One of the highlights from Signature’s recent Owners’ Meeting in San Diego, California, was the introduction of Storybook, a new AI-driven tool that will help the network’s luxury travel advisors find the right products for their clients, as well as the most efficient way to pitch the product to them.
“It’s—as you’d imagine—a storytelling platform for cruises and hotels,” Alex Sharpe, CEO of Signature Travel Network, told LATTE. The content aggregator, as Sharpe calls it, will house imagery and videos that can be converted into social media posts, links that can be sent to clients, ‘mini websites’ that can be shared live and more. “It becomes this viral marketing opportunity, where [clients] can forward it to their friends and family,” he explained.
How it Works
The platform will allow advisors to input information about the client (such as their travel history, preferences, demographics and psychographic information, etc.) and then Storybook will narrow down the diverse set of products available, helping the advisor choose the proper option for their client. It will also, however, tell the advisor how to pitch the product to the client—with what message and in what order.
Once the advisor has input the necessary information into Storybook, it will scour the internet for trusted sources’ client reviews and traveller. Storybook will filter the products based off the inputs and reviews, scoring the top options as a “human factor” percentage. Karen Yeates, EVP of Information Technologies, explained that Storybook will then say, ‘This product on this sailing is a 99% match. This one’s an 89% match.’ “And it will tell you why,” she added.
“The goal is to help you tell a story with rich multimedia, connected data [and] rich analytics that creates emotional connections, builds trust, fosters loyalty [and] is relatable, [to] connect with your clients on a deeper human level,” said Yeates.
Good to know: A video demo shared by Signature says Storybook is “designed to be incredibly easy to use. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you will find the platform fast and intuitive.”
Launch Timeline
As of now, Storybook only has cruise integration and is in an active testing phase through the end of the year. Its soft launch will come in Q1 next year before entirely replacing the existing Cruise Finder. Storybook includes all of Signature’s preferred partners, pricing and promotions/exclusives and also links back to SIG Cruise Pro to complete the sale.
Tip: Signature agency owners who want to test the platform can email Yeates for access.
Behind the scenes—but not ready for testing—Signature is also adding its hotel partners to the platform. In time, land and multi-product content (including tourist boards and destination specialists) will be folded in, as well.
Further down the road, Signature’s client database will also be integrated into Storybook. This would enable advisors to type in the client’s name, select it from the dropdown and find their information be pre-populated into the platform. Advisors can then edit details—such as whether they’re traveling alone or with their kids—and then they can verify whether a product is right for them in this situation.
