FCM Travel has relaunched its Sam chatbot as an "intelligent virtual assistant" for travelers and travel managers, the travel management company announced Wednesday at the Business Travel Show Europe.
“This isn't just about answering your questions," FCM global chief experience officer John Morhous said in a statement. "It's about creating a
travel companion that understands your preferences, simplifies complex
tasks and enhances every journey."
Launched by FCM in 2016 as
a chatbot with such capabilities as prompting travelers to book within
policy or to change travel arrangements when it detected disruption, Sam
is now functioning as "a conversational AI assistant" for users across
FCM's platform, app and browser extension. Capabilities include
providing instant answers to such questions as airport security wait
times, offering options and contacts in times of disruption and making
recommendations based on user preferences, including optimal flight
classes or available loyalty benefits.
Morhous told BTN that Sam
is being piloted by one of its biggest customers and is expected to
roll out to its customer base in August or September with the launch of
its new mobile app. “We think the number one use case will be helping
travelers on trips,” said Morhous, adding that booking functionality
could be added in the future “if that's something customers want.”
He
continued: “We’ve developed and delivered this very thoughtfully. We’re
not trying to eliminate humans; we want to make our people shine. It
sits as an infrastructure layer behind everything, so even if you work
with us completely offline, the app will know your details and
preferences.”
The company has built guardrails into the app,
allowing customers to define what information and systems it can draw
upon, and “taken a lot of time to plug it into everything and meet
compliance and security protocols.”
When launched nearly a decade ago, the TMC offered a free version of what was then a relatively basic
chatbot together with some paid-for premium functionality. While Sam
will again be provided to customers free-of-charge, Morhous did not rule
out taking it in a similar direction. “We’re not charging anything as
of right now but that doesn’t mean we’re not looking at commercializing
aspects of it in the future,” he said.
The tool will also be
available to customers of FCM's sister brand, Corporate Traveler,
albeit under a different name and with a later release.
For now, travel managers can configure Sam to meet their specific needs,
such as driving specific program goals, according to FCM. The company said
it was also working behind the scenes to unify its internal systems and
integrate data from multiple sources into Sam to “create a centralized
intelligence” to help its human team to offer improved service to
clients and travelers.