Why artificial intelligence

The marketing team sought a tool that would provide tourists with answers outside hotline hours, ensure uniform communication standards, and help reduce queues at ticket counters by proposing various ticket purchase alternatives like online purchases. The choice fell on ChatLab - a platform enabling rapid creation of specialized bots and easy updating of their knowledge base.

Eight bots, one goal

Within three weeks, eight virtual assistants were implemented, divided thematically and linguistically. Two virtual guides (PL/EN) handle responses in the mine touring area: from ticket price information through attraction characteristics to safety regulations and organizational matters. The next two bots support conference and event organizers, the following two support the Health Resort, and the last pair serves Grand Sal Hotel guests. All chatbots operate 24/7, and thanks to proper training, they provide precise and accurate answers.

How chatbots changed tourist service

According to June 2025 data, bots served an average of 100 unique users daily, each asking an average of five questions. In July and August, this number exceeded 140 users daily. This means that already in June, chatbots were responsible for approximately 15% of daily customer interactions in providing information, and in July and August this number rose to 17%. Every third question was directed to the chatbot after 6:00 PM, beyond the Information Department's working hours - when the chatbot took over all service. The number of conversations grows month by month: May recorded 1.2 thousand conversations, June - 2.7 thousand chats, representing more than double growth. During vacation period, the number of conversations rose to 4.6 thousand in July and 3.9 thousand in August.

What has already been achieved

• 17% of daily interactions in customer information handled by bots (about 140 users daily, averaging five questions each)
• 30-34% of conversations take place after 6:00 PM when the hotline is closed
• Nearly 4-fold increase in conversations in the fourth month after implementation (May: 1.2k conversations → July: 4.6k conversations)
• Guests from 25 countries conducted dialogues in 20 languages
• Guest sessions that included chat conversations lasted on average almost three times longer (17 min 16 sec) than sessions without chat (7 min 25 sec)
• In 69.3% of sessions with chat, a key event was triggered, such as a transaction, catalog download, contact form submission, or price list access. For other sessions, this percentage was 42.9%
• According to the marketing team: 'fewer and fewer errors, and most responses are already at optimal level'

Benefits for staff and visitors

Thanks to the chatbot, information and reservation point employees can focus on more complex matters, such as registering organized groups or serving people with special needs. Tourists gain quick access to answers - even outside ticket office and hotline hours. For the "Wieliczka" Salt Mine, the project also has image significance - the presence of modern tools fits perfectly with the strategy of making cultural heritage accessible using new technologies.

Daily cooperation, daily learning

Launching eight bots proved to be an exercise in patience and precision. The amount of knowledge was enormous - regulations, price lists, route descriptions, safety and tour organization, mine history and geology. However, the real challenge lay in the complex rule structure:

• Many routes, many languages - Tourist Route tours are conducted in Polish, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian and Ukrainian, while Miners' Route tours are in Polish and English. Each tour language has its established schedule.
• Individual versus group tours - different capacity limits and specific reservation conditions.
• School trips - separate educational packages, tour rules and preferred entry times.
• Packages and discounts - family tickets, attraction combinations like routes with Graduation Tower stays, thematic tours combined with meals or concerts.

The first versions of the bot got lost in this thicket of exceptions. The ChatLab team and the Marketing Department staff of the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine met daily, testing dialogues and fine-tuning the rules. Each session meant new labels in the knowledge base, more exceptions in the term parser, and small adjustments to the tone.