The benefits & ROI of AI answering services for restaurants
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The phone rings during peak hours at a busy restaurant shift. Your host briefly apologizes to customers inquiring about their wait time to answer the call. It’s a request for a reservation, which the now-frazzled host enters in your reservation system. Moments later, the same thing happens, except this time, it’s a spam call offering an extended warranty on a car.
This scenario plays out again and again in restaurants across the country, impacting the customer experience and wearing out human staff. But what if an AI answering service for restaurants could automate most of the phone-related work?
Explore what an AI-powered restaurant answering service can do, its benefits, how it can boost profits, and how it fits into existing restaurant automation systems.
What is an AI answering service for restaurants?
An AI answering service uses artificial intelligence to handle incoming restaurant calls, respond to inquiries, manage reservations, and answer frequently asked questions (FAQs). You can even choose the AI voice you want to use. Each one has a different personality to represent your brand and sound like a human, not like a bot.
Some key functions of an AI phone assistant include:
- Answers calls 24/7, even during peak call volume hours or after closing time
- Helps guests make reservations
- Responds to FAQs (such as hours, address, menu items, or pet-friendliness)
- Handles customer inquiries about wait times
- Filters out spam calls, saving time and frustration
- Integrates with whatever reservation platform you’re using, like Yelp Guest Manager
Here’s an example of how the AI answering service would work in real life: A customer calls to book a table. The AI assistant confirms the table’s availability, books the reservation, logs the reservation in the restaurant’s system, and sends a confirmation text. This can all happen within seconds.
4 key benefits of AI answering services for restaurants
Having a 100% attentive AI phone agent can deliver a number of benefits for restaurants, including these four:
- Ensures no call goes unanswered
- Reduces staff interruptions
- Provides 24/7 coverage
- Captures useful guest data
Take a closer look at each one.
1. Ensures no call goes unanswered
With an AI answering service, you’ll reduce missed restaurant calls because the AI assistant is always available. There’s no more worrying about phone lines being busy, voicemail being full, or staff being unavailable.
Since every single call is answered, you reduce missed opportunities for reservations, especially during peak hours.
A customer wants to call and make a reservation past closing time for the next day? No worries—it’s automatically booked in your reservation system like Yelp Guest Manager, where it syncs seamlessly as a key add-on.
A wrong phone number or a spam call? No wasted time for hosts—these are simply filtered out.
Common questions like address or menu item availability? Yelp Host has got it covered so your staff can turn tables faster.
2. Reduces staff interruptions
During a busy shift, front-of-house (FOH) staff need to be in the zone so service flows seamlessly. Interruptions like phone calls can distract staff, slow down service, and impact the guest experience.
Restaurant phone automation frees up staff to focus on customer interactions and turning tables. Plus, considering up to 21% of phone calls are unwanted robocalls, this can save staff a lot of headaches.
3. Provides 24/7 coverage
Customers who decide, on a whim, that they want to phone in reservations at 2 a.m. are covered if you have an AI answering service like Yelp Host. Rather than going to voicemail, the call is answered by the AI assistant, and the reservation is booked in the system.
4. Captures useful guest data
Your AI assistant can collect customer preferences, like outdoor seating or special requests. Each conversation is transcribed to keep staff in the know. The details will be automatically logged, and staff will see the customer’s request.
What’s the ROI of an AI answering service?
Investing in an AI answering service can lead to significant savings and increased sales.
Start by choosing an affordable service option like Yelp Host. The price is $149 for 500 calls per month or only $99 per month for Yelp Guest Manager customers. You can even try it free for up to 30 days to see the ROI in action before making the investment.
Here are the savings and profit-boosters to watch for.
Time savings
Think about your call volume and how much time fielding calls each week. An AI receptionist reduces staff time spent on phones, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks like upselling or turning tables. For small businesses where staff often wear many hats, this can be a lifesaver and make for simplified workflows and less stress.
Additional reservations
Since an AI phone system doesn’t miss a beat, every call is answered. This means calls that may have been missed can be converted into bookings or phone orders—translating directly into more revenue for the business.
AI solutions can similarly optimize waitlist management, handling inquiries about wait times and sending links via text to join the waitlist without any human input necessary. Pair this with the highly accurate wait times provided by Yelp Guest Manager, and you’ve got a winning combination.
Improved customer reviews
Fast, professional responses to customer inquiries lead to better guest experiences. These then translate into improved online reviews, which can have a dramatic impact on a restaurant’s performance. Guests that leave 5-star reviews praising quick, friendly phone interactions can encourage others to do the same, leading to a snowball effect and driving more bookings.
Will an AI answering service integrate with existing restaurant systems?
Yes, a good AI answering service for restaurants will sync with your existing FOH and reservation management system. That’s the whole point, really. Seamless compatibility with existing software means no hiccups in translation and no need for human intervention.
Yelp Host syncs in real time with your existing table management system to slide new reservations into the already fully customizable table management platform, ensuring no double-bookings or other bottlenecks in service.
Coordinated data means customer preferences are automatically saved in Guest Manager’s guest profiles, giving restaurant owners plenty of data to work with. Plus, Guest Manager syncs with POS systems, which means online ordering doesn’t take a back seat—it’s all moving together.
AI Answer Service FAQs
Naturally, people have lots of questions about new services like AI answering services. Here are answers to some of them.
What is the best AI answering service for restaurants?
Yelp Host is the best AI answering service for restaurants. It works on its own or alongside any reservation system you’re already using. Yelp Host pulls information directly from your Yelp page and can be set up in 10 minutes with a customized greeting and a personalized human-sounding voice. You’ll enjoy 24/7 call management that can filter out spam, take reservations, and answer customer questions.
How does AI answering work for reservations?
With Yelp Host as your AI answering service, the AI assistant can handle phone reservations seamlessly. It checks your reservation system for real-time availability, books the reservation, and sends confirmation to the guest—all without staff involvement.
For example, if a customer calls on a Tuesday to book a table for 6pm on a Wednesday, it’s all automatically entered into the system, including customer preferences.
Can AI help reduce missed calls?
Yes, AI can absolutely reduce missed calls in restaurants. AI picks up every call, even during peak hours, so the phone never goes unanswered. Plus, with its ability to take reservations and filter out spam calls, you’ll never miss a big reservation again or waste time on robocalls or wrong numbers.
AI answering services are the future for modern restaurants
With its benefits and ROI, an AI answering service isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s quickly becoming a must-have for modern restaurant operations. AI answering services mean no more missed opportunities, less hassle for staff, easy automation of reservations and waitlists, and 24/7 coverage.
If you want to see automated call management in action, try Yelp Host free for 30 days. It syncs perfectly with Yelp Guest Manager to make an all-in-one suite that covers a restaurant’s FOH needs.