What is a Travel Chatbot? How are AI chatbots changing the travel industry?

Did you know that chatbots can help businesses reduce money spent on customer support by up to 30%? (Invesp)

Travel chatbots play the role of virtual travel agents who chat with consumers on a virtual platform and provide customers assistance. They learn about customer’s travel needs like hotel booking, restaurant recommendations, etc.

These travel chatbots are driven by artificial intelligence which helps them provide assistance based on contextual analysis. Travel bots also make use of Natural language processing.

AI chatbots help businesses in the travel industry by performing simple business operations like hotel and flight bookings, building itineraries, reservations, train bookings, recommendations on places to visit, etc.

Using chatbots for travel and tourism is one of the best ways to provide customers with an efficient and immediate hassle-free travel service. These AI chatbots tend to manage data efficiently leaving no room for error.

Advantages of using travel chatbots -

• Due to their ability to store huge amounts of data, they make use of Natural language processing (NLP) and contextual analysis to provide customers assistance based on context.
• AI Chatbots help travel businesses in increasing their lead conversion rates
• Travel bots help businesses cut down on customer service management without compromising the quality of customer service
• They cater to customer needs instantly
• Travel bots provide anytime assistance to customers
• They integrate various operations like hotel bookings, flight bookings, inquiries, etc. all on a single screen.

Live Chat for Travel

Live chat is an online chat facility that enables customers to receive real-time assistance from customer service representatives. It helps businesses to cater to customer queries in real-time. Instead of sending an email or making a call, customers can just send a text on the online chat platforms and wait for a customer service agent to respond to their query.

Live chat software is often used by travel agencies to handle various tickets raised by customers. It enables travel agencies to cater to customers at the click of a button. Travel agencies use online chat services to provide customer support services and cater to customers through proactive chat.

Live chat softwares offer domestic and international travelers the most convenient way to book flight tickets, bus tickets, hotel reservations, book trip packages, etc.

Advantages of using live chat for travel agencies-

• Live chat software provides instant travel-related assistance to customers, website visitors, international travelers, and domestic travelers.
• By using live chat software travel agencies can cut down on customer acquisition costs and customer support management costs.
• Online chat platforms help businesses increase customer engagement rates.
• Enables businesses to handle multiple chats at the same time.
• Helps travel businesses to increase customer onboarding
• Chat platforms enable low-cost customer acquisition.

Use cases of Travel Chatbots

Travel chatbots are used for a wide range of business operations. From travel assistance to eat-out recommendations travel bots provide a hassle-free experience to their customers. These travel agency chatbots also allow travel agencies to onboard customers faster and more efficiently.

A few common use cases for Travel Chatbots -

• Reservation and booking agents
  Travel bots are often used as reservation agents by travel agencies. They help users make reservations in hotels and restaurants, help select seats, etc. Travel Chatbots provide a personalized customer experience when compared to websites as these AI bots are often similar to calling a human operator. These travel bots also help customers compare prices and help them find the cheapest options for their bookings.
• They help in handling disruptions and manage customer care
  Usually, with traditional methods, customers voice out their complaints publicly which leads to a negative brand image which in turn creates disruptions. AI Chatbots are excellent devices when it comes to customer support care. Online chat platforms handle such complaints privately and without any disruptions. By using travel agency chatbots businesses can provide immediate assistance to complaints on time and avoid negative feedback and reviews.
• They provide personalized suggestions
  AI chatbots use Natural language processing and machine learning capabilities to provide customers with a personalized user experience. These online chat services can grasp and comprehend speculative and vague user searches or queries like “ fun Valentine getaway” to provide customers a wide range of services.

Benefits of Chat for Travel and Tourism

Did you know that according to Condor ferries about 148.3 million travel bookings are completed on internet platforms every year and about 33% of consumers have used a virtual travel assistant that aided them in organizing and planning their travel plans?. With the growing usage of the internet and virtual technology, it has become essential for businesses to keep up with user preferences that change every few years.

Businesses thrive when they digitize and modernize user experiences and adapt to new user trends like online chat facilities, etc. Providing AI Chat or Live Chat is one of the best ways to keep up with customer needs.

Benefits of AI Chatbots -

1. Travel bots are available 24/7 to help customers.
2. Chat platforms are designed to provide customers prompt responses.
3. They help in building more informed customers because of their quick and immediate service.
4. From links clicked on to customer chats they can save user history and enormous customer data
5. Due to natural language processing travel, chat services offer customers a unique user experience.
6. Travel chatbots provide a seamless and hassle-free experience to the users which in turn leads to increased sales.
7. Online chat services enable faster online bookings and direct bookings.
8. They help travel agencies reduce customer support costs.

Chatbot for airlines and cruises

In the past few years, the use of AI Chatbots has expanded dramatically in the travel and tourism industry, especially in businesses handling airlines and cruises. Online chat platforms have become the preferred medium of communication for users when it comes to planning excursions, booking trip packages, customer care support, etc. Travel bots have become the must-haves of all airline companies and cruise companies. These online chat services perform numerous tasks all on a single platform.

• Travel chatbots make sure no tickets go unattended, help customers make decisions on travel plans, help businesses keep a track of their expenses, enable businesses to handle huge numbers of tickets at a time, generate more leads, nurture leads, etc.
• When it comes to the travel and tourism industry customers often require travel agencies to provide them immediate and all-time assistance and this can take up a lot of investment and infrastructure (for call centers, etc) facilities.
• Having AI chatbots help travel agencies to cut down on all these costs without having to compromise on the quality of service being provided.
• Travel bots help travel agencies provide customers the best and most efficient customer care support and cater to all their needs at any time as a result of which businesses can increase profitability in the long run.

Chatbot for online travel agencies (OTA)

Online travel agencies or OTAs are travel agencies that conduct their businesses on virtual platforms. For businesses like Online travel agencies, an AI chatbot is a must-have tool. Travel bots increase the efficiency and profitability of OTAs in the long run.

These chat platforms help these businesses take care of operations like reservations, bookings, tracking leads, nurturing leads, etc. chatbots also provide customers with numerous facilities like trip-budgeting, restaurant reservations, city guides, places to visit recommendations, etc.

Due to natural language processing(NLP) abilities, Travel chatbots can be trained to comprehend poorly worded or vague user searches which help online travel agencies provide better services to their customers. Chat services take care of everything from travel accommodations to discounts on restaurants. Travelers needed instant and all-time assistance especially international travelers and this can only be provided by travel chatbots.

Best features of Chatbots for travel agencies-

• Provides immediate assistance to customers
• Easily understands vague user searches like “ Romantic anniversary getaways for couples”
• Provides 24/7 customer care service to customers
• Increases customer onboarding and retention
• Saves user history and provides a contextual response to customers
• AI chatbots are driven by machine learning
• Travel bots are capable of responding to all the tickets raised no matter how many