AI Empowers Thomas Cook, SOTC to anticipate customer needs quicker

In FY 2024-25, Thomas Cook and SOTC completed their technology transformation journey. “The investments that we've made in technology in FY '25 is actually keeping in mind that if we are going to scale the company portfolio, we should not be adding incremental fixed costs,” said the company. 

The completion of the technology platform implementation at the travel agency basically means moving from operating with disparate systems to organised software platforms all working as one. “For example, the entire AI-generated chatbots, the entire lead management systems, the  distribution systems, which will enable us to connect to every travel point across not only in India, but globally as well and connect it straight to our inventory and rate management system. So that's what we have actually put in place to ensure that these ramps happen quicker, and that's our actual focus going ahead,” said the company.

The AI rollouts like the Dhruv.ai and the chatbots will play an important role in achieving swift Turnaround Times (TATs) and scaling up without additional investments. FE CIO caught up with Neeraj Singh Dev, Executive Vice President & Head - E Commerce and Domestic & Short Haul Holidays - Thomas Cook (India) Limited & SOTC Travels, to know more about the company’s plans.

Edited Excerpts:

Which major digital initiatives have been undertaken recently?

At Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel, our focus on technology and AI has been instrumental in reshaping our customer experience. We've integrated AI-driven solutions into our omni-channel platforms to offer personalised recommendations, streamline booking processes, and provide real-time assistance to travellers. We have launched several new digital and AI driven initiatives like:

GenAI Chatbots - Tacy (Thomas Cook) & Ezy (SOTC): Offer website visitors a seamless, fully assisted experience without human intervention. These Chabots utilise advanced natural language processing and generative AI models, to provide trip recommendations, instant search results, and real-time pricing, building an entire itinerary in just 10 minutes.

We are also rolling out a VoiceBot in English and Hindi, which will move a significant portion of customer interactions into automated yet personalised, voice-led flows.

Holidays Customer Self Service app: Offers extensive post-booking services, simplifying trip management with 24/7 access and real-time updates for travellers - visa information and tracking, downloading of vouchers, itineraries to invoices for a seamless experience.

Quality Check AI Tool: Deployed at contact centers to monitor calls and generate actionable insights, our Agent Assist solution supports sellers by listening to calls and providing real-time prompts for faster, more effective responses, making customer interactions more meaningful. The bot also helps with ‘Quality Audits’ of sellers, helping them continually learn & improve future interactions

TravelOne & Dhruv(ai): Corporate booking platform TravelOne using Dhruv – an agentic, voice-enabled, multilingual, multimodal generative AI advisor, ensuring effortless management of bookings, cancellations, itinerary modifications and more—all through an intuitive, real-time interface.

While AI is often perceived as disruptive, we view it as a powerful enabler — and this was evident in our recent campaign for the launch of Europe Holidays for Summer 2026. We introduced a digital AI avatar of our chatbot, Tacy, who served as the face of the campaign, presenting Europe itineraries through engaging, story-driven narratives. These AI-powered videos not only delivered immersive destination storytelling but also doubled up as high-impact sales tools and shareable social media content, creating a unique blend of technology and creativity. Recognizing that today’s customers are digital-first—even when they encounter traditional media like print ads—we worked to bridge the gap by integrating QR codes. This allowed customers to instantly transition from offline to online, giving them direct access to videos showcasing why Europe is best travelled with Thomas Cook India and leading them to our most popular itineraries. This approach ensured a seamless digital experience, and reinforces our commitment to meeting the expectations of an always-connected audience.

Additionally, for our Foreign Exchange business, we offer end-to-end forex transactions via AI-enabled WhatsApp chatbot with 24x7 access from anywhere. It allows customers to view live rates, conduct forex transactions, and send money abroad from the comfort of home or while travelling.

The result of these initiatives has been a significant enhancement in customer engagement and satisfaction, reflected in higher and faster conversion rates and an increase in customer retention. Our technology investments have allowed us to better anticipate customer needs, ensuring a seamless experience across all touch points in the travel space.

Integrating AI with existing systems has its own share of challenges. How was your experience ?

Integration was a key hurdle, as aligning new AI-driven tools with our existing legacy systems required significant customization to ensure seamless functionality. 

Another critical aspect was data quality and preparation—clean, structured datasets were essential for effective AI learning and delivering accurate, personalized recommendations. 

Change management also played a vital role; driving adoption among internal teams demanded training and clear communication to build confidence in the new systems. 

Finally, regulatory compliance remained a top priority throughout the process, ensuring that data privacy and security standards were strictly maintained during AI deployment.

What kind of teams have been constituted to ensure a smooth AI rollout across functions ?

The initiatives were driven by a cross-functional team comprising our Technology team and Business teams, ensuring seamless collaboration between technical development and business objectives. 

Additionally, we have set up a dedicated in-house AI Projects team, focused on exploring and implementing advanced AI-driven solutions to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

On the vendor side, we have invested and formed a joint venture with an AI solutions specialist company. These solutions have been developed as a part of this joint venture.

What’s the technology adoption roadmap you have set ?

Our focus will remain on deepening digital transformation and enhancing customer experience through scalable, intelligent solutions. 

We aim to strengthen personalization across channels, expand automation to improve operational efficiency, and leverage advanced AI capabilities for real-time engagement and predictive insights. Additionally, we will continue to invest in voice and conversational platforms, enrich self-service tools for both B2C and B2B customers, and build robust data analytics frameworks to support dynamic pricing and demand forecasting. 

These initiatives are aligned with our commitment to a seamless, digital-first ecosystem that drives efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainable growth.