The advancement of technology has reduced the effort for travellers, and that effort has now been transferred to the travel companies. In order to stay in the competition, these companies have to keep their Travel Booking Engines completely updated with the evolution in technology, so that they can walk hand-in-hand with the ever-changing digital world.
In a travel industry research conducted by the ADI (Adobe Digital Insights), they found that 41% of the business travel arrangements and 60% of holiday travel arrangements are made online. Therefore, if the companies don’t want to fall behind their competitors, they need to keep bringing changes on their websites. New technologies keep coming up, that can help improve customer satisfaction. Apart from keeping the existing customers happy, the new, innovative trends help in attracting more and more customers every day.
The travel industry in India especially needs to bring some significant changes in their business strategies. India has over 80 travel destinations that people love to visit , while China has just around 18 such destinations. In spite of that the travel industry in China does 600% more business than India. The reason is that they never miss out on the technological advancements and keep integrating them into their businesses continuously.
Here are some of the Modern Technology Solutions that are bringing changes in the travel industry today:
However, offering an excellent personalized view, while maintaining privacy can be a difficult task. Privacy is a sensitive issue, therefore, the travel companies should consult experts for appropriate technological solutions.
In today’s world, before actually going on a trip, a traveller already takes most of the tour virtually. Virtual Reality is a technology through which a user is essentially placed inside a simulated environment, so that he/she can experience the surroundings virtually. Instead of looking at a screen, the user is immersed in the surroundings, where he/she can interact with the 3D world.
Augmented Reality is similar to Virtual Reality. The only difference is that, instead of being immersed in a particular environment, the user can get a live view of the surroundings through a camera or a smartphone. Some examples of augmented reality are: the Snapchat lenses and the popular game- Pokemon Go.
The travel companies can improve their clients’ experience by integrating these technologies on their websites. People trust what they see and if they can actually see where they are investing the hard-earned money, they will, in turn, trust the companies that provide such services. Because of AR and VR, the travellers can be completely sure of what to expect from their trip and enjoy themselves without worrying about anything else.
Other than robots, Artificial Intelligence is being used by travel companies also. Nowadays, companies are using Chatbots to interact with the customers and give rapid responses to their queries. It is estimated that 40% of giant businesses will adopt the chatbot technology by 2020, and this includes the travel companies as well.
Chatbots do enhance the customer’s experience, but that is not all. They also help the company by improving with every interaction. These bots keep learning from the customers’ behaviour and feedback, and this information is used by the AI to enhance the business performance. So more interactions means better performance.
IoT is one of the most exciting and innovative technologies used by travel businesses. It allows everyday devices to interact with smartphones by both sending and receiving data. In hotels, Iot can be used to switch on/off electronic devices such as air conditioners, lights, etc. It is also used for check-ins. The hotel staff can send electronic keys for the rooms to a customer’s smartphone.
Not so surprisingly, mobile applications are one of the most important and efficient technologies. Companies that have developed applications for 24x7 mobile services, certainly rank at the top of their competitors. Along with being the most efficient, mobile applications are also the easiest to implement. They are one of the most user-friendly technologies and seldom fail to attract customers.
Mobile applications are generally used for bookings and reservations, but when they are combined with the Internet of Things, it’s a cherry on top. Travel companies should make sure that they employ this technology if they want to be significant competitors in the digital world.
Recognition technology makes use of various methods such as facial recognition, fingerprint, retina scan, and so on. This technology is being used in other types of businesses, but it has great potential in the travel industry as well.
The implementation of this technology requires collection of data from travellers so that the system can get to know each customer accurately. Recognition helps in granting personalized and unique services to different customers, so it helps in implementing the personalization technology discussed above.
In case of security, this technology helps in identifying customers that do not have a good reputation. This will allow the staff to be alert if things go wrong.
Another advantage of recognition technology is that authorized customers can perform various functions, for example, make transactions, without providing the same information again and again. It enables the smooth functioning of the business.
Now that you’ve learned the latest technologies that can help in improving your business, go ahead and start integrating them. Do not think twice before investing in any of these trends, because it will surely bring tons of profit your way and your company will soar higher than ever before.
