Tourism Tattler Issue 1 of 2018
The first issue of TourismTattler’s quarterly magazine features the Magic of Kenya, the Secret Season of South Africa’s Whale Coast, the rehabilitation of Pendjari National Park in Benin, and a whole lot more about travel and business tourism in Africa.
The first issue of TourismTattler’s quarterly magazine features the Magic of Kenya, the Secret Season of South Africa’s Whale Coast, the rehabilitation of Pendjari National Park in Benin, and a whole lot more about travel and business tourism in Africa.
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TECHNOLOGY<br />
Chatbot Technology<br />
in Business Travel<br />
By Euan McNeil.<br />
The next-generation <strong>of</strong> technology in the business<br />
travel sector is set to be launched in the second half<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>2018</strong> – a chatbot that blends artificial intelligence<br />
with the expertise <strong>of</strong> travel consultants to deliver<br />
personalised, relevant information to business<br />
travellers’ mobile devices.<br />
Known as Sam, this ‘chatbot’ is much more than a mobile app. It is<br />
a highly interactive, travel-savvy and anticipatory ‘Smart Assistant for<br />
Mobile’ that supports users with all aspects <strong>of</strong> travel via a conversational<br />
interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform<br />
actions. Sam assists business travellers pre-, during and post trip with<br />
everything from itinerary management, air and hotel bookings, flight<br />
updates, local city and country information, local weather and restaurant<br />
suggestions, to security notifications, ground transportation, driving<br />
directions, immigration advice and vaccination status.<br />
The more a traveller uses Sam, the more intelligent the chatbot becomes,<br />
so that information delivered to the user is even more personalised.<br />
The pace <strong>of</strong> evolution in mobile and smartphone technology is relentless<br />
and tech-savvy business travellers are already feeling the urge to use<br />
other consumer apps for booking flights and hotels, instead <strong>of</strong> their<br />
TMC. At the same time, the smartphone era is transitioning towards<br />
the conversation era, meaning the way consumers communicate with<br />
apps is moving to a message-based approach. In fact, by 2020 I predict<br />
that consumers will start feeling app fatigue and text or voice-based<br />
interfaces will be the new norm for communicating with the web.<br />
Sam aggregates all the information a traveller needs in one place at the<br />
point when the user needs it. It is fully integrated with booking and<br />
expense management systems so that all bookings made via the travel<br />
consultants automatically appear in the traveller’s itinerary.<br />
The conversational interface and relevance <strong>of</strong> the messages or questions<br />
that Sam exchanges with the user, gives travellers their own ‘personal<br />
assistant’ on the move. Sam is also configured in line with the corporate’s<br />
travel guidelines and will prompt the user to take actions that are within<br />
policy, thus improving compliance, controlling costs and supporting duty<br />
<strong>of</strong> care. Users <strong>of</strong> Sam can also call or message their travel consultant at<br />
any time for live assistance on the go.<br />
How does Sam work? Here’s an example <strong>of</strong> a message exchange with a<br />
business traveller:<br />
• On the night before the traveller’s flight to Paris, Sam sends the<br />
weather forecast for the destination, which helps the user know what<br />
to pack.<br />
• On the day <strong>of</strong> travel, a few hours before the flight, Sam asks if the<br />
traveller needs transport to the airport.<br />
• Having noted the traveller’s home and work locations, Sam asks where<br />
the user will be leaving from and calculates the estimated time to the<br />
airport, and cost <strong>of</strong> travel options.<br />
• The user decides that a taxi is the best option and Sam connects him/<br />
her with a company that serves the area – one that is approved by the<br />
traveller’s company.<br />
• As soon as the traveller lands in Paris, Sam automatically says: “If you<br />
have baggage to collect, it will be on carousel number 3.”<br />
• Sam <strong>of</strong>fers the user a car to the hotel – the user can opt to accept or<br />
decline.<br />
• Sam knows that Paris isn’t the user’s home town, so provides a useful<br />
city guide with information on getting from the airport, local transport,<br />
currency, restaurants, as well as hints on typical prices in Paris, tipping<br />
customs and etiquette.<br />
• At the end <strong>of</strong> the following day, the traveller needs to head back to the<br />
airport but Sam notices that the traffic is extremely heavy. Sam alerts<br />
the traveller to leave for the airport within 30 minutes and <strong>of</strong>fers to<br />
call a car straightaway. Alternatively, Sam <strong>of</strong>fers to rearrange the user’s<br />
travel plans.<br />
• The traveller doesn’t want to leave while the meeting is going well, so<br />
asks Sam to discretely search for alternative options.<br />
About the author: Euan McNeil is the General Manager at FCM Travel<br />
Solutions South Africa, a division <strong>of</strong> the Flight Centre Travel Group.<br />
For more information visit www.za.fcm.travel<br />
Jan/Feb/Mar<br />
Quarter 1 <strong>2018</strong><br />
<strong>Tourism</strong> <strong>Tattler</strong> Trade Journal<br />
33
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