From Instant Booking to Instant Request
At GlobalAssist, we’ve always aimed to make our service fast, flexible, and personal. In the past, we experimented with instant booking for standard services—like a transfer from Antananarivo to Andasibe or airport pickups. While this made sense in theory, customer interest was low, and the model didn’t suit our approach well. However, removing these offerings from the website entirely felt like a missed opportunity.
A Smarter Alternative: Instant Request Forms
So, we introduced something new: instant request forms. These forms are linked to specific services or popular standard packages. They allow clients to request a service with a few basic details—like location, time, and destination—without needing to pay upfront. Prices are indicated with a "from" value, as final pricing depends on provider availability and custom preferences.
How It Works
When a user submits a form, the data is instantly sent via WhatsApp to both our booking manager team and the client. The client is asked to confirm their request, and in most cases, they reply not only with a confirmation—but also with extra preferences or questions. This leads to a personalized conversation, just like our regular WhatsApp-based service.
Why Not Just Use WhatsApp Directly?
A fair question. The answer lies in user preferences. One reason we pursued the form concept was feedback from a friend in Switzerland, an AI expert, who said he prefers filling out structured forms instead of chatting with a bot. And he’s not alone.
We had tried using an AI chatbot to gather client information before passing it to our booking managers. But the process often felt slow and frustrating for customers. We’ve since allowed our managers to interrupt bots and take over manually—an improvement, but not a full solution.
Instant Request Forms: The Best of Both Worlds
So we replaced the chatbot and instant booking with instant request forms. The idea was compelling, and we went live the same night. At first, no requests came in—until we found and fixed a technical bug. Suddenly, requests started flowing, and our booking team was thrilled. The requests were structured, complete, and easier to manage.
Why Clients Love It
Many users still prefer starting a simple WhatsApp chat like: “Hello, I’d like a driver.” That’s totally fine and always available. But now, a growing number of clients prefer using the online form—it’s faster, cleaner, and easier for everyone. And for us, it saves time and helps us deliver better service.
Scaling It Beyond Madagascar
Today, a large part of our incoming requests come through these new forms. This small innovation has helped us communicate standard services on our website while preserving the flexibility and human touch our customers love. That’s why we’ve started rolling out the same solution in Tanzania and will include it by default in all new countries we launch.
One Step Closer to Our Mission
With this improvement, we’re one step closer to delivering the perfect customer experience. By making booking faster and more efficient, we can serve more people, improve quality, and fulfill our mission to make life better—one personalized request at a time.
