“As the Director of Sales for a technology company, I am strongly attracted to and aware of all things tech-related. But my experience at The Experience really got my geek side going. Beyond great insights from some of the leading hoteliers of our industry, the innovations around customer engagement, building guest satisfaction, it was leveraging data to drive operational performance were what I found myself wanting to know more about,” Kyle Beauchamp said.

Chatbots:

We are all part of a significant trend around technology, mobile devices and messaging. There is a desire to get the information we seek as quickly as possible and where we feel most comfortable. Computer programmed technology known as Chatbots are the answer to this desire.  This tech is making waves in the customer service game. It uses business intelligence developed from consumer search trends and recorded customer service interactions.

Today, the airline and banking industries have tapped into chatbot technology to enable greater control of the customer service experience. Hubspot shares that “bots help consumers find a solution no matter where they are or what device they use.” By understanding the importance of providing consumers access to what they are looking for instead of what we think they need, airlines and banks have become two industries most positively impacted by the technology.

For example, in an article from Insights.com, a chatbot interaction is shared showing just how the technology delivered the information the consumer was seeking to improve their flight reservation process.

Prior to chatbots, consumers would speak with a customer service agent or use a reservation website to find flight details. By answering a few simple questions, the chatbot technology delivered the exact information the consumer was looking for. And it devliered the answer without additional clutter of other flights that wouldn’t meet their needs. Just imagine how we can empower our guests by delivering them the ability to have greater control of their experience. It will provide us with invaluable data to help drive business decisions while simultaneously building stronger customer service.

Predictive Analytics:

Another interesting realization that came out of the conference is how to better leverage data to improve business operations. Predictive analytics is the practice of extracting information from existing data sets in order to determine patterns and trends.  Could this data help operators and supplier partners optimize operations, risk mitigation, customer service and marketing?

I found this interesting as technologies and systems are so rapidly evolving. The question becomes, ‘can predictive analytics help us better determine fads? While not designed to see the future, predictive analytics can evaluate what systems, apps, and platforms are here to stay. We can recognize trends in consumer entertainment and smart home technologies to ensure our services are positioning our clients to be ahead of the in-room services curve.

At WCI we are always working to deliver the most innovative and bleeding-edge services that enable our customers to provide an unmatched in-room entertainment experience for their guests. As our industry moves into more automated and predictive fields, you can rest assured we are keeping track and will be able to continue to meet our standards of service and success.