Rohini knows the traveller service inside out. She started seventeen years ago as a travel advisor at 9292 and progressed through marketing and sales to her current management role. She is now responsible for marketing communications, traveller service, and data management. This combination gives her a broad perspective on the changing information needs of travellers.

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Telephone accessibility remains relevant

Since its founding in 1992, 9292 has evolved from an organisation with nine call centres into a digital travel information provider. Nevertheless, telephone service remains important. Travellers call for travel advice, pricing and subscription information, and support during unexpected situations.

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According to Rohini, during strikes or extreme weather, the demand for telephone support can even rise to four times the usual volume. At the same time, regular call volumes have decreased significantly due to digitisation. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to keep extensive telephone opening hours cost-effective.

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9292 has been working with Yource for telephone traveller service since 2015. Service during opening hours is now carried out entirely from Suriname. However, there is frequent contact with the customer service team in the Netherlands to handle specific traveller queries.

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AI makes telephone service available 24/7

The declining call volumes and the ongoing need for accessibility prompted the development of a new solution in collaboration with Yource. Using the generative AI technology Yava.ai, a voicebot was built to independently answer travel questions outside of regular opening hours.

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The solution combines 9292's existing travel advice API with Yource's voice-to-voice technology. Travellers state where and when they want to travel, after which the bot retrieves current travel information and speaks the travel advice. The advice can then also be sent via SMS, allowing travellers to view their route digitally.

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The bot can also refer callers to transport operators for complaints or lost property. More complex questions regarding subscriptions and personal situations are currently beyond its capabilities.

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Natural conversations require smart technology

What surprised Rohini most was how human the interaction feels. At the start of the call, the traveller is informed that they are speaking to an AI agent, and during the conversation, subtle confirmations and natural pauses ensure a smooth interaction. Additionally, a typing sound is sometimes heard when the bot is processing information. "Callers sometimes completely forget that they are talking to a bot."

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Listen to a recording of how this sounds in practice here

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The development required about a year of preparation. The integration between systems and the correct recognition of locations, in particular, required attention. After all, a location must be interpreted precisely to retrieve the correct coordinates and provide the right travel advice.

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For 9292, reliability and consistency were paramount. The telephone advice had to match the information on the website and in the app. "You don't want to be told something different by customer service than you are via webcare or over the phone."

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Initial results and continuous improvement

Since its introduction at the end of July 2026, 9292 has been analysing the performance of the voicebot on a weekly basis. This involves looking at incoming questions, resolution rates, and conversations that require improvement.

According to Rohini, based on analysis and dashboarding, 50 to 60 percent of calls are fully resolved. That percentage is currently indicative. The quality of the conversations is also being examined. Through sentiment analysis, less successful calls are selected and listened to afterwards.

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"Callers sometimes completely forget that they are talking to a bot."

Rohini Persad-Bhaggoe

Manager Marketing & Traveller Service 9292

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This monitoring has already led to improvements. For instance, the bot initially reacted in ways that weren't always ideal when travellers took a long time to respond. Such responses have since been adjusted.

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The pricing model for this type of service is based on the number of contacts actually handled, with costs amounting to approximately one-third of a live customer contact.

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Collaboration as the foundation for successful innovation

According to Rohini, the long-standing partnership with Yource played a significant role in the development. Developers, operational managers, and project staff from both organisations worked together on the technical integration and practical application.

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For Rohini, the way of working together is the deciding factor. “Working closely together throughout the process, not as client and supplier, but as equal partners.” This collaboration remains important even after the launch. Both organisations regularly discuss performance and explore which functionalities can be further developed.

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Human contact remains part of the service

Although initial experiences are positive, Rohini does not expect any further reduction in staffed opening hours for the time being. A significant portion of the telephone target group consists of older people who value personal contact.

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The possibilities for expansion are certainly there. She sees opportunities for additional languages and making more information available via the bot. This would allow 9292 to make its services accessible to a wider group of travellers.

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According to Rohini, the most important lesson for other customer contact organisations lies in finding the right balance between technology and human service. For 9292, that means continuing to invest in digital innovation while ensuring personal contact remains available for travellers who need it.

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