#CES2022 Speak 109 Different Languages w/ @Kotozna
At #CES2022 Kotozna, Inc., a Tokyo-based communication tech startup, will demonstrate its digital concierge platforms for the travel and lodging industries that enable speakers of 109 different languages to talk with one another in their native tongues in real-time.
‘Kotozna In-room’ is specifically designed to help hotels and inns communicate with their guests, while ‘Kotozna Live Chat’ is intended for tourism organizations, such as the operators of regional visitor information centers. Both platforms only require a quick scanning of a QR code to launch them on the web on any smartphone, tablet or PC.
The platform can instantly remove language barriers for all, allowing businesses to dedicate their personnel resources to other areas of their operations. They can also easily customize the platforms to provide coupons, sightseeing information and various other services, and to analyze their communication data to gain marketing insights.
Kotozna CEO and founder Genri Goto told us “Kotozna’s patented machine translation engines enable highly accurate multilingual communications to make language barriers a thing of the past. Both ‘Kotozna In-room’ and ‘Kotozna Live Chat’ not only prevent miscommunication but also help user organizations understand their customers’ needs to develop more effective business strategies and achieve operational cost reductions and revenue increases. We are excited to introduce these one-stop solutions for the travel and hospitality industries at CES 2022.”
- ‘Kotozna In-room’ is a newly developed communication tool for lodging facilities based on the multi-lingual chat tool “Kotozna Chat” (supports 109 languages as of the end of November 2021). There’s no need to download any apps. Guests need only to scan a QR code with their smartphone to see facility and sightseeing information displayed in their own language. They can also chat with hotel/inn staff from anywhere in the facility in their native tongues. The platform comes with a “chatbot” that can also provide automatic answers to frequently asked questions, allowing staff to focus on providing a higher level of hospitality. The system can handle a menu of up to 60 items on 10 themes, including guest services and coupons. Use of “Kotozna In-room” will enhance virtual “non-contact” communication between staff and guests to maintain “social distance” and “avoidance of 3Cs (crowded, closed and close),” while achieving multi-lingual support, work efficiency and revenue increases, all at the same time.
- ‘Kotozna Live Chat’ was developed based on the multilingual communication tool, ‘kotozna Chat’ (as of November 2021, capable of cross translating 109 languages). ‘Kotozna Live Chat’ is for organizations, including those in the tourism industry, which receive a large volume of multilingual inquiries from around the world. A click on a chat icon opens a chat screen, and a customer can type in their inquiry in their own language. The customer will be automatically connected to the relevant operator depending on the language and content of the message. On the operator’s side, the system will allow operators to handle multiple chats at once. Messages are auto translated to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of communication.
Kotozna uses its technology to enable people from around the world to communicate without language barriers. The company also aims to foster regional economies with the use of its technology. The company’s mission is particularly important in rural Japan where many small businesses rely on their revenues from in-bound tourism while experiencing critical labor shortages due to the country’s aging population. Founded in 2016, Kotozna has released, Kotozna In-room, in September 2020 in Japan and plans to expand the offering to the global market in January 2021.
Categories: Scuttlebut
