ADOPTING CHAT APPS, BOTS & AI

Nowadays, there is a switch in the way people are communicating, we are entering the new era of communication. Our Smartphone is more than a tool to facilitate our way to communicate,  it is also part of our personality and essential in our daily life. Chat apps, such as Facebook, WeChat, snapchat have been adopted by million of users in the world and are powered by either artificial intelligence, human powered or even both. They are offering an entire ecosystem of services which are integrated in the app. AI and Human powered gives the opportunity to users to ask questions from the app without leaving it and they will get an answer from a chatbots or a person.

Chatbots, which are computer programs willing to understand and “communicate” with natural language, will become another form of distribution and a new communication technology for tourism companies.

The apps will be able to use the information openly available for prices (for hotels and flights for instance), it will know when a user is traveling and its preferences ( 3star hotel, gastronomic restaurant, first class flight …). By consequence, the user will only see results according to its traveling habits and preferences but the chatbot will not only provide an answer, it will also be able to do the transaction. Big brands, hotels and OTAs have the opportunity to meet customers on the platforms they are used to be, make transactions easier and create new guests’ experiences.

Nice isn’t it ? Not always, it is not that easy !! Some challenges need to be taken into account to be prepared:

Customers expectation are changing, responsiveness is the key for success (or failure). Indeed, a delay in the app conversation will affect directly the hotel effectiveness and damage customers experiences.

A close cooperation inside the business to know who is the best positioned to handle the client's problem or question.

Try to find a way for synchronization will be fundamental. As people are using many chat apps, tools which allow seamless flow of communication in one place will be needed. For instance, you are are asking through the hotel chatbots some information, then you decide to call the desk. It will annoy you to explain again what you ask in the morning so it is crucial for the hotel to know that you are the same guest who had a conversation on an app and you are now on the phone.

Take into account your image to put in place new procedures for communicating on the apps. If you are a luxury hotel, do you think your guests would like to communicate in an informal way as we use to do on apps?

It is not only about enabling communication, a key elements which need to be thought is how to enable transactions via chat apps?

Be prepared for the upcoming change !! 

Written by Clémence DUVENT & Lauriane AMAND 

References: 

Rajesh Rajan (2016) from: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/MagazineArticles/Adopting-Chat-Apps-Bots-and-AI.asp

How is beacon technology customizing the guest experience?

Beacon technology, one of the most disruptive innovations of 2014, could exist thanks to the geofencing system, which is the ability to put a virtual fence around a location and enable mobile devices such as smartphones to react when they cross it.

Companies use corresponding apps (e.g. the LocalPerk app, of the Marriott hotels), allowing guests to access special offers, view maps, request services and many other services. LocalPerks, for instance, provides guests tailored localized offers, ranging from food and beverages to spa and golf deals.

In the hospitality industry, this appears as an opportunity to offer better services, special and customized offers and a lot of hotels such as the Marriott chain understood the need to adopt this new technology.

     

Image source : http://www.adweek.com

As Kim Adams highlighted in his article, How beacons change hotels and hospitality, « hotels seek to deliver the right message, to the right person, through the right channel, at the right time – and in merchandising cases - for the right price. »

Beacons are used during the in-stay period of each traveler and enables hotels to better meet customer needs before the end of their stay, the moment they usually have to fill in the traditional guest survey. Guests could be pleasantly surprised to benefit from good deals and extra services at the hotel (all kinds of information about the hotel, the property itself, its area) but on the other hand, it could be awkward for some of them to be disturbed by their smartphones at any time during the day. Not to mention the importance of human interaction in the service industry.

This brought us to think of the real added value of the beacon technology in the guest experience. According to us, hotels have to be careful when using this new technology. In order to better satisfy guests, boost their experiences and create more upsell opportunities, hotels have to target their customers and to differentiate beacons into two categories:  

•         Beacons that could please everyone and which would be offered to all guests
•        Beacons that could bother some guests, which should be optional

For example, you enter your room and it’s at perfect temperature, the lights are dimmed to your liking and your favorite playlist is playing in the background. Isn’t it a real customized service to make your experience more enjoyable? But similarly, who couldn’t understand that receiving special deals at any moment of a journey could bother some guests trying to enjoy a peaceful stay?

Taking this into account, hoteliers should consider adopting this trendy and innovative technology to be up-to-date and to better face competition. Improving guest experiences while respecting their wants and privacy at the same time is possible!

Cécile ROUX & Margaux SCHERER

Source: http://blog.estimote.com/post/129215375430/how-beacons-change-hotels-and-hospitality

Fluo: Highlight your insurance!

It is admitted from now on that every consumer owns at least one credit card. To make them attractive, banking institutions often associate with insurance offers. Unfortunately, customers struggle to know which guarantees are included into them. According to an OpinionWay survey launched in April, 2014 by Fluo.com, 56% of the French people who are less than 50 years old declare that they know rather badly or very badly the risks covered by the insurances included in their bank cards.

In the travel business, customers are constantly requested to sign insurance products: when booking a flight ticket, renting a car or purchasing a ski pass for example. As a result, many sign a new contract without knowing if they are already covered via their own banking card insurance. And even more concerning, some don’t subscribe thinking that they are already covered when they are not.

This is the reason why Jehan de Castet, founder of the insurance comparator LesFurets.com (French favorite comparator), imagined Fluo.com. The goal of this website is for consumers to avoid situation of insurances accumulation with those included in their credit cards. With only a few clicks, Fluo reveals the insurances of your credit card and shows how you are covered by highlighting the key points of your contract.

Available as an app on IOS and Android, Fluo is also reachable at any time through a call center.

Fluo can be defined in 4 words: Free – Practical – Independent – Personalized. Indeed, insurances are generally complicated subjects to tackle and to understand. And even more in the case of an accident when eventually emotions get involved. This application aims to facilitate these moments by helping customers understanding their purchases, car rentals and travels. Fluo’s app is very simple, free and visual. It gives a summary of what is covered and what is not. The main advantages are the comparator function with other insurance companies and the tricks to be sure that the insurance of the banking card will work.

While integrated insurance with banking cards should be a selling point for financial institutions, they are ultimately little highlighted. So, not surprisingly, a startup came once again to take this opportunity, intelligently flipping the model to its advantage. In 2015, Fluo innovated and added a new service: custom travel insurance that complements the insurance of banking cards. It now gives the customers the opportunity to complete their insurances, without the risk of duplication, by offering 3 different formulas based on the level of the credit card: Classic +, Premium + and Elite +.

Meanwhile, Fluo fills a certain vacuum since, according to a survey that the company itself commissioned, 88% of consumers would be interested in its services. For now, Fluo is only providing this service for users of banking insurance but the company plans to expand its offer by providing the details of home insurance policies.

Sources:

http://www.tourhebdo.com/actualites/detail/88272/startup-contest-fluo-remporte-le-prix-du-deuxieme-jour.html

https://www.fluo.com/

http://www.cbanque.com/actu/53728/fintech-fluo-repere-les-assurances-presentes-sur-les-cartes-bancaires

https://www.fluo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DirectMatin-20151015-page022-encart-fluo

http://cestpasmonidee.blogspot.fr/2014/06/fluo-eclaire-les-assurances-de-cartes.html

Need to increase your productivity and your client satisfaction? RoomChecking is here to help.

RoomChecking is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) app dedicated to hospitality services management. This app is not only useful and functional but also intuitive as it works connected to the PMS (Property Management System) of the hotel.

On the one hand, it gathers and analyses internal information about the hotel. From the front desk to housekeeping or general administration, every employee has access to it through smartphones or tablets. It allows them to improve their communication with each other, performance and reactivity in order to increase the hotel’s client satisfaction.

The app is divided into seven functionalities, including the main duties:

• Housekeeping
• Technique
• Chambermaid
• Client
• Incidents Management
• Client calls
• More… 

For example, if the light is broken in a room, the head housekeeper will either enter the information or take a picture of it and send it directly to the technician.

A regular customer arrives? All of his or her habits are registered in the app so employees can dedicate their service according to the client’s preferences.

RoomChecking is also a great tool for tasks distribution and follow up. Through monitoring in real time, employees can realize the tasks in due time and improve their reactivity. Manager can also communicate with employees through instant messaging and check how the work has been done. This is particularly useful to avoid problems in time or when it comes to reward the teams.

On the other hand, clients can download their own version to facilitate their stay. Indeed, they can find information about the hotel (map of the facilities, list of services, rates, schedule…), but also activities nearby such as touristic sites and restaurants. Moreover, clients can inform the front desk of any demand or issue and rate services through the app, which simplify feedbacks gathering.

The aim is to optimize work time in order to have more time to focus on the client. Employees are more efficient and more autonomous. They focus more on the client’s satisfaction. 

Not yet used by hotel chains, this app has already been implemented in 150 independent hotels. But for sure, this kind of app will be developed more and more as it also gives the opportunity for hoteliers to promote room services or other hotel services like dining or spa services, giving guests the option to quickly contact someone for more information or book immediately – meaning additional revenues.

Sources:

http://www.cdsgroupe.com/blog/2016/01/roomchecking-une-facon-radicalement-nouvelle-de-faire-circuler-linformation-a-linterieur-de-lhotel/

www.roomchecking.com

http://blog.apps-builder.com/hotels-with-mobile-apps/

A new way for booking flights: Opal app

Source: OneTravel

 

           Created and settled by the online booking travel website OneTravel, Opal is a voice-activated travel agent allowing travelers to book flights in an easy way. It will not only help travelers to book their flight quickly as it will interact with and guide them through the process of booking, but also allow them to do it from a mobile phone. This company is the first one to propose this service, and as we are more and more connected, this app perfectly fits our society trends.

 

            The process is simple, the users say through their mobile device’s built-in microphone that they want to book a flight from a city to another city, and the app asks them the missing information such as: city of departure, destination, departure and return dates etc. and begin the research. Thanks to the interaction app, it is easier for the user to select all the criteria required instead of looking for them on traditional websites. The app proposes more than 450 airlines, find the best offers available, and thanks to its advanced travel-specific vocabulary it understands acronyms, knows the different airports of a specific destination etc.

 

            Travelers can book their flight through the application, on the website or call the travel agents. Thanks to technology development, travelers get access to information really easily and can book flights, and make reservations quicker than before. The company plans to extend its app for hotel booking through the voice-activated travel agent. But to develop the app, the company firstly needs to get feedbacks from users to make the app better and then extend its activities.

 

            This app is a way for travelers to book a flight in an easier way, compared with the traditional booking flight websites. It is easy to use thanks to the interaction with the voice-activated travel agent and it makes travelers save time finding them offers the most adapted to their needs.

Marion Mortier & Marine Pelletier

 

Source:

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-technology/meet-opal-the-voice-activated-travel-agent-for-booking-flights.html

 

 

Raft of Huge Travel Companies Sign up to Innovative Uber App

"Uberification"! 

What does it mean and why do the most famous companies follow this trend?

Photo source:

 http://www.journaldugeek.com/2014/09/02/uber-na-plus-le-droit-dexercer-ses-activites-en-allemagne/

Firstly, let’s try to understand why this strange word has currently created a great deal of buzz all over the world. Uber is an app-based transportation network and taxi company which today operates in many countries. Tourism and travel companies are looking for more innovative ways to engage with their customers via this mobile platform. United Airlines was the first company who has featured Uber on its mobile apps. Today TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts are also following suit and using Uber as a part of the service offered.

The video below demonstrates how to use Uber properly!

Secondly, let’s have a look how companies can profit by "Uberification".

As an example, Trip Advisor makes planning customers’ future travel much easier by means of the app: they simply go on Trip Advisor, plan their trip and the app finds a vehicle in the country-destination.

Hyatt Hotels also proposes to its guests to go on the hotel app to book their transportation directly via Uber. It allows client less hazardous way to get an estimated price for transportation during the travel than using traditional methods of taxi.

United Airlines has also established a commercial partnership with Uber by offering a reward (miles program) if they use the app. This is a win-win situation to both Uber and United Airlines companies: they get a lot of customer who are attracted by the reward offered and who are willing to travel more.

As its common knowledge, every medal has two sides and in this case there are also some difficulties that Uber has encountered. As an example, French taxi can see this app as an unfair competitor as the Uber drivers are not professionals and they do not have to pay for a driving license. This fact challenges the taxi industry regulations  in some countries where the app is very well used.

Despite these legislative issues it has been argued that Uber represents a legitimate example of consumer choice and the app continues to expand. Indeed, Uber is planning to diversify its products by having a greater exposure on the market: company would like to launch a grocery delivery service. The grocery would have a competitive price and would be delivered for free directly to YOUR door.

“Valuable niche of the travel industry”! 

This is the real future of the Uber as hotels and airlines can propose this extra service to the clients.

If you want to stay informed and to be ALWAYS aware of the digital tourism trends, this link is for you and only for you https://www.facebook.com/DigitalTourismThinkTank

More information you can find here http://thinkdigital.travel/opinion/raft-of-huge-travel-companies-sign-up-to-innovative-uber-app/

And of course you can always contact us: 

Fanny fanny.picarle@skema.edu & Anastassiya anastassiya.shikhovtseva@skema.edu

And remember: 

"Things get much easier if one jumps on the bandwagon of existing trends". 

Lei Jun