How much time does a tech company allocate for learning and experimentation in an age of rapid tech advancement? This is a question Agoda addresses every day, according to its Chief Technology Officer, Idan Zalzberg. In the WiT Studio, Zalzberg shared how Agoda is shifting its view on customer experiences and internal processes through innovation and a steadfast focus on the future.
Watch full session here:
For Zalzberg, the path to creating next-generation travel experiences starts with empowering employees. One standout example, he says, is the use of generative AI to resolve a long-standing issue: the inefficiency of internal support. “We implemented an AI bot that answers common questions by pulling information directly from our documentation,” he explained.
The results have been transformative, to say the least.
Now, teams see their documentation being used and are motivated to keep it updated, which improves communication and creates a better experience for everyone. “We can say we have better human communication because we have AI in the middle,” said Zalzberg.
Agoda’s experimentation culture is another cornerstone of its strategy in tackling an increasingly complex travel tech landscape. The company runs around 1,000 experiments at any given time – a staggering figure that demands rigorous prioritisation. The secret? A scientific approach. “The real challenge isn’t scaling experiments; it’s avoiding getting overwhelmed by the data,” Zalzberg said. “We focus on understanding the statistics, identifying significant findings, and honing in on what drives success. It’s about learning, not just collecting data.”
This approach has yielded surprising insights.
Zalzberg recounted a particularly unexpected outcome when Agoda introduced a premium support feature allowing customers to pay for faster service. “We found that just by explaining what free support includes, we saw a boost in conversions.” It was a clear reminder that effective messaging, or lack thereof, can sometimes be more impactful than the product itself, he said.
When asked how Agoda ensures creativity isn’t stifled by its data-driven ethos, or more specifically an overreliance on data, Zalzberg offered a refreshing perspective. “I think one of the terms that hurts us a bit as an industry and generally in the tech world, is the concept of ‘data-driven’. That’s not who we are. We want people to imagine. We want people to come with a vision of what they want to build, what is really their passion for building. And we want data to be a facilitator for that, not a hurdle,” he said.
To Zalzberg, data is a support system and not a control mechanism.
Meanwhile, as Agoda continues to evolve, balancing its consumer-facing platform with its role as a B2B tech provider presents unique challenges. According to Zalzberg, catering to these distinct audiences requires a flexible yet robust system. “On the B2C side, we’re focused on personalisation and localisation,” he explained. Zalzberg added that B2B clients often want more standardised, customisable solutions, and Agoda as a company is all about creating a platform that serves both worlds effectively.
So, what does “next generation” mean for Agoda?
For Zalzberg, it’s more than a catchphrase. It’s about creating something so distinct from what came before that it feels like a completely different product, he said. For Agoda, this vision translates to being an indispensable travel companion – not just for booking hotels but for every stage of the journey. “We want to take away the stress of travel, not only at the booking stage, but from the entire process… to make it always feel like there’s somebody there, you know, looking out for me, giving me information. Letting me be in control.”
