previous icon Back to blog
Aug 28, 2022
5 minutes read

Take Flight! 3 Reasons to Use a FAQ Chatbot in Your Agency

Tentatively at first, but with increasing urgency and excitement, we watched the world of travel open up in 2022. Undoubtedly, the travel and leisure industry suffered a significant beating over the past two years. However, smart travel companies are turning their attention to ways to differentiate themselves and emerge as battle-scarred market leaders, ready to support the impending surge of travellers.

With this in mind, we’re examining the value of FAQ Chatbots in travel and leisure. 

What are the real-world benefits of implementing Chatbots? How can Chatbots improve user experience? Will it make a discernible difference to your bottom line? 

Chatbot FAQs: AI or Scripted

If you’re asking the question “What is an FAQ Chatbot?” then you’re probably ready to automate some of the repetitive daily questions that your live agents and staff deal with. 

Either AI or scripted Chatbots can be used as FAQ Chatbots, although scripted bots are more common in marketing and customer support. These allow for straightforward automated conversations with customers, responding to frequently asked questions with a predefined answer based on the scripts they are programmed with. 

For example:

  • What is your refund policy?
  • How can I cancel my booking?
  • What are your opening times?

A Chatbot powered by artificial intelligence can answer more complex questions based on the format and information within your business.

If the FAQ Chatbot cannot resolve a customer's query to their satisfaction, it will escalate the issue to a human agent for a live chat or a call. 

Exploring conversational AI is an exciting and cost-effective way to grow your organisation.

Real-World Benefits of FAQ Chatbots

Today’s technology has clearly shown us that manual tasks are a mug's game. If a machine can do something faster and more accurately than a human, then it makes sense to run with it. 

Therefore, your travel agency, hotel, or restaurant can use an FAQ Chatbot to automate answers to some of its recurring questions. Customer service teams can spend an enormous amount of time and energy on these types of questions, which often involve repetitive, copy-and-paste responses that are better handled by automated software. When you take these mind-numbing tasks away from your people, you allow them to focus on giving their best in areas where they can make a real difference. You give them the time and the mental capacity to offer patient, diligent service, which is sadly lacking in our modern-day environment.

Businesses using FAQ Chatbots aim to take the stress out of travel, offer enhanced experiences within hospitality, and assist customers in making smart decisions in record time, even when they're in a foreign place.

The Role of Chatbots in Customer Experience

Customer experience can make or break a business; this fact is clear. In fact, studies show that businesses that offer excellent customer service can outperform their competitors by 80 percent

This means that organisations must determine what their customers want and then do everything they can to support these requirements. 

Customers benefit from FAQ Chatbots because they can quickly get the information they need without scrolling endlessly through FAQs or “holding the line”. This is a real plus in a world of short attention spans and instant gratification. 

Additionally, you can offer 24/7 service without increasing your staffing overheads by allowing customers to self-serve. So much of our lives happen on our mobile phones today, which often means that customers seek help at ridiculous hours - but your trusty FAQ Chatbot will be there to assist even when live agents are unavailable.

Did you know that a surprising number of people prefer to access answers to their questions without human interaction? A customer may need assistance during inconvenient times or unsuitable locations, making quick and accurate automated services the best option. 

Chatbots Succeed in Boosting Your Bottom Line

Aside from faster turnaround times and happier customers, can FAQ Chatbots succeed in financially impacting your travel and leisure business? The data answers with a resounding Yes!

Because customers want a familiar but secure and meaningful way to connect and engage with fastjet, WhatsApp was the ideal communication channel for their requirements. Fastjet’s digital expansion involved adopting the WhatsApp Business Platform, allowing their team to send messages from their system to enable critical two-way conversations with customers.

With the help of WhatsApp Business Platform and integrated chatbot technology, queries from fastjet customers are dealt with smoothly and efficiently. Less complex, repetitive questions are answered by a scripted chatbot, while conversations that require more detailed responses are sent on to a customer support agent.

In conjunction with the chatbot functionality, WhatsApp has given fastjet a powerful communication solution. It’s allowed them to support more than 68 000 customers efficiently. "We’ve reached our audience proactively rather than merely managing crises reactively."

Edward, the Edwardian Hotel’s AI Chatbot, highlights some of the incredible financial benefits this smart software brings. Since its implementation, Edward has assisted guests with various topics such as upgrades, room service, hotel packages, departure times and more - approximately 1200 topics, in fact! This super-fast, hyper-personalised service has resulted in increased room service sales between 10 - 50 percent, and has managed enough queries to save the hotel's team around 95 working days. 

The developers of Rose, the resident Chatbot for luxury Las Vegas hotel, Cosmopolitan, took a slightly different road. This flirty and friendly Chatbot was designed with a fascinating backstory and a huge personality, dubbed the Cosmopolitan Mischief Maker. Hotel management found that guests who interact with her spend over 37 percent more than those who don’t. 

These are exciting numbers, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Getting Started with Your Chatbot

Do you think an FAQ Chatbot can help you grow and future-proof your business? Based on the information you’ve just read, it makes sense. 

Whether you’d prefer a scripted Chatbot or an AI Chatbot, you can build it with the user-friendly software offered by CM.com. Make a start today and automate your conversations with an intelligent, personalised bot (without the need for coding) based on your team’s unique insights and easy-to-use templates. 

Automate your conversations with an intelligent, personalised bot (without the need for coding).

Was this article interesting?
Share it!
CM.com
connects tens of thousands of companies with millions of consumers via their mobile phone each day. Behind the scenes, from our innovative platform, CM.com makes sure companies can use these millions of messages, phone calls and payments to become part of people’s lives.

Latest articles

blackfriday-2024-blog-featured-global
Oct 16, 2024 • Conversational AI

The art of simplicity: Helping your customers make quick decisions this Black Friday

Black Friday 2024 is just around the corner, bringing with it a great opportunity for retailers to maximise their sales. However, standing out in such a competitive event isn’t easy. Consumers expect attractive offers, fast deliveries, and top-notch customer support. In this article, we’ll show you how to simplify the purchasing process during Black Friday, optimising everything from promotions to logistics and 24/7 customer service. Discover the best strategies to ensure a seamless experience and increase customer loyalty. Don’t fall behind this Black Friday!

unlock-communication-excellence-with-cpaas
Jul 11, 2024 • CM.com

Unlock communication excellence with CPaaS

Diving deeper into CM.com's CPaaS approach is empowering business users to unlock Communication Excellence - a guest article by Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, a global advisory and consulting firm focused on helping clients in achieving business transformation goals with strategic business and growth advisory services.

engage-platform-effect-customer-service
May 10, 2024 • CM.com

Happy clients, happy agents: The "platform effect" in customer service

As a member of the customer service team, you stand on the front lines of customer interaction every day. In a world where customers demand quick and personalised service - long wait times, impersonal responses, or worse, incorrect answers, can quickly drive a customer away. Your goal, however, is to connect customers with your organisation and deliver the best answers and service possible. It’s incredibly satisfying to see a customer leave a conversation happier and eager to purchase your product. Your efforts can significantly enhance the customer experience, but you need the right tools to truly excel. Integrating these tools into a platform amplifies your capabilities and lets you experience the power of the platform effect.

blog-email-open-rates
Mar 27, 2024 • Conversational AI

Navigating AI Adoption in South Africa

In this ever evolving landscape, businesses that proactively invest in AI capabilities stand to gain a significant competitive edge in the years to come. By embracing AI as a strategic imperative and overcoming the hurdles to adoption, South African businesses can unlock new opportunities, drive innovation, and position themselves for success in the digital era.

Conversational AI Cloud web conversations blog woman chatting chatbot
Mar 11, 2024 • Chatbots

6 steps to MSP profitability with AI Chatbots

As the Managed Service Provider (MSP) landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead means embracing innovative solutions that not only enhance efficiency but also elevate customer service to new heights. Enter AI Chatbots from CM.com – a game-changing tool that can revolutionise how MSPs interact with clients. In this blog, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive roadmap consisting of six steps to boost profitability using AI Chatbots from CM.com.

customerservice-channels-blogimage
Jan 15, 2024 • Mobile Service Cloud

What are the most effective customer service channels?

Today's diverse array of communication channels encourages customers to naturally gravitate towards their preferred social platforms and anticipate brands to be readily accessible across these channels. Rarely will customers go out of their way to switch between channels just to reach you; instead, they are likely to opt for a brand that not only provides the desired product but also ensures excellent customer service (on the channel they like most). How easily can your customers reach you via their preferred channel?

digitalizacion-administracion-publica-y-educacion
Jan 12, 2024 • Customer Experience

Experience Elevation: Customer engagement tech trends 2024

As we approach 2024, the ever-evolving landscape of technology continues to shape how customers connect, consume and communicate with businesses. Forrester even predicts customer experience (CX) will improve for the first time in three years, meaning 2024 will be a pivotal year for engagement with every touchpoint becoming a make-or-break opportunity in the customer journey.

Education Technology
Nov 01, 2023 • Conversational AI

How AI Supercharges your Customer Service

Meeting customers' expectations remains the biggest challenge in service. Speed, convenience, and accurate responses are critical to achieving this. With the power of Generative AI, customer questions can be identified, categorised, and resolved more quickly. Plus, your organisation is continuously fed with data to improve the entire customer journey.

Acquisition and retention in marketing engage platform
Oct 25, 2023 • Conversational AI

Decoding the Struggles of Acquisition and Retention

In life, they say percentages don't matter, but in marketing, they are everything. The customer journey, spanning from acquisition to retention, is a path filled with potential incremental drop-offs at every touchpoint. A confusing experience here, an ill-timed communication there, and suddenly, your conversion rate is plummeting.

Is this region a better fit for you?
Go
close icon