Manish Amin Co-Founder, Chief Information and Technology Officer, Yatra.com
Enterprises across sectors are increasingly focusing on new technologies to improve their operational efficiency and service delivery. In the past one year, all organisations, irrespective of their size, industry and focus area, have undergone digital transformation. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and big data analytics have seen high adoption rates amongst organisations. Interestingly, various state governments have also partnered with technology companies to establish incubation centres to promote the development and adoption of new-age technologies. Going forward, enterprises will have to work on developing skill-sets to leverage these technologies. Also, this will raise data protection and security concerns. Technology experts from leading enterprises discuss the key technology trends and the way forward…
What were the key technology trends that shaped the Indian enterprise space in 2018?
The year 2018 has been a year of technological advancements in travel and online travel agencies (OTAs). Every company has tried to enhance traveller booking and enquiring experience across various platforms such as website and social media. In the next couple of years, these offerings will be further refined and technology will be deployed to meet all customer requirements. With travel becoming more experiential than functional, brands are personalising their offerings. They push relevant offers to their target consumer segments, and recommend options for stay as per their preferences.
Big data, cloud technology and personalisation are creating an impact on the travel industry as these offer insights into customer behaviour, which were not available earlier. Chatbots, AI, voice search and other enabling innovations will gain traction among all brands in the coming days. Customers are spoilt for choice when it comes to travel platforms. Thus, to be on top of its game, each brand needs to keep pace with the changing needs and trends, and come up with solutions before others. At Yatra, we continuously study the behaviour and buying patterns of customers to understand their needs and preferences , and provide relevant services.
What is the current trend in adoption of new-age technologies among Indian enterprises?
In line with the travel industry’s drive to undertake technological innovations, OTAs have upped their game. By assembling the right tools like video-related content of destinations and multilingual voice search, travel brands like Yatra have been successful in becoming a one-stop travel shop offering great deals to customers. Voice-based bots are revolutionising the way people interact with travel service providers and aggregators. They have ushered in an era of intelligent, personalised, omnipresent travel assistants accessible via multiple devices and in multiple languages. Search queries are becoming more conversational. With the help of voice search, search engines can understand the meaning and intent behind a query and thus deliver the best results.
What are the key challenges faced by enterprises while adopting and managing new technologies?
Indian enterprises are in a very good position in terms of technological advancements. This trend will continue in the future given the rising demands of customers, and the need to adapt to global trends and become trendsetters. In order to adopt new technologies and utilise them to their best capabilities, it is important to train the staff. One of the biggest challenges is to develop the right skill set, which can help manage the new technologies.
“Voice-based bots are revolutionising the way people interact with travel service providers and aggregators. They are becoming more conversational. With the help of voice search, search engines can understand the meaning and intent behind a query and thus deliver the best results.” Manish Amin
What is the government’s role in increasing the uptake of new-age technologies?
The government has been working to transform India through the power of technology by bridging the digital divide at the grassroots level. Technology plays an important role in streamlining various processes in the industry. Big data and personalisation are expected to play a key role in this. By adapting to these trends, businesses will be in a better position to provide customised services, enhance customer satisfaction, and increase operational efficiency. India’s digital economy has the potential to provide employment in the next couple of years. Identifying this as an opportunity, the government is backing companies to innovate further.
Which technology trends are likely to dominate Indian enterprises in 2019?
Technological disruption will propel growth in the Indian market and every sector will be touched by digital transformation. Companies across markets and industries are keen to adopt new-age trends that will strengthen their database and provide focused solutions. Trends to watch out for are AI, AR, blockchain and IoT.
