Endacott urges AI voice adoption across travel with new start-up

Industry veteran Steve Endacott has created a firm dedicated to implementing an AI voice platform into the UK and European travel markets.

 

Travel Voice has recruited tech entrepreneur Richard Plant to head a team responsible for introducing the Neural Voice AI platform to the trade.

 

Former IBM and Google director of AI and sustainability Ian Pattison has joined as non-executive chairman to provide strategic guidance and liaise with sister company Neural River, which offers AI consulting services.

 

Endacott urged travel firms at the Aito overseas conference in Spain last weekend to test and learn AI or risk being “like King Canute”. 

 

Endacott, who started his travel career as commercial director for Airtours in 1991, said: “The Neural Voice development team has built a strong voice platform and numerous use cases for deployment within the travel sector.

 

“However, now a different team of implementation specialists is responsible for helping travel businesses integrate these voice tools into their daily operations, while the development team uses a recently secured [an] Innovate UK grant to develop solutions for the wider AI community."

 

He described the travel sector as being in “far behind the curve” in implementing Voice AI, “but the opportunity to enhance efficiency and customer support 24/7 in 42 different languages is significant”.

 

Endacott added: “I have always said that humans want to buy from humans but are quite happy to have AI voice assistants help them navigate pre-departure upgrades or act as digital representatives guiding them through in-resort activities.

 

“These tools are also excellent for gathering detailed holiday reviews and user-generated content.

 

“Expecting customers to complete tick sheet reviews or put in the massive effort to write reviews is so last century that it’s almost a joke, yet that is still what many travel firms are doing.” 

 

Pattison, who is also chief executive of Neural River which is chaired by Endacott, said: “Neural River recruits the best AI talent from universities, specifically because over a 12-18 month period we allow our teams to create their own AI business ideas and help them set up spin-out businesses under the guidance of our experienced panel of industry vertical experts. 

 

“In the first six months, the team spends four days on consultancy and one day on their own project, but this increases to 50% of their time after project approval and 100% once they are ready to be spun out. 

 

"However, in the meantime, the team is ‘rented out’ on a low-cost consultancy basis to assist businesses that need to understand which AI tools are available and how to implement them in their own operations to create their own IP. 

 

“Bluntly, most businesses would not be able to attract or afford the talent we can lend them to develop in-house AI projects, so it’s a definite win-win.”

 

Plant said: “I have 20 years’ experience creating and implementing technology within the travel and insurance sectors, and it’s exciting to be handed such a flexible and innovative product to roll out across the UK and European travel sectors. 

 

“I already have a core team in place, but I will be adding new hires over the next six months, so watch this space and check out some of our innovative products, such as AI Holiday Rep.”