The growing impact of emergent technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), on customers and employees alike is disrupting the travel and hospitality industry. To address these changes and what they mean for travel and hospitality companies, and the people leading those organizations, Women Leading Travel & Hospitality and Allianz Partners have produced a comprehensive report, The Synergy of Technology and Empathy in Transforming Customer and Employee Experiences.

By leveraging AI for tasks ranging from demand forecasting and fraud detection to language translation and travel risk management, the travel and hospitality industry has become more efficient, responsive and resilient in adapting to evolving market dynamics and customer preferences. Speaking of customer preferences, aggregated, anonymized data across a majority of the largest U.S. airlines and hotels showed online traffic to retail sites from generative AI tools has jumped 553 percent year-over-year, according to Adobe Analytics.

Reimagining CX Via AI

A frictionless, streamlined customer experience is essential in today’s competitive travel and hospitality market. Customers demand fast, easy and intuitive service, and companies seek cost-efficient and streamlined ways to meet customers where they want to be. While technology is one of the keys to innovation, you also have to have the people and experience to get the most out of it.

Certain tasks may always need to be completed by humans, but utilizing tools like AI should augment the things people already do best, especially if it comes to increasing their own productivity. Other tasks seem primed to be handed to a machine (whether true AI or not), where analysis and recommendations on large data sets and complex equations may yield more efficient results. Some AI tools can be utilized to quickly analyze consumer demographics, behaviors and past interactions; these functions are key areas that can streamline business processes and improve customer experiences.

Take customer-facing services such as a customer service call, for example. The implementation of AI within a call flow can enable the customer to self-service or have their needs otherwise addressed instead of forcing the customer to sit through a long hold time. Alternatively, a customer can be redirected to an intelligent chatbot to move the transaction online. Ultimately, shifts like this can reduce frustration for the customer and normalize staffing requirements for the company — especially during peak times.

Improving Job Performance

Consumers are not the only market segment that companies must be considering when evaluating their usage of AI. The technology can be applied to improve both the employee experience and, subsequently, job performance.

It’s important to stress that the use of AI should be viewed as an opportunity for skill enhancement rather than as a risk to job elimination. By providing opportunities for upskilling and reskilling, technology has always been about enabling employees to adapt to evolving job requirements and excel in roles that leverage their strengths.

By considering AI as a tool that complements and enhances human capabilities, rather than a threat to job security, organizations can create an inclusive and empowering work environment that helps level the playing field for everybody.

With existing and emerging technologies, businesses can personalize customer experiences, streamline operations, gain a better understanding of customer behavior, enhance job performance, and create a more empowering work environment. Organizations in the travel and hospitality sector must explore AI integration and remember that as it enhances efficiency, it makes room for more empathy.

To learn more about this topic, including real-world examples from the travel and hospitality sector along with commentary from Women Leading Travel & Hospitality members, download the full report, The Synergy of Technology and Empathy in Transforming Customer and Employee Experiences, today.