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FOUR EASY WAYS TO LEVERAGE AI TOOLS
HOW THIS IMPACTS TRAVEL ADVISORS This is a major change , but it comes with opportunities for travel advisors to work more efficiently and provide more niche or personalized service . “ Travel has been disrupted many times before ,” said Gary Meehan , founder of AI travel company Where To AI .
ChatGPT could be used as a free , useful tool to make travel advisors more efficient . If you ’ re looking for a new way to describe an experience or want to streamline a lengthy marketing email , for example , leveraging ChatGPT could save you time . ChatGPT is also being considered as a replacement to address simple customer service requests as an always available chatbot .
“ It should be seen as a tool rather than a threat ,” said Meehan .
And yes , ChatGPT-powered apps can book trips , sort of . But there are risks due to the unpredictability of the model . Arvind Narayanan , Ph . D ., a computer science professor at Princeton , gives the example of an AI-powered app booking a trip to San Jose , California , rather than San Jose , Costa Rica , as a possible error that the system could make . And , because of the potential for hallucinations , travelers would need to factcheck their itineraries , which makes using AI not nearly as convenient .
“ Right now , everything ’ s not up to date or 100 % accurate , but it can get very close ,” Meehan added . “ An experienced travel advisor could really level up and have an edge over their competitors if they ’ re able to leverage the tools to their advantage .”
AI models are trained on a high volume of global content . They can synthesize a high volume of reviews and provide recommendations based on the considerations given in the prompt . In this case , AI can improve the experience of existing travel and review platforms , such as TripAdvisor , Yelp and Expedia , and give travel advisors more information to work with .
What technology can ’ t replace is the personalized , white-glove experience of working with a travel advisor . The ability to experience the awe and joy of travel is uniquely human . ChatGPT is great at a lot of things , but it doesn ’ t remember your family ’ s needs , have relationships with restaurant managers or know the best-kept secrets at locations around the globe .
Travelers need advisors who understand all that goes into building a dream vacation . AI may technically be able to book a vacation , but travel advisors will be the ones to create the trip of their customers ’ dreams . AI is just one of many resources travel advisors can leverage to gain an edge .
1 . EMAIL MARKETING . ChatGPT can condense lengthy copy to make marketing messages more concise and engaging . Leverage the tool to streamline a lengthy marketing email — A / B test the two options and see what performs best .
2 . COPY CREATION . Struggling to describe a trip ? Use AI to suggest new descriptive ways to explain the experience .
3 . CUSTOMER SERVICE SUP- PORT . AI tools can be explored as a replacement to address simple customer service requests as an always available chatbot .
4 . BRAINSTORM TRIP IDEAS . ChatGPT can ’ t plan a custom itinerary , but it can help you get started . Test out prompts based on client goals and the experience you ’ re looking to cultivate . For example , try using the prompt , “ I ’ m a wanderer who loves the outdoors and going off the beaten path ,” and see what AI recommends . You can use this initial output to gut check your own recommendations and experience and optimize based on your relationship with the client .
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