now become the key focus of our work. It is an exciting process exploring the many benefits this technology can bring to our customers and our business,” said Hui Zhou, Senior AI Algorithm Manager of Trip.com Group.
Images credit: Trip.com Group
