Bookassist regularly works with technology partners to further enhance the booking experience. One such technology is chatbots, and the feedback from hotels utilising chatbots has been very positive.
Le Six Hotel in Paris has been using a chatbot for over 2 years and according to Angela Pepe, Head of Customer Relations:
“Between January and May 2019, between 20% and 25% of our online requests were converted into reservations using our chatbot. These were unfinished reservations that would otherwise have been lost.”
Increase conversion by targeting hesitant bookers
The reason for this success is that chatbots allow hotels to engage with hesitant bookers, those that need just a little more convincing to complete a booking. Chatbots allow hotels to engage with these would-be bookers capturing sales that might otherwise be lost. Chatbots provide them with the immediate additional information and advice that actually encourages them to book.
In times of low demand the ability to convert is even more important. Chatbots can help increase conversion by automatically addressing booker doubts or by answering additional questions that were not addressed on the hotel website. A chatbot’s ability to provide relevant answers as well as real-time quotes directly from your booking engine positively impacts on website conversion.
Apart from the additional sales the chatbot converts on the website itself it also influences sales by converting anonymous visitors into qualified leads. Relevant information gathered during the chatbot exchange is sent to the sales team for proactive follow-up and conversion to a booking.
Le Six Hotel in Paris attributed their positive conversion uplift to an email follow-up campaign that encouraged hesitant bookers to convert.
“Implementing a chatbot on your website can result in a 10% increase in your hotel online direct sales.”
Benjamin Devisme, Co-Founder & Evangelist, Quicktext
Enhanced customer satisfaction
Chatbots also play an increasingly important role in customer satisfaction. The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the demand for contactless, customer-facing tools that provide access to front-desk, concierge and customer service functions without the need to come face-to-face with hotel employees. Having a chatbot allows guests to choose the communication method that suits them best.
At a time when resources are stretched, chatbots can reduce costs and improve operational efficiency by automating service and reducing the number of calls or emails to hotel staff. Chatbots enhance communication and provide an additional opportunity to optimise upselling efforts.
Spanish hotel Hotel Via Augusta particularly values the customer service aspect of the chatbot.
“Less work for our receptionists. We find a lot of people prefer to ‘speak’ with Velma [our] chabot instead of our reception team”.
Miquel Alba – Hotel Via Augusta.
The human touch upon which the hospitality industry is built can be positively impacted by chatbots. By providing instant answers to the more simple repetitive guest queries hotel staff have more time to focus on other, more important elements of the guest experience. Chatbots allow human teams to deliver faster and better service with fewer resources. In cases where the chatbot does not know the answer, relevant staff are notified and can choose to either jump into the conversation or leave the chatbot to collect the customer details for follow up so as not to keep the customer waiting.
Speaking with Benjamin Devisme, Chief Evangelist Officer at Quicktext he explained that Velma, Quicktext’s 3rd generation AI-powered chatbot, has been specifically built for hotels. She answers 200+ customer questions automatically, handling 85% of all guest requests in 20+ languages. With Velma customers can get answers to questions both at the pre-stay booking stage and the in-stay experience, at any time of day in 22 languages.
Lifetime Freemium Chatbot for Bookassist clients
If your hotel is a Bookassist Booking Engine client then we have some good news for you. Our chatbot partner Quicktext is offering all Bookassist Booking Engine clients a lifetime Freemium version of their chatbot. Find out more HERE.
