For such an old-fashioned industry, travel has sure come a long way. The technology we have at our fingertips today to enhance and promote travel options and engage and delight travelers is a wonder. From mobile check in to virtual reality tours; from app-controlled room thermostats to facial recognition room entry. Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and much of it appears to be tailor-made for improving the customer experience (CX) of an ever-growing number of travelers around the world.
We at OZ delight in these advances. Many of us log our own annual miles and are well aware of precisely how, when and why fresh technology can solve problems and smooth out issues for the weary wanderer.
This is why we have spent the past few years creating these nine Solutions and Accelerators developed specifically to enhance CX in the travel industry:
1. VelOZity: One of the greatest ways to gauge a guest’s happiness is not through surveys or feedback cards. It’s by just looking at his or her face and seeing if there’s a smile or frown. But a concierge can’t be everywhere at all times. Our real-time CX solution VelOZity uses camera feeds and AI to scan faces and assign a Net Promoter Score (NPS) depending on the person’s emotion. Then, if it determines sadness, fear or distress, VelOZity connects with a mobile app to trigger quick customer support and resolution. For instance, a woman starts nibbling on an appetizer she had delivered to her deck seat when a camera feed picks up her disturbed emotion. No need for her to wait again until someone passes by — a waiter is dispatched immediately to ask her if she is pleased with her order of if he could bring her a new plate.
2. Flow: Sure all guests get their own key to unlock their front door. But we can do so much more to make sure they feel truly at home during their stay in a hotel room or cruise cabin. Flow is a room automation application that guests can download so that their lights, room temperature, television, curtains and, yes, even that front door, is immediately available for their input and customization. A bonus for businesses is that Flow optimizes energy consumption by prompting shut down when the guest is not in the room.
3. Ozzie-Personal Digital Assistant: Come on, haven’t you always wanted your own personal assistant? Stay at a resort that supports our Ozzie and your dreams will come true. Ozzie is a full AR assistant that can help with any and all questions when a guest reaches out through their mobile app, website or room-supplied AR lenses. This helpful combination of AR, ML and analytics will satisfy customers far quicker than calling a front desk and provide them with a fun experience that feels, well, personal.
4. OZ Immerse: Wondering if you’ll really enjoy staying in a dessert hotel as much as the brochure suggests? Why not slip on a VR headset and check it out yourself before you book using virtual and augmented reality! OZ Immerse allows potential guests to walk through that sand, try out zip-lining, slip underwater with a snorkel or really just about anything a hotel is promoting. It’s a great way to view what a resort has to offer and help those wavering make up their minds about booking rooms and excursions.
5. OZ recognize: This ML app helps the hospitality behind the scenes. Rather than wait for a golf cart to lose a wheel or a scuba boat to signal for help, hotel workers can use OZ recognize to scan for faulty parts or analyze worn tires and get them fixed long before they ever become a safety issue.
6. Mira – Chatbot: It’s a bummer to get sick on vacation, and it’s even worse when, after you’ve finally found a doctor to examine you, you have to decipher unfamiliar post-visit instructions in a strange environment. Enter Mira the chatbot. Mira, which can be downloaded onto a guest’s mobile phone, understands the intricacies of a medical diagnosis and can offer helpful advice taking prescriptions and what the medical field recommends for treatment. While Mira is smart and full of great tips, she has a warm personality that helps guests get through a low moment with a sense of humor.
7. OZ Go: Want another way to look at the resort or cruise port? Come grab a seat in OZ Go and enter a VR world of 360 videos. You’re the driver here—from the comfort of your very own seat, you can check out jungle properties, beach treks and cruise decks.
8. PaparOZzi: For all those times you and your friends and families have created massive hearts with your bodies on the beach, now at last you can command a drone in the moment to snap that aerial photo. Our PaparOZzi system consists of drones equipped with cameras that guests and crew can operate using a set of apps. Once the photo is snapped, the drone returns to base—but not before sharing its fabulous shots with all the guests.
9. OZ Helpers – Chatbot: For hospitality industry workers who have business-specific questions, this personal knowledgebase chatbot army is here to help. This system provides easy integration to a variety of knowledge bases, CMS and websites.
We are excited to share these digital innovations and solutions with the world—just as we are eager to experience them ourselves in our own adventures. Bon voyage!