When travel runs smoothly, customer experience rarely gets noticed. When it breaks down, trust is tested fast. In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing sits down with Raja Syamala, Field Technology Officer for the Travel, Transportation and Tourism sector at Concentrix, to explore how travel brands can adopt AI without turning service journeys into a frustrating maze.
Syamala explains why many travel providers are now operating in a “hybrid” reality, where AI-driven tools take on high-volume, repeatable requests while human agents remain essential for moments that demand judgment, authority, and empathy. The key, he argues, is making those human moments intentional rather than accidental. Instead of treating severe disruptions like rare exceptions, brands need to design for them as predictable parts of the journey, with clear points where escalation is automatic and seamless.
A major theme of the discussion is changing traveller expectations. Syamala describes a noticeable shift away from reactive service toward something closer to real-time rescue. In other words, customers increasingly expect brands to understand what is happening, recognize urgency, and respond with support that fits their situation. That expectation is not just about speed. It is about context. The same delay can have very different consequences depending on the traveller’s timeline, location, and constraints. Syamala shares how AI can help brands respond more intelligently, but only if it is built on the right foundations.
When it comes to why some AI deployments backfire, Syamala points to problems that show up when automation is layered over fragmented systems, unclear workflows, or weak handoff design. When customers are forced to repeat information or bounce between channels, confidence drops quickly. Trust, in his view, is won or lost at the moment service shifts from AI to a person.
The discussion also explores a controversial trend emerging in parts of the market: charging customers for access to human support. Raja outlines why this can be risky for travel brands, particularly during high-stress scenarios, and why it may create incentives that run counter to long-term loyalty.
If you lead customer experience, contact center strategy, or digital transformation in travel, this is a conversation that will sharpen how you think about AI’s role in building trust, not just reducing cost.
Watch the full interview now so you do not miss Syamala’s practical framework for where AI should stop and humans should step in.
