HOLOGRAM HOST BY D&B: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR EVERY VISITOR

Jeroen Peters is the director of marketing and communications at D&B The Facility Group, a multi service provider for ambitious corporates and high-end real estate. For years he had been turning an idea over in his mind about how to offer clients a new kind of experience. With the Holobox, his vision has become reality. Using a livestream projection, it remotely brings D&B Hospitality Hosts on-site to clients. Visitors to the World Trade Center Amsterdam are already being greeted by a Hologram Host, and it’s getting rave reviews.

“The first time I saw a Holobox, I was amazed”, Jeroen remembers. “It was so lifelike that I instantly saw the potential for livestreaming to locations where we take care of hospitality services.” Only, there was one big proviso, Jeroen says: the livestream had to come with a two-way picture and audio connection. “That lets you have real interactions, which of course is what matters for visitors.” This was also a reason D&B had never experimented with holograms before: they weren’t realistic enough. But Jeroen thinks the Holobox is the perfect solution. “It adds value to the customer experience. Other holograms couldn’t be livestreamed and used prerecorded videos, whereas the human dimension, personal service and hospitality are the most important factors for D&B.”

Test lessons

How does the Holobox work? A live connection provides a video link to the Hospitality Hosts, who are available all day to answer visitor queries. Looking for a company in the WTC? No problem: the host can tell you where it’s located and how to get there. “We’ve tested the

Holobox at two locations now, in D&B’s head office and in the WTC.” Operationally and technically, we learned a lot, Jeroen says. “About things like location acoustics, since the microphones pick up a lot of the background noise, but also how to brief our hosts. It’s crucial for them to have a real sense of how they’re projected in the space when directing visitors or helping out with questions.”

Surprised visitors

So far, the concept has been extremely well received, reports Melissa Kooke, concept development manager at D&B. She is equally enthusiastic. “It’s fun to see people’s first reactions. They tend to be surprised when they realize it’s not a prerecorded film or artificial intelligence.” And, crucially, she says, “the hosts do in fact help people get where they need to go and give information.” Which means the Holobox is doing just what it’s supposed to: supplying what clients need and providing personal service.

Endless possibilities

In some cases, the Hologram Host could take over completely from a physical host, especially at smaller premises, “provided there are also connections enabling us to do things like remotely operate barriers and doors”, Jeroen notes. “What’s interesting about this is that just one physical host in the studio at D&B’s head office could serve multiple locations.” Another use could be providing backup or lending an extra virtual hand at larger offices or buildings. For example, if the physical host is called away from their spot, the Hologram Host could briefly cover for them. “That would be ideal for mixed-use settings with housing, offices and retail. A Hologram Host could take the place of a physical service desk there.” And then there are offices and campuses that have multiple buildings or are so large they can’t possibly put reception desks at every entrance or lobby: “In places like that, you could put a Holobox at side buildings or entrances. The possibilities are basically endless. We think this technology has massive potential to enhance efficiency and user experience, and hope to quickly expand it to more locations to impress our clients.”

Development Manager