What is a hotel chatbot and what is it for?

Let's start with some numbers. Today, hoteliers can easily automate more than 80% of the interactions they generate with guests if they use the right tools. This translates into better time management and generating more revenue through increased direct bookings and additional sales opportunities.

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According to a study developed by Salesforce, which looked at the preference of a group of travelers between filling out a form or responding to a virtual assistant, only 14% of guests preferred to fill out an online form, with a majority preferring to respond to a conversational robot online.

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We can also point to another study conducted by Deloitte in which it states that conversational bots can save companies more than eight billion dollars by 2022.

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With these figures in mind and given the various questions surrounding conversational bots, let's try to understand why implementing this solution should be a priority for hoteliers.

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What is a chatbot for hotels?

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A hotel chatbot is conversational software specially developed for the hotel industry that is designed to simulate a conversation with a human, allowing hotels to communicate with their guests instantly, automatically and in a personalized way without compromising the guest experience.

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Do all hotel chatbots work the same way?

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Not at all. There are two main types of conversational bots, rule-based and artificial intelligence-based, and they work completely differently.

• Rule-based conversational bots

A rule-based bot is based on a structured flow principle, usually represented as a decision tree. The bot will identify keywords to understand guest queries and, based on those keywords, ask follow-up questions to find the right solution.

This tree structure and responses are predefined, which provides more control over the flow of conversation than an AI-based bot. On the other hand, it provides less flexibility in the interaction, making it more artificial and restrictive.

• Conversational bots based on artificial intelligence

AI-based bots work with PLN (natural language processing), which means they can interpret human language to understand the guests' intent.

The best thing about artificial intelligence technology is its constant learning process. The bot can learn from its own mistakes, so the more it interacts with guests, the better it understands their intent and the better it responds.

Note: There are also hybrid bots, solutions that combine features of both types.

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Conversational applications: the next step of conversational bots provided by HiJiffy

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Conversational applications are the next step in the evolution of traditional PLN or rule-based bots, freeing reservation teams from physical constraints and increasing the opportunity to optimize team tasks.

In addition, HiJiffy enriches interactions with visual elements in the user interface (e.g. buttons, calendars, maps, carousels and images, among others), helping with interactive elements when conversation is not the most effective option. All this always prioritizing that the guest has a personalized experience.

HiJiffy's ability to provide software focused on generating an interactive conversational alternative that integrates with your PMS, Roiback engine, CRM or maintenance/cleaning software makes it the perfect complement to optimize team performance and establish an automated workflow.

For this reason, including a conversational bot that adapts to the needs of your hotel and your clientele becomes a key piece present in all stages of a guest's stay and makes it a strategic source to generate more revenue and direct benefits.

Another critical HiJiffy functionality for hoteliers is its omnichannel flexibility. The solution can work on any messaging channel: on the hotel's website, within an app or on a third-party messaging platform such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Google My Business and many others.

Using a combination of text-based conversation and rich graphical elements, HiJiffy is redefining the way hotels, whether chain or independent, communicate with their guests.

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What are the most common formats for conversational bots on websites?

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There are four main web page bot formats: widget, landing page, pop up and web page integration.

• Widget

Widgets are probably the most popular and widespread conversational bot format. They are usually presented in the form of a bubble with a chat icon in the bottom right corner of a website. They can be static and start interacting with the user only after clicking the button, or dynamic, if the bot starts the conversation with a first pop-up message.

• Destination page

The bot can also act as a standalone landing page, meaning that the conversation takes up the entire page. This type of bot format can be especially useful in marketing, as it removes all distractions, allowing users to focus on the conversation. In this format, conversion rates can increase up to four times.

• Pop up

Pop up formats are less common in the hotel industry, but are still powerful if applied in the right tide; for example as promotions or registration messages. Like the classic pop up/ad form, they can be launched in three ways: a) click a button, b) time navigation on the page, c) scroll to a section.

Unlike online buttons or forms, hotel pop-up bots initiate a conversation directly, creating a more interactive experience.

• Website integration

This allows the conversational bot to be inserted anywhere on the web page easily, providing an elegant solution by combining the classic user interface with a conversational experience.

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Unique elements of the HiJiffy conversational application

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Customers are more demanding than ever. They expect instant responses and personalized interaction and attention across all channels, before and after the booking/stay.

HiJiffy 's solution can deliver speed and personalization using the most popular and convenient messaging interface. Messaging, whether via the web or in an application, is inherently personal, informal and instantaneous.

Therefore, by using the conversational HiJiffy app, the hotel can adopt a warm and friendly tone of voice, without sounding forced and out of place and providing quick support to your guests.

By providing customers with what they need without driving up labor costs or overburdening resources, HiJiffy can help unlock a new level of customer service that is sustainable and enables demand growth.

HiJiffy 's conversational application decreases the time it takes to complete specific flows, which increases the chances of conversion.

These are some of the essential elements that make our solution so powerful:

• Buttons

Buttons are one of the most common graphical elements in our conversational application. They help structure the interface and guide the user to specific options more quickly. The use of buttons also saves the time users would have to spend typing.

• Buttons combined with images

You can also combine the button with an image for a more visually appealing experience:

• Carousels

Another popular element in a conversational application is the carousel. Carousels are incredibly versatile and display options in scrolling images with text descriptions and buttons. They can be used in a variety of ways, but are particularly great for product promotion.

• Customer satisfaction indicator

This element is beneficial when we need to collect customer feedback. It is quick and easy for the customer and has the structure of a classic survey.

• Calendar

The calendar is an essential element during the conversation with the virtual assistant, as it significantly facilitates the booking process by making the travel dates more visible. Fundamentally, it ensures that the user sends the date in the correct format.

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Is setting up a hotel chatbot a complicated process?

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Since responses can be fed with data from a pre-established knowledge base, the process of setting up a hotel chatbot can be significantly simplified if the technology has already been pre-trained with the typical problems faced by most hotels. This factor is known as "network effects".

Each time the HiJiffy chatbot learns to respond to a new request after interacting with a particular hotel guest, the learning is available to all HiJiffy customers using this technology as the bot gets smarter the more it is used, as additional information is added.

HiJiffy has been working with over 1600 hotels, responding to millions of queries every year, which means that the conversational bot is already highly developed and capable of understanding an impressive amount of different requests, making implementation smooth and easy for all hoteliers.

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In short...

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A hotel chatbot can be an attractive solution as it allows you to automatically respond to more than 80% of your guests' requests, centralize all communication channels in one place, increase direct bookings, increase upsell opportunities as well as enable contactless experiences (e.g. hotel check-in).

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Many other reasons could be added to this list, making chatbots an essential solution for hoteliers in 2022. Don't hesitate to ask your Direct Channel Specialist for more information.

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