The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Travel Marketing

As I read Quantum Marketing for the fifth time this year, I was again struck by its ability to convey the impact of artificial intelligence in our lives and how AI is transforming the marketing landscape. This led me to have an interesting discussion this week with my professor Dr. Sarah S, a Mobile and Emerging Technology Marketing veteran. With her guidance, I created my first UX and UI prototype for my data mining app, which I hope to develop fully with a team of talented developers one day. Recently, my interest in marketing analytics has evolved into envisioning a way to build a robust company database to cope with increasingly pay-to-play platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I am even considering focusing my Ph.D. thesis on that topic.

A data-driven industry such as travel and hospitality should stimulate company leaders to think about how to build databases that will assist them in making faster investment decisions, rapidly expanding into specific marketplaces, and leading cost-effective operations. Marketing departments can also greatly benefit from this, as artificial intelligence is transforming customer acquisition, customer service, and customer retention through an automated CRM system. If you're new to AI, here's a simple definition that gives you a comprehensive understanding; Artificial intelligence relies on computers and machines to mimic the brain's problem-solving and decision-making capabilities. (What is Artificial Intelligence, IBM)

Customer Acquisition and Customer Service

Let's examine how AI impacts marketing from customer acquisition to service and retention and how it helps small business owners lower costs, improve customer service, and build more robust databases and CRM systems. I used Western Union service in a recent transaction, but I accidentally misspelled the name, and the transaction could not proceed. I called the company to change the name on the transaction, and a machine assisted me from the beginning to the end. The service was quick and effective. 

We live in a data-driven age, where artificial intelligence is being utilized more and more in the collection and analysis of data. A company today can gather information about its customers from social media platforms, apps, websites, or Google analytics. Detailed information about demographics, interests, and buying behavior is now available for companies to use in marketing and sales, creating a whole field of professionals, such as data analysts and business intelligence specialists. It's no secret that artificial intelligence can analyze data faster than humans, which is why machine learning can help companies make more precise decisions.

Using artificial intelligence, businesses can solve many problems related to customer service. Some are already using self-paying cashiers, robots that deliver food to specific hotel rooms, etc. DataFloq.com reports that the benefits of using chatbots are enormous since they provide fluid communication with customers and maintain brand relationships. A few months ago, I wrote an article about how a company can leverage customer service to generate five-star reviews, which I believe is extremely valuable content for every business. What steps does your company take to leverage AI to increase customer acquisition, provide better customer service, and create a culture that helps keep customers?