Founded last year, exClone is a startup based on digital agents and the cloning of human expertise.
The concept is talking agents with expert knowledge turning websites into 'talksites" and the startup claims nothing like this exists in the travel industry.
ExClone's 10-strong team includes founder and president Dr. Riza Berkan, cofounder and application software architect Oguz Akgungor, chairman and general counsel David Kuhn and treasurer and project lead Etienne Paris.
The startup is self-funded but says it's preparing for its first round of funding and believes exClone can tap into multiple markets including robotics, smart toys and education. When it comes to the travel sector startup says the market size will depend on how users adapt to interacting with a talking agent.
ExClone wants to partner with travel sites but is also looking at the potential for conversational advertising where talking agents recommend services and products.
What problem does the business solve?
Our business solves the problem of accessing information in a much more accurate, natural, contextual and expedient way. Humans choose to talk/chat for the fastest and most effective form of communication. Our vision is that static information (websites) will convert into talking agents in the near future.
How did the initial idea evolve and were there changes/any pivots along the way in the early stages?
The initial idea was consummated about a decade ago, but private research and development was undertaken by the founders for almost a decade. It is impossible to point out each pivotal point along the way. We took a huge risk, time and effort wise, to tackle the problem. Only recently we saw that our estimations were correct and a computer can be made to talk intelligently.
There is still so much to do going forward, however we realized that we have achieved the minimum viable product (MVP) stage.
Why should people or companies use the business?
Conversation/chat is the most effective form of communication. Companies not adopting this technology will eventually lag far behind in sales, marketing, and tech support.
What is the strategy for raising awareness and the customer/user acquisition (apart from PR)?
Social media, involvement of celebrities, and enterprise class information will power exClone. We already have requests from some celebrities to make their exClones.
Where do you see the company in three years time and what specific challenges do you anticipate having to overcome?
The apparent challenge is going to be to scale up the business. The technological hurdles are mostly handled. In three years, we should have penetrated into one market segment adequately for profit making.
What is wrong with the travel, tourism and hospitality industry that it requires a startup like yours to help it out?
It is easy to find information today if you know where you want to go. However, it is difficult to discover new places by single search queries using Google or other search mechanisms.
Phil the Voyager asks several questions and then suggests travel spots around the globe based on user input. The information Phil has access to is quite rich (over 30,000 locations) with photos and videos. Phil can also learn from the users via conversation about the users’ experiences for visited travel spots. Therefore, its knowledge grows organically.
What other technology company (in or outside of travel) would you consider yourselves most closely aligned to in terms of culture and style... and why?
None.
Which company would be the best fit to buy your startup?
Companies like Travelocity.
Describe your startup in three words?
Three words will not describe our business; however the travel niche can be generally be compartmentalised so:
Beyond travel intelligence.
Tnooz view:
One of the areas the online travel sector has struggled with is in trying to replicate the offline experience of having someone to talk to. Often with travel, consumers have a string of questions they want answered before they're happy to book.
As a result many online travel agencies, tour operators and airlines have found their way around the problem by introducing online chat services, virtual assistants and/or call-centres.
Thomas Cook, for example, said last year that its 'Ask and Answer' service had boosted conversion rates and increased engagement on the site.
Chat is good, especially when you're parting with a large sum of cash and the emotional well-being of the whole family is in your hands.
And, anything that boosts online conversion has got to be good especially given the shocking rates much of the industry pulls in.
Having a bank of experts behind online chat services costs money while virtual assistants have so far been little more than a talking Frequently Asked Questions service. So, if exClone can provide a service which truly clones human expertise at a cost-effective price point, it might be on to something.
Also, the idea of turning websites into talksites is interesting in terms of how much more interactive and user-friendly they could potentially become.
Knocking on doors will take time as will proving the concept to the travel industry but with Millennials leaning towards more automation and even expecting robots to be more helpful than humans, perhaps exClone will have a place.
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