previous icon Back to blog
Aug 28, 2022
5 minutes read

Take Flight! 3 Reasons to Use a FAQ Chatbot in Your Agency

Tentatively at first, but with increasing urgency and excitement, we watched the world of travel open up in 2022. Undoubtedly, the travel and leisure industry suffered a significant beating over the past two years. However, smart travel companies are turning their attention to ways to differentiate themselves and emerge as battle-scarred market leaders, ready to support the impending surge of travellers.

With this in mind, we’re examining the value of FAQ Chatbots in travel and leisure. 

What are the real-world benefits of implementing Chatbots? How can Chatbots improve user experience? Will it make a discernible difference to your bottom line? 

Chatbot FAQs: AI or Scripted

If you’re asking the question “What is an FAQ Chatbot?” then you’re probably ready to automate some of the repetitive daily questions that your live agents and staff deal with. 

Either AI or scripted Chatbots can be used as FAQ Chatbots, although scripted bots are more common in marketing and customer support. These allow for straightforward automated conversations with customers, responding to frequently asked questions with a predefined answer based on the scripts they are programmed with. 

For example:

  • What is your refund policy?
  • How can I cancel my booking?
  • What are your opening times?

A Chatbot powered by artificial intelligence can answer more complex questions based on the format and information within your business.

If the FAQ Chatbot cannot resolve a customer's query to their satisfaction, it will escalate the issue to a human agent for a live chat or a call. 

Exploring conversational AI is an exciting and cost-effective way to grow your organisation.

Real-World Benefits of FAQ Chatbots

Today’s technology has clearly shown us that manual tasks are a mug's game. If a machine can do something faster and more accurately than a human, then it makes sense to run with it. 

Therefore, your travel agency, hotel, or restaurant can use an FAQ Chatbot to automate answers to some of its recurring questions. Customer service teams can spend an enormous amount of time and energy on these types of questions, which often involve repetitive, copy-and-paste responses that are better handled by automated software. When you take these mind-numbing tasks away from your people, you allow them to focus on giving their best in areas where they can make a real difference. You give them the time and the mental capacity to offer patient, diligent service, which is sadly lacking in our modern-day environment.

Businesses using FAQ Chatbots aim to take the stress out of travel, offer enhanced experiences within hospitality, and assist customers in making smart decisions in record time, even when they're in a foreign place.

The Role of Chatbots in Customer Experience

Customer experience can make or break a business; this fact is clear. In fact, studies show that businesses that offer excellent customer service can outperform their competitors by 80 percent

This means that organisations must determine what their customers want and then do everything they can to support these requirements. 

Customers benefit from FAQ Chatbots because they can quickly get the information they need without scrolling endlessly through FAQs or “holding the line”. This is a real plus in a world of short attention spans and instant gratification. 

Additionally, you can offer 24/7 service without increasing your staffing overheads by allowing customers to self-serve. So much of our lives happen on our mobile phones today, which often means that customers seek help at ridiculous hours - but your trusty FAQ Chatbot will be there to assist even when live agents are unavailable.

Did you know that a surprising number of people prefer to access answers to their questions without human interaction? A customer may need assistance during inconvenient times or unsuitable locations, making quick and accurate automated services the best option. 

Chatbots Succeed in Boosting Your Bottom Line

Aside from faster turnaround times and happier customers, can FAQ Chatbots succeed in financially impacting your travel and leisure business? The data answers with a resounding Yes!

Because customers want a familiar but secure and meaningful way to connect and engage with fastjet, WhatsApp was the ideal communication channel for their requirements. Fastjet’s digital expansion involved adopting the WhatsApp Business Platform, allowing their team to send messages from their system to enable critical two-way conversations with customers.

With the help of WhatsApp Business Platform and integrated chatbot technology, queries from fastjet customers are dealt with smoothly and efficiently. Less complex, repetitive questions are answered by a scripted chatbot, while conversations that require more detailed responses are sent on to a customer support agent.

In conjunction with the chatbot functionality, WhatsApp has given fastjet a powerful communication solution. It’s allowed them to support more than 68 000 customers efficiently. "We’ve reached our audience proactively rather than merely managing crises reactively."

Edward, the Edwardian Hotel’s AI Chatbot, highlights some of the incredible financial benefits this smart software brings. Since its implementation, Edward has assisted guests with various topics such as upgrades, room service, hotel packages, departure times and more - approximately 1200 topics, in fact! This super-fast, hyper-personalised service has resulted in increased room service sales between 10 - 50 percent, and has managed enough queries to save the hotel's team around 95 working days. 

The developers of Rose, the resident Chatbot for luxury Las Vegas hotel, Cosmopolitan, took a slightly different road. This flirty and friendly Chatbot was designed with a fascinating backstory and a huge personality, dubbed the Cosmopolitan Mischief Maker. Hotel management found that guests who interact with her spend over 37 percent more than those who don’t. 

These are exciting numbers, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Getting Started with Your Chatbot

Do you think an FAQ Chatbot can help you grow and future-proof your business? Based on the information you’ve just read, it makes sense. 

Whether you’d prefer a scripted Chatbot or an AI Chatbot, you can build it with the user-friendly software offered by CM.com. Make a start today and automate your conversations with an intelligent, personalised bot (without the need for coding) based on your team’s unique insights and easy-to-use templates. 

Automate your conversations with an intelligent, personalised bot (without the need for coding).

Was this article interesting?
Share it!
CM.com
connects tens of thousands of companies with millions of consumers via their mobile phone each day. Behind the scenes, from our innovative platform, CM.com makes sure companies can use these millions of messages, phone calls and payments to become part of people’s lives.

Latest articles

blog-interview-halo-customer-service
Mar 19, 2025 • Chatbots

Chatting with the near future: AI's new role in the customer experience

AI innovations in customer service are emerging more rapidly than ever before, especially with the latest addition of Agentic AI and it’s AI Agents. We spoke with Roel Jansen, our Head of Commerce of our Engagement Platform, on how these AI advancements are transforming customer interactions and enhancing the experience. With Roel's expertise and vision, discover the future of customer service and what it means for businesses today. Whether you're an AI enthusiast or just curious about the future, you won't want to miss these engaging insights!

blog-ai-agent-creation
Mar 07, 2025 • AI

How to create AI agents in 5 easy steps

AI agents are your virtual helpers. Digital employees designed to perform specific tasks within an agentic AI framework. What type of tasks? Pretty much anything you can think of, from analysing data, writing emails, automating cancel or renewal processes, creating tickets, and so on and on and on. But how do you create these AI agents?

halo
Feb 06, 2025 • CM.com

Agentic AI Agents: Helping you get things done

Looking for a smart and capable employee that never sleeps? A little helper that can take over all your menial and repetitive tasks to make your life a little easier? One that will continuously learn and improve itself to keep assisting you the best it can? This may sound like a dream (and an unrealistic one at that), but it's much closer to reality than you might realise! Discover agentic AI!

featured image agents of chance blog 2025  AI
Feb 05, 2025 • CM.com

Agents of change

A contemplation on CM.com in the era of AI agents.

hero-17-sms-customer-service-templates-to-use-today
Nov 11, 2024 • AI

Turning shoppers into loyal fans: How to retain customers post-Black Friday

Black Friday is a huge shopping event, drawing crowds of eager shoppers hunting for deals. But after the frenzy fades, the real challenge begins: turning one-time shoppers into loyal, repeat customers. Customer retention is vital for long-term success and post-Black Friday is the perfect time to build lasting relationships. So, how can your business retain customers post-Black Friday? In this blog, we’ll explore how to make it happen.

blackfriday-2024-blog-featured-global
Oct 16, 2024 • AI

The art of simplicity: Helping your customers make quick decisions this Black Friday

Black Friday 2024 is just around the corner, bringing with it a great opportunity for retailers to maximise their sales. However, standing out in such a competitive event isn’t easy. Consumers expect attractive offers, fast deliveries, and top-notch customer support. In this article, we’ll show you how to simplify the purchasing process during Black Friday, optimising everything from promotions to logistics and 24/7 customer service. Discover the best strategies to ensure a seamless experience and increase customer loyalty. Don’t fall behind this Black Friday!

unlock-communication-excellence-with-cpaas
Jul 11, 2024 • CM.com

Unlock communication excellence with CPaaS

Diving deeper into CM.com's CPaaS approach is empowering business users to unlock Communication Excellence - a guest article by Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, a global advisory and consulting firm focused on helping clients in achieving business transformation goals with strategic business and growth advisory services.

engage-platform-effect-customer-service
May 10, 2024 • CM.com

Happy clients, happy agents: The "platform effect" in customer service

As a member of the customer service team, you stand on the front lines of customer interaction every day. In a world where customers demand quick and personalised service - long wait times, impersonal responses, or worse, incorrect answers, can quickly drive a customer away. Your goal, however, is to connect customers with your organisation and deliver the best answers and service possible. It’s incredibly satisfying to see a customer leave a conversation happier and eager to purchase your product. Your efforts can significantly enhance the customer experience, but you need the right tools to truly excel. Integrating these tools into a platform amplifies your capabilities and lets you experience the power of the platform effect.

blog-email-open-rates
Mar 27, 2024 • AI

Navigating AI Adoption in South Africa

In this ever evolving landscape, businesses that proactively invest in AI capabilities stand to gain a significant competitive edge in the years to come. By embracing AI as a strategic imperative and overcoming the hurdles to adoption, South African businesses can unlock new opportunities, drive innovation, and position themselves for success in the digital era.

Is this region a better fit for you?
Go
close icon