Unlocking New Productivity with Voice AI
QSR operators face numerous daily challenges, from managing busy kitchens to ensuring excellent customer experiences. With so much to handle, it’s easy to overlook one critical task—answering phone calls, especially during peak business hours. The unpredictability of call volume makes it one of the hardest tasks to plan for.
However, phone calls are vital for QSRs. Missing even one call can lead to lost revenue and dissatisfied customers. Efficient call handling is crucial to maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction.
Balancing phone calls while attending to in-house guests can be overwhelming. This is where an AI-powered phone answering service can make a significant difference. Here’s why adopting this technology is a smart move for your QSR.
Overcoming the Phone Call Hurdle in QSRs
For quick-service restaurants, phone calls can be both a necessity and a challenge.
They are critical for answering customer inquiries about operating hours, menu options, orders, catering, and gift cards. Yet, they can also interfere with the flow of operations.
Disruptions to In-House Service: Phone calls often divert staff attention from on-premise customers and kitchen tasks. This can reduce efficiency and compromise service quality. Even managers may find themselves pulled away from overseeing operations.
Lost Revenue Opportunities: Tight margins leave little room for error. A missed call could mean a lost customer. Research shows that 85% of customers will turn to a competitor if their call isn’t answered.
Multiple Calls During Busy Hours: Simultaneous calls during peak times can overwhelm staff, leading to dropped calls or rushed conversations.
After-Hours Questions: Customers frequently call with simple questions about reservations or hours when the restaurant is closed, missing opportunities to convert inquiries into business.
How Voice AI is Transforming Restaurant Operations
Voice AI provides a solution to these challenges while maintaining the high level of service your customers expect. Unlike traditional automated systems, modern voice AI can understand and interpret human speech with remarkable accuracy, ensuring personalized and helpful customer interactions.
AI phone services for restaurants offer more than a “Press 1 for hours” menu. They provide a conversational interface that allows customers to quickly get answers to their questions. This lets your staff stay focused on critical in-house tasks without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
The Evolving Role of Voice AI in Ordering Systems
While AI technology for restaurants has great potential, challenges remain—particularly with AI ordering systems. Human involvement is still necessary to manage situations like complex menu inquiries or unexpected conversational turns.
For example, McDonald’s recently concluded its drive-thru AI test with IBM. While the initiative showed promise, it highlighted the limitations of current AI ordering systems. Despite this, McDonald’s recognizes the long-term importance of automated ordering technology.
AI’s greatest strength lies in enhancing efficiency and enabling staff to focus on higher-value tasks. Until the technology advances further, AI’s most impactful applications lie outside of ordering, such as phone answering.
Meet Workforce.ai: Your AI Answering Solution
While no phone system can replace your exceptional team, Workforce.ai can streamline operations and make their jobs easier. This AI-driven answering system supports QSR operators by handling phone calls 24/7 with voice AI automation. It addresses frequently asked questions and provides a phone experience that mirrors your best employee.
Workforce.ai empowers your team to prioritize in-house guests while ensuring no call goes unanswered. The system handles multiple calls simultaneously, delivering accurate information at any time of day or night.
For full-service restaurants, Workforce.ai also facilitates booking and modifying reservations without human involvement.
Four Game-Changing Benefits of AI Phone Answering for QSRs
Adopting AI-driven phone answering solutions can transform how your quick-service restaurant handles customer interactions. Here are four key benefits:
Enhancing Staff Efficiency and Reducing Errors: Your team is already juggling numerous tasks. AI takes the burden of routine calls off their plates, allowing them to focus on delivering excellent service. Workforce.ai can handle 75-85% of calls during business hours, forwarding only the most complex ones to human staff. This reduces disruptions and improves workflow.
Guiding Customers to Preferred Ordering Platforms: Many restaurants prefer certain ordering platforms or their own websites over third-party services to avoid commission fees. AI phone answering services like Workforce.ai can direct callers to your chosen platform, even sending links via SMS. This not only cuts costs but also encourages prepaid online orders, reducing no-shows.
Delivering Consistent Customer Experiences: Customers expect excellent service whether they’re on-site or on the phone. During busy times, rushed conversations or missed calls can frustrate callers. Workforce.ai ensures every caller receives accurate and consistent information, including updates on specials and promotions that staff might overlook during peak hours.
Providing 24/7 Coverage: Workforce.ai acts as an always-on extension of your team, answering routine calls even after hours. This constant availability ensures that every customer inquiry is addressed, whether your restaurant is open or closed.
Ushering in a New Era for Quick-Service Restaurants
Integrating AI phone answering systems like Workforce.ai can alleviate the challenges of managing phone calls. By improving efficiency, minimizing errors, directing customers to preferred ordering methods, ensuring consistent service, and offering 24/7 availability, Workforce.ai can revolutionize your restaurant’s operations.
Stay ahead of the curve by adopting AI phone answering technology. Discover how Workforce.ai can transform your customer interactions and operational efficiency by scheduling a demo today.
