AI is the business and consumer buzzword of the decade, but what are the practical implications for industries like travel?
“It all depends on what problem you’re trying to solve,” says Dawood Patel, Helm’s CEO.
Patel was the keynote speaker at SITE Africa’s Gauteng Summit, which took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton on October 3. The theme of the Summit was ‘Elevating the Traveller Experience Through Automation and Customisation’.
Helm has worked with major brands, including DStv, Dr Oetker, and MTN, to improve how they deliver customer experiences. As a CX innovation expert, Helm uses a simple three-pronged approach to connect, converse and convert.
Patel believes that the travel industry can easily integrate AI-driven solutions such as automation to capture personal information and understand client needs without the costs associated with app development. It can also be used for everything from discovery to after-services across platforms like websites and messaging services such as WhatsApp and USSD communication protocols. This minimises the time spent throughout this journey to ensure travel organisations can focus on providing more meaningful experiences and emphasise the human touch.
“We take a human-first approach very seriously. For us, technology is a very important tool that enables the work we do, but the real magic is in how it’s used,” Patel notes.
View the video to understand how AI can play a part in shaping traveller experiences: