Dive Brief:
- Yelp launched Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist — two customizable artificial intelligence solutions for answering restaurant phones 24/7 — to facilitate reservations and “collect project details,” the company announced on Tuesday.
- The services can answer diner questions, ask follow-up questions, take messages, transfer calls and identify spams.
- These applications build on several AI tools Yelp has offered to restaurants in the past, reflecting growing operator interest in the technology as a means to free up staff and better connect with diners.
Dive Insight:
Yelp’s new tools allow restaurants to select an AI voice that reflects the personality of their establishment, which could help restaurants connect with diners through customized technology — other restaurant tech products, like loyalty programs, also emphasize personalization and customization.
The website lists “Avery” as a sample AI voice personality, describing the tone as “Warm. Confident. Friendly.” Yelp also claims its collection of AI voices “sounds nothing like a bot.”
“These solutions combine large language models (LLMs) with Yelp’s high quality data and proprietary voice system, for a smarter, faster, and more human-like AI voice tailored to each individual business,” Yelp said in a press release.
These tools are created to engage more diners on the phone and drive more traffic to restaurants without burdening front desk staff with an influx of phone inquiries. These improvements to user engagement could deepen loyalty among existing customers if they find the voice applications palatable and appreciate the ability to reach their restaurant brand of choice quickly, rather than waiting on hold or navigating limited hours of operation
