Facilitating customer self-service using automated contact channels, such as IVR and chatbots is a recognised method of reducing strain on contact centres during spikes in demand. For organizations that experience high levels of churn, as seen in the mobile telecoms, insurance and energy sectors, a seamless customer journey can make the difference between keeping them onboard for another year, or losing customers to your nearest competitor. To address this, many organizations have focused on using chatbots to answer common queries, so that customer service employees have time to handle more complex calls. However, when it comes to reducing churn, applying a more granular approach can yield major benefits. Deploying a range of chatbots, each suited to a specific task, can greatly enhance the customer experience and deliver substantial benefits to the business.

Finland's Ultimate.ai is in the business of creating superhuman customer service employees. Reetu Kainulainen is uneasy with the idea that artificial intelligence and machine learning should be utilised to make customer service employees redundant. "There has been a lot of talk about automation and productivity. Customer service, after all, is a very unique organisation that has one-on-one conversations with customers even if we're talking about a giant telecommunications company with tens of millions of customers," he reminds. "We don't believe that artificial intelligence should replace customer service employees, but that it should be used to give them superpowers."

It's the time to reflect and to look forward, to determine new goals – to consult a horoscope for some, to check industry-trend forecasts for others. Among the mega trends that were discussed regarding the Internet of Things, big data, virtual and augmented reality technology, self-driving cars, drones, robotics, nanotechnology, biotech, and online privacy – the most interesting topic for us was how these technologies could affect the hospitality industry and customer service, in particular. Van Hooijdonks predicts that ten years from now, we won't be able to tell the difference between a human and a robot – artificial intelligence will start to play a more "personal role." The ability to process huge amounts of data and solve increasingly complex problems has started to open the doors for artificial intelligence to play a more visible and meaningful role in all of our lives. For the last couple of years, leaders in the travel and hospitality industry have discussed its implementation in the sector and possible applications to enhance and innovate customer service.