What Mezi Does
Its bots &
automation help TMCs communicate with travelers & personalize service.
What Mezi Plans to Do
It aims to be the next-generation
content aggregator and agent operating system.
Artificial intelligence-powered travel app Mezi is poised to
launch its "for business" product, according to CEO and co-founder Swapnil
Shinde. The company has partnered with Adelman, Casto Travel and W Travel on the
corporate front. It also has forged agreements with luxury travel provider Bluefish
and Seat 1A. Shinde told BTN the company is deep in negotiations with additional
travel management companies. At presstime a company spokesperson said Mezi had struck
an agreement with American Express, but the company was not at liberty to disclose
whether it was American Express Global Business Travel or Card Services.
While VP of travel strategy and partnerships Johnny Thorsen said
Mezi will court corporate customers directly, the company is tracking TMCs for its
initial foray into business travel. With about a dozen partners, Mezi has beta-tested
the early form of a white-label app that will allow agencies to increase their current
output by at least five times, according to Shinde. It will do it by providing TMCs
a travel messaging platform powered by multiple bots that address low-hanging traveler
requests like simple point-to-point bookings, reminders for phone numbers, flight
status and hotel change requests. When a request is too difficult for the bots to
service, it shifts to a human agent. Each time an agent takes the reins, though,
the AI platform learns so it can address future requests. Currently, the bots can
address 60 percent of flight requests, according to Shinde.
The traveler needn't know when they are talking to a bot versus
a human, as the AI enables the bot to take on human personas. Because every exchange
happens via chat, data is added constantly to the stream, creating a dynamic profile
for the user that will increase the platform's ability to personalize recommendations.
The platform also will digest corporate travel policy and preferred partner agreements,
as well as market conditions, to provide value-based, compliance-driven recommendations.
But, said Thorsen, the AI capabilities also have the power to
change what a company considers compliant. "Travel management is a gray area
with many variants. [AI] will drive the creation of self-thinking travel policies,
where as long as the traveler is meeting [a value] target on a combination of, say,
five variables, then the booking is cleared. The moment I drop below [a minimum
value threshold], the policy will kick in and get me back where I need to be, but
I don't want to spend a minute looking at emails or approval requests. I want the
tech to manage it on my behalf."
Natural language processing and the messaging format also will
allow clients to track engagement and emotional words like "sorry" or
"urgent." Should the platform detect an increase in the number of distressed
travelers, for example, the agency can look for disruptions. As a satisfaction metric,
corporates might look for positive words, as well. "No one has a clue about
the emotional state of what's happening during [an online] booking," said Thorsen.
The Broader Vision
There's more to Mezi's strategy of targeting TMCs than accessing
their clients. The company wants to become the next-generation content aggregator
and agent operating system, not just an improved communication channel and travel
personalization tool. "We've gone beyond the AI chatbot technology," said
Thorsen. "Those are exciting, but imagine if you wanted to start a TMC today.
You would have problems with just taking GDS [content] because there is so much
out there that is not included in the GDS. Mezi has an environment where we can
live-demonstrate how we integrate Sabre, Expedia and Priceline content into one
joint interface on the back end. The traveler can benefit from this mix of content,
but so can the agent. We have created the beginning of a brand-new travel agency
operating system where we can consolidate bookings made from different content sources
into a super PNR. We don't care—and our partners won't care—where the content is
from because they have a single interface to manage and deliver the service."
Marc Casto, president of Silicon Valley-based Casto Travel, said
these changes can't happen fast enough for his clients. "For them, this type
of technology is so two years ago." The agency plans to launch Mezi to all
clients by early September. In the meantime, Casto said, the company is in "active
beta" with key customers. Getting there wasn't simple. "In many ways it
is like adding a new GDS to the mix. We are setting up our teams. We have new procedures,
training, etc."
Dealing with agents' concerns about AI solutions contributed,
as well. "We contend with that internally, and there are some who look at [AI
solutions] fearfully," said Casto. "It is actually the exact opposite.
AI helps remove repetitive tasks incumbent on our industry but that don't drive
revenue. [We want to] provide customization to the traveler and focus agent capabilities
where they can matter most. On the other hand, I've also been very vocal that as
an industry we are facing a labor crisis. We are looking at Mezi as a force multiplier
so our agents can have the best impact on the traveler. We are not looking to reduce
head count in any capacity."
Asked if it was going too far to suggest that a technology like
Mezi would be the next travel agency platform, Casto was clear: "I don't think
that does necessarily go too far. At present, it is still a play largely focused
on midmarket, but that is not the endgame. The endgame is more philosophical. I
believe we are seeing a fundamental shift in travel management: Every traveler has
to be convinced of the merits behind managing travel. The focus should be entirely
on the traveler."
Thorsen said recent conversations with a number of
large corporates underscored that idea. He cited the mobile-only approach, natural
language processing to eliminate forms, dynamic traveler profiles and personalization.
"Individually, these are not ROI high-dollar drivers," he said. "It's
about believing this change is coming."