Kato Pleasure Group Enhances Foreign Language Response with AI-Powered System

In an era marked by increasing inbound tourism, the Kato Pleasure Group, which operates a total of 98 hotels and restaurants globally, has turned to an innovative solution to manage the influx of foreign inquiries. The company's decision to implement Rakus’ AI-assisted automated inquiry response system, known as "Rakuraku Jidououtai" (formerly MailDealer), marks a significant leap in efficiency for their customer service operations.

The Challenge of Rising Inquiry Volume

As global travel resumes and interest in Japan surges, the Kato Pleasure Group's call center, which oversees booking for around 20 facilities, faced a pressing challenge. Following the introduction of Rakus’ system in 2024, the center found that nearly 90% of their incoming inquiries were now in English or Chinese. Staff members encountered three primary issues:

1. Time Consumption: The tedious task of copy-pasting between translation tools and email responses significantly extended the time required to address each inquiry.
2. Translation Accuracy: The nuances of Japanese expressions often did not translate well into English, leading to misunderstandings that could impact customer satisfaction.
3. Quality Variability: Newer staff often struggled to maintain consistency in response quality, resulting in a lack of uniformity in communication.

Addressing Challenges Through AI

To navigate these hurdles, Kato Pleasure Group began utilizing Rakus’ AI functionality. This innovative solution combines two key features to streamline communication:

- Automatic Response Generation: The system leverages historic response data to auto-generate draft replies to inquiries.
- AI Translation: Once a draft is prepared, staff can utilize the one-click translation feature to convert replies seamlessly into the required foreign language.

After generating the translation, staff can revert it to Japanese to ensure that no nuances are lost in the process before sending. Furthermore, for unique inquiries that may not fit standard replies, the system offers a 'custom generation' option. By outlining key points they wish to convey, even less experienced staff can produce professionally polished business emails with ease.

Achievements Post-Implementation

The results have been noteworthy: Kato Pleasure Group has experienced up to a 40% reduction in response time for inquiries. As the email creation, translation, and send-off processes are consolidated within the Rakuraku Jidououtai platform, staff are no longer required to jump between multiple tools, which has alleviated their workload significantly while also enhancing productivity.

- Standardized Quality: AI-generated reply drafts ensure that a high quality of communication is maintained irrespective of the individual staff member’s experience level.
- Confidence in Communication: With a dependable translation feature, staff can confidently respond to inquiries, alleviating the psychological pressure typically associated with multilingual communication.

All of these benefits were integrated into daily operations so effectively that within just a week, the entire team had adapted to this new system with minimal friction.

Rakus: A Leader in Automated Response Systems

Rakus, the company behind Rakuraku Jidououtai, has a solid track record in creating automated inquiry response systems. Since its inception in 2001, it has continually adapted its functionalities based on customer feedback, leading to more than 9,000 corporate clients and a remarkable 17-year streak as a market leader in sales share in the email processing sector. The response system addresses critical issues such as task automation and visibility in response activities, ultimately streamlining the inquiry response process.

For more information on the Rakuraku Jidououtai system, visit: Rakus Official Site