Challenge
Pelikán Travel is the largest travel platform in Slovakia. Most bookings are handled by customers online, but when it comes to changes, cancellations, or questions about luggage, they prefer to call. However, phone support is demanding both in terms of staffing and operations. The situation came to a head during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the customer hotline collapsed under the surge of calls. Pelikán faced overload, low efficiency in handling requests, and a loss of oversight on priority cases. They needed a solution that would ease the team’s workload, improve workflow organization, and make customer support more accessible.
Solution
In collaboration with Feedyou, Pelikán deployed AI voice assistants that gradually took over routine requests, streamlined call handling, and enabled proactive customer outreach. Thanks to a smart IVR system and improved caller verification, the success rate of authentication rose from 65% to over 92%, dramatically reducing the number of escalations. Outbound campaigns opened up new sales opportunities – for example, offering travel insurance alongside flight tickets achieved a 20% conversion rate. This gradual and sustainable approach increased support availability, reduced the contact center’s workload, and paved the way for further innovations.
“Working with Pelikán is a real pleasure – they have a great team of people who believe in an evolutionary approach, keep an open mind, and have realistic expectations. Our solutions genuinely help people who aren’t very familiar with air travel, and since planes fly at night and on holidays too, we’re ready to listen to them anytime.”
Jan Horak, Senior Business Consultant @ Feedyou
AI Voicebot for Outbound Campaigns
For Pelikán, the outbound voicebot represents an entirely new sales and marketing channel with tremendous future potential. It enables proactive customer outreach — at the right time, with the right offer. The results speak for themselves: the outbound voicebot achieves a 16.3% conversion rate, significantly outperforming traditional sales channels. Listen to a sample.
Chaos telefonů? Řešení přichází s AI
Phone Support Under Pressure
Pelikán handles around 1,000 flight and ancillary service bookings daily. While most services are managed online by customers, they prefer to call for flight changes, cancellations, or luggage questions. However, the high call volume — especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic — put significant strain on the customer hotline. While many travel agencies at the time removed their phone numbers from their websites, Pelikán wanted to remain accessible to its clients.
The Decision to Stay Available 24/7
Despite the staffing and operational challenges,Pelikán decided to keep the hotline and provide clients with support at any time. The goal was to streamline operations, increase availability, and ease the team’s workload. The solution came through collaboration with Feedyou and the deployment of AI voice assistants, which handle routine requests and allow operators to focus on more complex cases.
Giving Phone Support a Purpose
The new AI solution combines automated call handling, smart routing to operators based on priority, and proactive outbound campaigns. After switching to numeric code verification instead of the previous alphanumeric system, the success rate of verification jumped from 62% to over 92%. This led to a dramatic reduction in escalations to customer support and a higher completion rate of scenarios handled by the voicebot.
Gradual Implementation for Lasting Success
The deployment was carried out in phases – from replacing the traditional IVR with a smart assistant, to outbound campaigns (e.g., offering travel insurance with flight bookings), and finally to fully automated handling of specific requests integrated with internal systems. This evolutionary approach ensured a smooth transition, minimal strain on the team, and opened up new opportunities for modern customer service.
When Pelikán Calls, Customers Say YES
Outbound voicebots open a whole new way for Pelikán to reach customers – quickly, personally, and at the right time. Instead of waiting for the customer to call, Pelikán proactively reaches out with offers that make sense.
The voicebot is used for scenarios such as offering travel insurance with flight bookings, providing airport transfer information, running contests, promotions, discounts, or selling accommodation.
When someone plans a trip well in advance, there are numerous opportunities to provide useful information or offer additional services along the way.
The result? We’re already seeing positive effects on retention. This is measured primarily by the share of customers who agree during the call to receive an email with pricing and an invoice afterward. Currently, this conversion exceeds 20% of those called, demonstrating huge potential for boosting sales without adding strain to the team.
Numbers That Make Us Happy
Gradual Growth, No Revolution
We chose an evolutionary approach, not a revolution. Each phase allowed us to gain experience, test functionality in real operations, and avoid overloading the team or customers.
Thanks to this, the voicebot now helps where it makes the most sense – handling routine requests, expanding capacity outside business hours, and opening new opportunities for proactive customer communication.
And most importantly: there’s still room to add new scenarios for both inbound and outbound, integrate additional systems, and build on what already works.
About Pelikan Travel
Pelikán Travel is the largest travel platform in Slovakia, with over 20 years of history and operations in six European countries. Each month, it facilitates up to 30,000 flight bookings and employs around 150 people. Overall, the team handles more than 16,000 emails, 1,000 chats, and 6,500 calls per month. The company’s annual revenue reaches €110 million.
