The customer experience boosting technologies you need to have on your radar in 2020

Put simply, big data are data sets that can be analysed to reveal trends. For agents, this could mean understanding the client’s website journey – what they look for and book – allowing for a more personalised marketing strategy.

“Understanding big data is the difference between treating people as an average and trying to treat them as individuals,” says Andy Owen-Jones, chief executive at bd4travel – a tech company offering travel businesses AI-driven personalisation solutions.

“If you don’t use technologies like big data or AI, there is no way you will create experiences that are anything other than average.”

Investing in technology firms to help understand big data may not be financially viable for smaller companies with “less than 80,000” monthly website users, admits Owen-Jones, but there are still simple ways agencies can better understand their customers.

“It’s very hard to get data from third parties these days, so you need to have strategies to get first-party data. My favourite for smaller travel agencies is to host events and gather client data there.”

He adds: “You can start trying to understand what your customers are after on your website. Afterwards, you can rebuild certain aspects of your channels if people are not able to book easily in certain ways, or you’ve found that you have distinct sets of people that are bouncing around and never booking.”

For Anoop Goyal, co-founder of trip-planning software Inspirock, the main benefits for agents of embracing AI include the automation of less important and repetitive tasks, freeing up time to develop a deeper relationship with the client.

“Customers today expect personalised, high-quality responses, and they expect them to be fast and accurate,” he says.

“It is impossible to be an expert on every destination, [or] to optimise trips for complex searches in a timely manner. Embracing AI and technology is not about replacing human agents, it is about utilising recent advancements to make agents even better at their jobs.”

Goyal suggests travel agencies purchase trip planning software that uses AI to gather millions of data points based on clients’ preferences, helping agents find the best holiday match.

“Inspirock has more than 750 million data points and 80,000 destinations and can help agents answer questions such as where, when and how to travel, and what to do when you get there. Agents can share these plans with their travellers via the white-labelled solution we create for them.”

The software, which is also mobile-friendly, offers real-time collaboration with clients, enabling them to fine-tune the details before deciding to book.

He adds: “For companies that combine AI with great user experiences, customers and agents alike will find every aspect of the travel life cycle – from inspiration and planning to booking and sharing – become more personalised, intuitive and enjoyable.”