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Kuoni to launch trade platform featuring AI sales coach
Kuoni is to launch a trade platform for third-party travel agents with an AI sales coach and support communications via WhatsApp for the first time.
Kuoni Connect goes live on November 18 with offers, toolkits, training and booking tools as the operator continues to target improved engagement and sales from independent agents.
Third-party agents are already Kuoni’s fastest growing distribution channel and the operator has described the new portal as a “step-change” in how it supports trade partners.
Head of trade partnerships Sarah Weetman said: “Kuoni Connect will be home to everything Kuoni. It’s a huge investment.”
Agents can pre-register ahead of the launch and the company expects to quickly surpass its target of onboarding 1,000 agents in the first six months.
The portal’s ‘learning lounge’ section will launch with six training modules introducing the trade to the company, for which agents can earn a ‘Kuoni Insider’ badge.
Destination-focused training modules will be introduced from the spring of next year.
“The training modules will start with onboarding agents to our brand and customers, explaining why complexity [multi centre bookings] is great and how we make that simple, as well as the purpose of Kuoni,” said Weetman.
The ‘Kuoni studio’ section will offer downloadable assets for social media and shops, with reels added over time to provide more engaging content.
From mid-December, the portal will enable agents to personalise offers and window cards for use in marketing.
A ’Kuoni news’ section will feature the latest information on hotels, destinations and the operator’s policies as well as top tips from product experts while a separate offers section will feature downloadable deals.
The ‘support desk’ section will provide different ways to contact Kuoni, including WhatsApp, initially just in office hours, and email.
A six-week pilot prior to the peak sales season will be used as a “test and learn” period for the new WhatsApp communication with the trade.
Weetman noted: “This is a trial to see how it goes and see what other resources need to go behind it.
“We need to be agile to work with agents in the way they want to work because 40% of our trade sales are from home-based agents and we know they use WhatsApp to communicate with their customers.
“This is not to check availability, it’s purely for support. It’s really exciting.”
Kuoni’s first AI sales coach Kora will also be on the portal to answer questions about the operator’s top-selling property Kuramathi in the Maldives. The property accounts for a quarter of trade sales and is exclusive to Kuoni in the UK. Other properties and destinations will be added in future.
Weetman said: “We have taught it everything it needs to know about Kuoni. You can ask it any questions, about room types for example, and we will be able to track what agents ask and tailor it as we develop it further.”
The portal will also boast Kuoni’s online booking tool, soft-launched last year. The tool, which allows agents to book single-centre holidays, has been tweaked based on agent feedback with more product and tips. Agents will still be able to flex their commission to clinch a booking.
“We now have double the number of airlines bookable online,” said Weetman, noting: “It means agents don’t have to go through the call centre to get a quote.”
Agents who want to pre-register for the portal in advance will be in with a chance of winning one of five ESPA wellness advent calendars.
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