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

Restaurant and Technology in 2017 - Back in the saddle

 

Since the beginning of the year, many new technologies have been created and have become now part of our everyday life. One of them is called the Internet of Things (IoT) which is the fact that Internet is related to the things and the places of the physical world. It implies the exchange and the sharing of information and data via the Internet network. It is considered to be the next evolution of Internet : the Web 3.0. More than that, there are more and more wearable devices that people are using in order to enhance their technology experience. But what about the experience they get at a restaurant? Does these new technologies can be used in this industry? And more important, can we still considered the customer’s experience despite all of it?

The restaurant industry have been completely redesigned in 2017 from different point of views, as well as all the processes from the booking to the payment mode.

The first one is the kitchen automation which improve the business performance by making the meal’s order process easier and faster. It is possible thanks to ConnectSmart Kitchen or Kitchen iQ for example, which help the cooks organizing their work according to the time preparation and the ingredients needed, on separate screens so that each chef can focus on their specific orders.

Another benefit is about checking in real time the cook time and knowing which dishes are the most cost-effective.

The second one is about the management of the staff, usually practising under pressure with pretty bad working conditions. Technology can be a good way to improve their motivation and enhance their productivity at work. Perkbox for instance provides some benefits to reward the employees which will impact their happiness at work. A better communication and a better control of the staff’s shifts are also good ways to improve the workforce’s management (Planday system). It is all about controlling and empowering the employees.

Last but not least, the third improvement is to manage the operations. Trail, a clever digital tool allowing to organize the administration of the workload and the tasks, has also a positive ecological impact on the use of paper.

 

 

The important thing is that nowadays all these technologies are cheaper than they were in the past. And as we are moving forward, more and more companies will use those to be more effective and optimize the service. The overall customer experience will be enhanced if the whole process within a restaurant is improved. The digital customer journey includes seven steps : skipping the queue thanks to an app which allows them to check waiting times and make reservations; getting seated while receiving a text with the available tables; ordering food via the Connectsmart Kitchen platform; preparing orders with an overview of the nutrition information and possible food allergies; the status of the table through automated alerts; the seamless mobile payment according to their spendings habits; and finally reporting the data of the customer (trends, preferences) to improve the future marketing campaigns.

 

Written by Clémence Duvent & Lauriane Amand 

 

 

References: 

Chomka, S. (Feb 2017). Back in the saddle. Restaurant Magazine - William Reed Business Media.

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