How AI Integrations Can Enhance Customer Service for Travel Programs

From facial recognition and fraud detection to CRM system updates and the tracking of customer spending, we’re witnessing AI advancements happen in real time across all industries. It comes as no surprise that travel management companies are also leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence to streamline workflows, but what does this mean for your travel program? Here’s what you need to know about the ways in which AI is augmenting the corporate travel experience.

Let’s Examine the Relationship Between AI and Automation

At Direct Travel , we found that more than 40% of our frontline interactions are routine requests that do not require the expertise of a travel advisor. If these tasks can be automated through Artificial Intelligence, we can eliminate extra steps like website research and unnecessary phone calls, ultimately delivering faster results to our clients. This is powerful, especially when considering that research suggests over two-thirds of people offered a self-service option will take advantage of it.

What does this mean for your team? To start, I recommend introducing AI-backed solutions into the channels that your travelers (and travel managers) use most frequently. This gives you the ability to gather personalization-related information from areas such as traveler profiles and customer relationship platforms. The result: A completely personalized end-to-end traveler experience.

AI-powered Assistants Have Entered the Chat

You can further streamline your business operations with the help of AI-powered virtual assistants and online chat features. These assistants – like Direct Travel’s Simon – should exist beyond their own ecosystem and integrate with customer-facing platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack. This can lead to improved service levels for both your travelers and travel managers. Additionally, you can use Artificial Intelligence to enhance decision-making with predictive analytics. Agents, for example, can then anticipate travel disruptions before they occur and provide proactive solutions.

AI Doesn’t Replace Your Customer Service, It Elevates It

Businesses have moved beyond a siloed service model. At Direct Travel, we favor an omnichannel approach, which AI further supports. This is because Artificial Intelligence cannot replace the level of care and service that only comes from working with a trusted travel advisor. Instead of serving as a substitute, we view AI as an enhancement that increases personalization and improves customer service. This gives your employees the flexibility to focus on more complex requests and transforms the overall experience from transactional to consultative.

If your team could benefit from incorporating more AI and automation into your travel program, download our 2024 Forecast whitepaper for a deeper dive into this and other trending industry topics.

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