Ask Alister
In the first of a new column, Alister Harris, Lokulus CEO, answers key questions about how to make the best use of Artificial Intelligence in business travel
Everyone is talking about AI and I know I need to get on board, but I don’t know where to start?
AI might sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but as we hear every day, it’s already transforming business at large, including business travel. There’s no need to panic but it’s important to get an approach in place now before your competitors get ahead of you. Trust me, they will.
Our advice is not to focus too much on the word AI or what that means. Just think ‘what would make my business better?’ especially in terms of improving and optimising your processes. Most of these processes are often repetitive, manual and open to error. When you have made a list of what could be better, take a look to see what AI solutions are out there. You’ll often find when looking that the potential solutions can help with other issues you hadn’t even thought of. There, you’ve started!
We are a service-based organisation, our people are our service, so I don’t want to diminish this service and get rid of our team.
This isn’t about getting rid of your team, it’s about freeing them up to deliver even better service. For example, you could use AI to triage all your inbound emails, WhatsApp or other communications. It can even automatically answer the more regular queries about flight times, costs or changes, as well as ensure the highest priority items are dealt with the quickest.
That means, rather than your team members having to go into every email or message to understand the context and act, you can have them delivering personalised recommendations, nurturing relationships and focussing on a real VIP experience. AI can be like having a very efficient, reliable junior team member.
OK, so where’s a good place to start?
The obvious place to start is in your customer facing operations, and this is where Lokulus can help. We are experts in customer service technology and work closely with the business travel industry. Come and see us at the TravelTech Show or message us — we’ll talk you through it all, show you a live demo, and help you see how AI could fit into your world.
