b'We realized that most callsBefore we get into this, Ill address what you are probably FOGHORN FOCUS thinking. Ive dealt with chatbots in the past, and theyve revolved around simple, been terrible. Ill be the first to admit that I have as well and have found myself more than once wishing I could repetitive questions thatjust talk to a human. Is the solution we use good? Yes. Is it a complete substitute for an actual human? No. Is it way were easily answerablebetter than what we were doing? Absolutely.if customers simply tookTHE PROBLEM:the time to look in theOVERLOADED CUSTOMER SERVICELike many operators, our boat tour companies experi-confirmation emails theyencesharpincreasesininquiriesduringpeakseasons, paired with an acute uptick in the hour leading up to received or our websitesour trips. While its great to have this level of interest, it created challenges: long hold times, overwhelmed ticket FAQ section, among manystaff, and all too often, frustrated customers who need other places. Recognizinganswers NOW. As we started to think about the problem, we realized that this trend, we saw an most calls revolved around simple, repetitive questions that opportunity to streamlinewere easily answerable if customers simply took the time to look in the confirmation emails they received or our web-how these inquiries weresites FAQ section, among many other places. Recognizing this trend, we saw an opportunity to streamline how these handled, allowing our teaminquirieswerehandled,allowingourteamtofocuson more complex customer interactions while simultaneously to focus on more complexcaring for the customers who had simple (yet still import-customer interactions. ant) questions. BUILDING THE CHATBOTAfter researching several platforms, we selected a chatbot system tailored to the tourism industry from a group called For us, it all started with a question from Tabor Young, theTOMIS, which has also recently acquired a chatbot com-CEO of Capn Fishs Cruises in Boothbay Harbor, Maine:petitor of theirs called Yonder. While a number of options How do we get our team off the phones so theyre avail- checked the boxes for us, the key features included instant able to sell and upsell to walkup traffic?responses, the ability to handle multiple conversations si-multaneously, and integration with our booking platform, A couple of years ago, our ticket booth crew faced an over- FareHarbor. We ended up with TOMIS because of the ad-whelming volume of phone calls. Questions like Whenditional services they offer, such as SMS marketing, Google is the best time to see puffins and whales? or Do youand Meta ad buying, CRO, SEO, and more. allow dogs on board? or our favorite, Where do I park? dominated our staffs time, leaving less time for them toThe real winner for us was that in the cases where the interact with walkup traffic or be able to stay on the phonechatbot was stumped on a question, it offered customers longer with customers who actually needed help as theythe ability to transition from the bot to one of our team worked through specific challenges or requests. We neededvia SMS to get an answer right on their phone in a timely a better system to manage these simple inquiries withoutmanner. I know what youre thinking, But now your staff compromising the quality of customer service. Enter theis just texting instead of talking on the phone; wheres the AI chatbot. help there? While customers can end up requesting a live FOGHORN 32'