[24]7 announced that Hilton Worldwide has introduced predictive chat technology, powered by [24]7’s Customer Engagement Platform, to deliver an intuitive and personalised online experience for its hotel guests worldwide.

Hilton’s Reservations and Customer Care team is comprised of over 3,000 reservation and guest assistance professionals who serve more than 34 million guests annually. Recognising that the booking process can often raise questions for customers, Hilton has implemented [24]7 Chat within its digital channels, ensuring that all guests who book directly on the company’s website receive the best possible experience online.

Hilton chose to partner with [24]7, the global leader in intent-driven customer engagement solutions, because of its intuitive chat platform that learns and anticipates customer behaviour. [24]7 Chat is built on predictive models that are designed to understand a guest’s intent, and empower agents to know when to engage and what to recommend in real-time. Equipped with a rich understanding of each individual guest’s journey, [24]7’s Customer Engagement Platform initiates a chat conversation with those who may require assistance to complete their booking, and gives Hilton reservation specialists the ability to offer up rich media (such as photos of a property or room type) to help guests compare properties – all within a single conversation thread.

“Our guests begin interacting with us well before they set foot into one of our hotels, so it’s critical that we deliver the best possible online experience,” said Mike Gathright, SVP, Global Reservations and Customer Care, Hilton Worldwide. “[24]7 helps us anticipate what our guests want and ensure they receive the guidance that’s right for them, at the right time in their journey. We are already seeing improvements in both agent and guest satisfaction, and we expect that to continue over time.”

“The traveller’s experience begins well before they set foot inside their hotel room. A key part of their journey is the booking process, which can often times be stressful for travellers. While in the midst of booking a hotel, our guests often have questions about the destination or property itself. Answering them can help the guest make the best hotel decision, resulting in a more satisfying stay experience. With this in mind, we recognised an opportunity to deliver personalised assistance online to ensure our guests experience a frictionless, stress-free booking process on our brand websites. Predicting intent (in other words, determining what a customer is trying to do), and using that insight to deliver personalised service, is key to providing the kind of customer service today’s guest expects. The predictive chat feature is a benefit for our guests who book directly on our brand websites and is yet another way we are able to provide our customers with the best experience possible.” –Mike Gathright, SVP, Global Reservations and Customer Care, Hilton Worldwide

What makes this technology unique and customer-centric?

[24]7 Chat is an enterprise chat solution that helps businesses predict what their customers are looking for and engage them in meaningful conversations. Unlike the chat technology that customers commonly encounter and which offers up a generic “how may I help you?,” [24]7 Chat actually examines a customer’s behaviour as they navigate through a website, and empowers agents with useful insights to provide better service.

For example – is a guest is trying to compare room types, or browsing a property’s amenities? This knowledge helps agents understand when to engage and what to recommend in real-time, so that all interactions are not only relevant, but in fact provide personalised assistance in key moments that matter.

Hilton is using [24]7 Chat to extend the company’s hospitality to their digital channels, ensuring that guests who book directly receive a differentiated ‘white-glove’ experience online. It’s a customer-centric solution by design that takes into account a customer’s intent and context. The technology also makes it easy for agents to share rich media – such as photos of a room or amenity – without asking the guest to click on additional links or interrupt the experience. This keeps the conversation fluid and low-effort. Customers ultimately want to get things done with ease and efficiency, and the intelligence powering this experience makes it easy to do just that.

“Hilton extends its exceptional hospitality to every guest touchpoint, including its direct online channels,” said Christopher Schyma, VP, Retail & Hospitality, [24]7. “This visionary approach has led to a powerful way of engaging guests in the moments that matter most. With [24]7 Chat, Hilton is removing the friction from the online booking process, providing a white-glove level of hospitality to guests and increasing revenue opportunities.”

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