FCM Travel Solutions is spearheading the next-generation of technology in the business travel sector with the launch of Sam in the second half of 2018, a chatbot that blends artificial intelligence with the expertise of FCM consultants to deliver personalised, relevant information to business travellers’ mobile devices.
Sam is a highly interactive, travel-savvy and anticipatory “Smart Assistant for Mobile” that supports users with all aspects of travel via a conversational interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions. Sam assists business travellers pre-, during and post trip with everything from itinerary management, air and hotel bookings, flight updates, local city and country information, local weather and restaurant suggestions, to security notifications, ground transportation, driving directions, immigration advice and vaccination status.
The more a traveller uses Sam, the more intelligent the chatbot becomes, so that information delivered to the user is even more personalised.
“The pace of evolution in mobile and smartphone technology is relentless and tech-savvy business travellers are already feeling the urge to use other consumer apps for booking flights and hotels, instead of their TMC,” explained Euan McNeil, FCM Travel Solutions South Africa GM. “At the same time, the smartphone era is transitioning towards the conversation era, meaning the way consumers communicate with apps is moving to a message-based approach. In fact, by 2020 we predict consumers will start feeling app fatigue and text or voice-based interfaces will be the new norm for communicating with the web.
“Sam aggregates all the information a traveller needs in one place at the point when the user needs it. It is fully integrated with FCM’s booking and expense management systems so that all bookings made via FCM consultants automatically appear in the traveller’s itinerary.”
“The conversational interface and relevance of the messages or questions that Sam exchanges with the user, gives travellers their own ‘personal assistant’ on the move. Sam is also configured in line with the corporate’s travel guidelines and will prompt the user to take actions that are within policy, thus improving compliance, controlling costs and supporting duty of care.”
Business travel is about people and FCM’s approach will still be about blending the latest technology with personal service. Users of Sam can call or message their consultant at any time for live assistance on the go.
How does Sam work? Here’s an example of a message exchange with a business traveller:
• On the night before the traveller’s flight to Paris, Sam sends the weather forecast for the destination, which helps the user know what to pack
• On the day of travel, a few hours before the flight, Sam asks if the traveller needs transport to the airport
• Having noted the traveller’s home and work locations, Sam asks where the user will be leaving from and calculates the estimated time to the airport, and cost of travel options
• The user decides that a taxi is the best option and Sam connects him/her with a company that serves the area – one that is approved by the traveller’s company
• As soon as the traveller lands in Paris, Sam automatically says: “If you have baggage to collect, it will be on carousel number 3”
• Sam offers the user a car to the hotel – the user can opt to accept or decline
• Sam knows that Paris isn’t the user’s home town, so provides a useful city guide with information on getting from the airport, local transport, currency, restaurants, as well as hints on typical prices in Paris, tipping customs and etiquette
• At the end of the following day, the traveller needs to head back to the airport but Sam notices that the traffic is extremely heavy. Sam alerts the traveller to leave for the airport within 30 minutes and offers to call a car straightaway. Alternatively, Sam offers to rearrange the user’s travel plans
• The traveller doesn’t want to leave while the meeting is going well, so asks Sam to discretely search for alternative options.
• Sam provides details of the next available flight. But, noticing that this falls outside of company travel policy, Sam also offers an alternative rail option on Eurostar… and even an airport hotel and morning flight combination
• Sam knows that travel plans can be complex and therefore also offers the opportunity to speak direct to the traveller’s FCM team if necessary
• The traveller books a late evening flight and heads to the airport. Sam knows that the traveller has two hours at the airport before the flight leaves. Sam suggests that it might be a good time to submit receipted expenses
• Sam keeps on working behind the scenes, proactively supporting the traveller. A few days later Sam notices that the user is due to fly to Delhi in three weeks. Knowing that it can take around this amount of time to get a visa processed, Sam prompts the user and offers assistance through FCM’s dedicated Travel Essentials service if required