The travel industry has seen a record influx of customers, but not all companies are yet equipped to handle numbers of this scale without the help of automation technology.

Although the travel sector is predicted to soon achieve a yearly revenue just 4.1% below pre-pandemic revenue levels, many businesses are still struggling from widespread layoffs. ¹ While travelers were initially patient with labor shortages, flight delays, and rental car scarcities, ongoing issues have led to growing dissatisfaction.

To address these challenges, many travel companies are looking to invest in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology. These tools not only compensate for gaps left by attrition, but also help prepare the industry for future disruptions as the world moves into an increasingly digital future.

Five Benefits of RPA Technology in the Travel Industry

1. Flexible & Scalable

A quirk of the travel industry is that business is driven by demand, increasing and decreasing depending on world events, weather, and holidays. This can make things tricky when it comes to knowing how many employees and resources to have at a given time to handle the amount of rental and trip requests coming in.

Through the creation of automated workflows, RPA tools can assist employees with these fluctuations by handling the monotonous manual work required for these bookings. Additionally, RPA-powered chatbots can also free up employees by answering any kind of basic FAQ-style questions customers may have online.

2. Improved Compliance & Security

Travel companies often require customers to submit various documents like auto insurance, drivers’ licenses, and passports to comply with government regulations, However, managing and storing this data can be overwhelming for staff, especially during holiday periods when travel increases.

RPA tools simplify this process by automating data entry and securely storing information in a central log in case of an audit. These bots can also monitor regulatory websites to keep companies updated on policy changes, helping avoid fines or legal issues during audits.

3. Improved Customer Experience

With customer information securely logged and stored thanks to RPA tools, employees can devote their time to higher-value tasks, like assisting customers in support centers with more complex issues that may occur during their trip that RPA bots are not equipped to handle.

That is not to say that these chatbots are not helpful in delivering better CX though. As an automated tool, chatbots can quickly offer solutions to any smaller issues customers may have, as well as alert them of pick-up times or delays that may occur, all provided 24/7, 365 days a year.

4. Deeper Insights For The Future

After customer information is entered and securely stored, RPA technology can also provide insights to travel businesses through analyzing this data. While often time-consuming for a human to sort through, RPA can quickly help “connect the dots” between the times and dates customers book their trips, the locations they go to, as well as the duration of any calls to call centers, all to get a full picture of what they want out of your business.

An example of possible insights range from views of high or low-volume periods that allow you to better scale your operations, a list of current customer interests that you can use to better personalize their transactions with your business, as well as common issues brought up during support calls that can help improve CX.

5. Long-Term Cost Savings

Around 29% of businesses have been hesitant to incorporate RPA tools into their plans in the past due to proposed costs. ² However, while initial implementation requires investment that varies based on business needs, RPA technology can actually deliver a very quick ROI.

Not only have costs been gradually decreasing over the years due to improvements to the tools, but a single RPA license can often handle a variety of processes, saving time for both employees and consumers during the booking process and saving the business money that they can now devote to more important investments.

Let eClerx Drive Your Automation Revolution

RPA tools can greatly benefit organizations, but knowing where to start your digital transformation is easier said than done.

At eClerx, we help our clients automate their organizations with Roboworx, our award-winning proprietary RPA tool, to quickly empower operational efficiency. Additionally, our team of CX and technology experts are always on standby to provide their decades of domain knowledge to optimize your workplace even further.

Contact us today and discover how Roboworx can drive significant benefits within your organization.

References

1. World Travel & Tourism Council, and Oxford Economics. “Travel & Tourism Economic Impact: World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).” World Travel & Tourism Council, 16 Sept. 2024.
2. Bishop, Zachery. “IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2022.” IBM Newsroom, 19 May 2022.