AI and chatbots have enabled some amazing innovations in bookings and support and made the customer experience smoother than ever. But operators adopting these technologies face one big question: Should customer service be all-digital, or do people still want a human on the other end?
It turns out that it’s a bit of both.
While AI and chatbots make things quick and easy, travellers still crave the human touch—especially when things get complicated. In fact, Phocuswright‘s recent research shows that while 60% of travellers prefer digital channels for straightforward tasks like booking and retrieving information, a significant 40% still want human interaction for complex issues and personalised experiences.
Despite this, AI adoption in the travel sector remains low. Only 12% of operators use AI in their operations, according to Arival’s latest findings, showing there’s plenty of room for growth.
So, how can travel operators get this mix right? Let’s dive into the balance of AI, chatbots, and good old-fashioned human help, and explore how each has a role to play in making customers happy and keeping businesses running smoothly.
When AI Chatbots shine
Chatbots and AI are like your well-organised assistant—they’re great at handling routine tasks and never need a coffee break. They help customers find the info they need, make bookings, and answer FAQs in record time.
They already do some things better than humans:
Fast answers for simple questions: AI Chatbots are perfect for “What time does my tour start?” or “Is there parking available?” queries. They can pull info from a database and give customers an answer in seconds.
24/7 availability: While most humans need some sleep, AI can be on-call around the clock. This is a lifesaver for operators managing international customers in different time zones, as it means no one has to wait hours for a response.
Personalised recommendations: AI-powered systems can recommend tours or activities based on customer preferences. For instance, if a customer booked a wine tour last year, it could suggest similar experiences this year, adding a touch of personalisation that feels thoughtful and relevant.
In a nutshell, AI chatbots are ideal for quick answers, basic bookings, and those all-important “middle of the night” queries. But what about when things get tricky?
When people still want people
Despite the speed and convenience of AI, there are times when only a real person will do. Research shows that travellers still want human help for more complex or emotional situations. Here’s when a human touch matters most:
- Booking changes and refunds: Changing a booking or asking for a refund isn’t everyone’s favourite task. Having a human on hand can make these situations feel less stressful, and it helps customers feel like someone genuinely cares about their experience. A human can help navigate grey areas in return eligibility, read emotional cues that indicate frustration and dissatisfaction, and offer helpful remedies like a voucher.
However, if you integrate your booking platform with your AI Chatbot, it can even handle refunds and tour changes just like our Harry, while you leave the more complex work to the human agent.
- Handling complaints or sensitive issues: Customers want empathy, not just efficiency if something goes wrong.
A chatbot’s “Sorry, I didn’t catch that” doesn’t exactly cut it. Real humans can listen, understand the frustration, and respond in a way that shows empathy. They can also help find novel solutions not in a chatbot’s set of “if ____ then _____ prompts.”
- Complex questions or special requests: Sometimes, a customer’s needs just don’t fit into standard FAQs. Maybe they have a mobility requirement or a dietary restriction for a tour—they want someone who can answer in detail and reassure them.
In short, people still want people when things get complicated, emotional, or specific. So, if a business only has AI, it might miss these crucial moments where personal support can make all the difference.
How to strike the right balance
A human working with AI is more powerful and efficient than either a human or AI tool alone. For best results, use AI to empower human activities and automate simple tasks. It’s a balance. Here’s how to get it just right:
- Use AI for efficiency, humans for empathy: Let a bot handle the straightforward tasks, so human staff have more time and energy to focus on the big stuff—solving problems, handling complaints, and connecting with customers.
- Make it easy to switch from chatbot to human: If a bot reaches its limit or starts “hallucinating” (AI-speak for producing nonsense answers), having a human step in smoothly and without a long wait time gives customers confidence that there’s always a person available if they need one.
- Track what works best: Pay attention to which questions Harry handles well and which ones usually end up with a human.
By monitoring these patterns, businesses can keep fine-tuning their service, training bots to answer more questions, and freeing up humans to tackle the most valuable conversations. This helps you train AI to come up with better answers in the future, and it speeds up human onboarding as well.
Real-life example: the balanced approach in action
Harry is our AI-powered chatbot, purpose-built for tour operators to handle customer queries with speed and precision. Imagine a tour operator using Harry alongside a live support team: Harry takes care of common questions like “How do I buy a ticket?” or “What’s included in the tour?” But for last-minute issues—like a missed bus—Harry seamlessly hands things over to a human agent who can offer solutions or help rebook.
This blend keeps things running smoothly, providing instant answers and that personal touch when it’s needed most.
Check out Harry in action: Gray Line Tours
What makes Harry different? Harry isn’t just a standard chatbot. Built with AI and integrated directly into our booking platform, Harry can provide real-time availability, resend confirmation emails, and even handle cancellations. He can scan the full inventory of tours and give tailored recommendations based on customer questions—making him the ultimate digital assistant for both operators and travellers.
AI is here to stay help
Today’s travellers want both speed and the warmth of human support. By using AI and chatbots like Harry to handle the basics and save human interaction for the finer details, operators can create an efficient, personal, and flexible service.
With Palisis (and Harry), operators have the tools to develop this balanced approach so they can meet travellers’ needs and deliver an experience that feels seamless and genuinely supportive. Because, let’s be honest, everyone loves a fast answer—but sometimes, you just need a real person to make it right.