Yelp Introduces AI Voice Assistants for Enhanced Customer Service
Yelp is rolling out AI-powered voice agents designed to assist restaurants and service providers in managing customer calls more efficiently. These agents can handle a variety of tasks, from answering basic questions to adding customers to restaurant waitlists.
Simplified Setup and Integration
Yelp's AI agents require minimal setup and integrate seamlessly with existing systems. They leverage existing business data, including pronunciation guides, custom greetings, and call forwarding rules. For restaurants, these agents can connect with management software to send reservation details after a call.
Key Features and Benefits
- Automated spam filtering and call analytics.
- Seamless handoff to human staff for complex inquiries.
- Post-call summaries, transcripts, and recordings for businesses.
- Improved lead conversion by handling calls when staff are unavailable.
Yelp Chief Product Officer Craig Saldanha highlighted the value of these agents for busy professionals, stating,
"Often, pros are working in difficult conditions and can't take a call. We wanted to build a product to help convert the leads that [normally might be] missed."
Powered by OpenAI
Yelp utilizes OpenAI's Realtime API, enabling the agents to engage in dynamic conversations and respond to follow-up questions. This technology, combined with Yelp's extensive knowledge graph, allows for more natural and informative interactions.
Focus on Continuous Improvement
Yelp emphasizes its commitment to evaluating new AI models to optimize performance, including latency, speech recognition accuracy, and overall customer experience. Saldanha believes that while voice technology will become more common, Yelp's unique data and AI handling will set it apart from competitors.
