Yelp recently announced they are launching new, AI-powered smart voice agents. These virtual agents will enable restaurants and service providers to spend dramatically less time having to handle customer calls and inquiries. This innovative technology addresses some of the biggest issues that industry leaders encounter in high-stress situations. It enables them to focus on providing a great experience rather than being inundated with inbound phone calls.
Voice agents will be a valuable frontline tool for businesses, simplifying basic customer inquiries and saving time and money in the process. Soon, they’ll even be able to put their customers on restaurant waitlists. This will allow staff to spend more time connecting with students in person and making quality food from scratch. By automating these low-level, repetitive, support tasks, Yelp aims to provide a better and faster customer experience while increasing productivity.
Craig Saldanha, a representative from Yelp, emphasized the need for such technology by stating, “Often, pros are working in difficult conditions and can’t take a call.” This is indicative of the catch-22 that so many service providers find themselves in attempting to meet competing demands all at the same time. AI voice agents’ ability to process thousands of simple calls will take the pressure off answering all inbound calls. In turn, employees will be able to do their jobs better than ever.
Furthermore, Saldanha noted the goal behind this initiative: “We want[ed] to build a product to help convert the leads that [normally might be] missed.” This is in Yelp’s DNA—their founders were religious about responding quickly to prospective customers. In fact, this approach is key to maintaining a competitive edge in the expanding service economy.
The AI conversational agents will field all your questions with conversational intelligence. They’ll even help you do things like personalize your experiences to increase your customer engagement. By providing immediate responses to inquiries about menu items, hours of operation, or reservation details, businesses can foster a more responsive and attentive atmosphere.