Greater Manchester Business Week – December 05, 2018

16 Business DECEMBER 2018

Spotlight

FROM PAGE 15
looking to enjoy a night out in
Manchester to upgrade to VIP, queue
jump and buy drinks packages in real
time.
Separately, a new app called Gratuu
was also launched in 2017 to help
promote fair and transparent tipping
for staff.
The idea for Gratuu came about in
2014 after founder Renate Kalnina
realised she didn’t have any change to
leave a tip and the restaurant she’d
eaten at couldn’t facilitate tips through
card machines. It charges 3.5% fixed
rate per transaction.
Another app that has been rolled out
to other major regional cities since its
inception in Manchester is The Dealer,
which offers up to 50% off at some of

Manchester’s most popular restaurants

and bars - while simultaneously

helping charity.

The Dealer offers discounts at a host

of Manchester venues, including

Bundobust and PLY, and every time the

app is used, it makes a contribution to

the Share The Meal Initiative run by the

United Nations’ World Food

Programme (WFP) to fight global

hunger.

Dr Neil Robinson, who lectures in the

postgraduate course in international

marketing at Salford University’s

Business School, explained: “Key

disruptors within the leisure sector at

the moment also include the likes of

Airbnb that enables would-be

hospitality providers the opportunity to

link with customers looking for a

bespoke accommodation experience.

“Other game-changers include the

likes of virtual reality which enables

customers to view and experience the

service experience pre-booking as well

as social media platforms that

empower the customer to add

reviews.

“No less important is

the increasing use of

chatbots, artificial or

real person

interaction,

enabling

customers to ask

questions in

real-time.”

Michael

Goldman is a

director of Different

Gravy Digital

Marketing, based in Hale,

which has particular expertise

with chatbots.

Goldman explains: “With new

marketing technology emerging all the

time, artificial intelligence (AI) is the

latest to grab the headlines and it’s

paving the way for customer service.

“One of the most significant benefits

of AI in the leisure industry is the use of

chatbots.

“The purpose behind chatbots is to

enable businesses to provide a better

customer experience and to eliminate

time-consuming, repetitive tasks and

administrative procedures.

“Since we are currently in a world

where we expect the quick and

accurate delivery of information, we

can only expect that chatbots will play

an even bigger role in supporting

businesses to meet the needs of their

consumers in the coming months and

years ahead. We’ve certainly had

considerable success with the use of

chatbots within the leisure sector –

specifically by allowing

businesses to manage

reservations, guestlists, and

general enquiries

efficiently.

“Businesses can

handle enquiries

24/7 with an

automated - yet

highly

personalised,

intuitive and

interactive -

process which is not

only a great customer

experience but also

streamlines business

operation, avoiding the need

for staffed telephone lines and endless

email correspondence.”

Lawrence Jones is the tech

entrepreneur who founded

Manchester-based cloud hosting

provider UKFast, which works with a

host of leading British leisure

companies, including Laterooms.com

and Living Ventures Group.

Jones believes that ‘big data’ will

define the future of the leisure sectors

relentless evolution.

He explained: “Big data and

the ability to harness it for

personalisation continues

to give companies in the

leisure sector the

marketing edge,

encouraging loyalty

and accepting that

one size no longer

fits all.

“Businesses are

finding new and

innovative ways to

use big data to

deliver greater insight

on their customers’

habits and to engage with

them in new ways.

“The use of artificial intelligence (AI)

is increasing and this is enabling

businesses to really harness the

potential of personalisation and its

benefits, delighting customers with

timely and micro-personalised

interactions.”

When asked how companies can

best build their brand through new

technologies, Jones added:

“Ultimately, everything comes back to

speed and efficiency for the user.

“We’re seeing a trend for more voice

search, so ensure your brand is not

missing out on that opportunity –

because voice is yet another way to

make things easy for customers to find

you.

“The latest tech should be

implemented to make it faster and

easier for your customers to browse

and purchase from your brand whether

you’re selling products, hotels, flights

or a day out white-water rafting.

“Making sure your web

platforms are superfast is a key

part of this.

“Search engines are

obsessed with speed

because they’ve seen

user engagement

increase when

things get faster.

“Use the

technology at your

disposal, whether

that’s cloud, AI, big

data or voice search

to deliver a seamless

and efficient journey

for your potential

customers.”

Robinson reiterated Jones’ point that

leisure companies overlook the

importance of caring for customers at

their peril.

He explained: “Even in today’s

digitally-fuelled, super information

The

Gratuu

app

Social media is also a

great tool to manage

any brand negativity

Michael Goldman

We’re seeing a trend for

more voice search, so

ensure your brand is

not missing out on

that

Lawrence Jones