AI and the Digitalisation of Travel CX

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Martin Taylor, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO, Content Guru, share his thoughts around the use of AI and the impact on CX within the travel industry.

The travel industry will always revolve heavily around physical experiences. Even with recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), we can’t get away from the fact that people must physically travel from one destination to another.

However, technology is having a transformative impact on the industry, not least in customer experience (CX).

Providers must be careful they don’t remove the human-touch from their CX, but aren’t left behind in a fast-moving market where competitors will be using the latest innovations to drive greater efficiencies by embracing technology.

AI Agents Increasing Support

Whether a customer has their flight cancelled, baggage delayed, or their trip impacted by booking errors, environmental factors or industrial action, issues used to be dealt with by a human at a support desk.

However, customers are now increasingly seeking support through digital channels. In stressful or emotional situations, it is unlikely that they will be satisfied speaking only to an AI agent. However, this doesn’t mean that AI cannot have a positive impact on CX.

With hundreds of millions of journeys made every year, a small amount of disruption will be inevitable and is often out of the hands of travel providers.

What they do have control over is how they prepare for customer engagements and how effectively they support customers when issues arise.

One of the most important considerations for AI in the customer journey is where it is deployed. AI can support self-service for customers seeking to resolve simple queries or access information, such as baggage allowance, seat selection, or booking confirmation details.

Like self-service portals, when AI is used to resolve non-urgent, non-emotional, and low-complexity enquiries, customers benefit from faster resolution, while human agents are freed to focus on urgent, complex, and emotionally sensitive cases that are more likely to occur during travel disruption.

AI Agents – The Next Frontier?

We are already seeing travel providers leverage AI to support human interactions, but the next phase of development will likely see AI lead the process.

The number of digital assistants that support consumers is growing. Although they are still in their infancy, millions of consumers will be able to utilise them through their smartphone.

Both Apple and Android phones deliver digital assistant technologies and we can therefore expect they will increasingly act as intermediaries between travellers and travel providers.

Digital assistants will have the ability to carry out a wide-range of tasks based on the consumer’s request. They will then interact with the brand to autonomously make books or resolve issues.

Traditional models of traveller engagement will need to evolve to anticipate customer needs and remain the provider of choice in a market where purchasing decisions may be influenced, or even made, by non-human customers.

In parallel, contact centres will need the ability to integrate and interpret data generated by these digital agents, ensuring that customer intent and context are clearly understood and acted upon across interactions.

Travel brands will also start to use AI agents to reach out to customer proactively to provide updates and mitigate issues. For example, if a traveller’s flight is cancelled, the AI agent could proactively reach out and work with them to find an alternative.

Other Technologies Supporting CX in Travel

Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled systems are becoming the norm within the travel sector to deliver proactive, real-time updates to customers.

Many airlines now notify passengers of real-time baggage updates as they land, so that they know which carousel they can pick up their luggage from.

In the event that luggage becomes lost, some carriers now allow customers to share their own tracking data, such as from Apple AirTags, enabling faster bag recovery and reunification.

These small updates may seem insignificant, but go a long way in helping to build consumer trust and reduce the risk of unnecessary queries arriving in the contact centre.

Customers can also use their smartphone as their room key and carry out a range of activities on their phone, via an app, when staying at a hotel.

Allowing customers to take charge of the check-in/check-out process and complete other activities such as making additional purchases and finding out information on the app will not only give more autonomy to travellers but reduce the pressure on customer support teams.

Not all guests will embrace a more digital experience, but for those looking to self-serve utilising IoT technology and mobile apps is transformational.

Use Technology to Deliver First-Class Experiences

As travel demand continues to grow and customer expectations evolve, AI and digital technologies are set to play an increasingly central role in shaping CX across the industry.

Travel providers that successfully integrate intelligent automation with high-quality human support will be best positioned to meet rising traveller expectations while maintaining customer trust.

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