By Ray Pasquale

In the ever-evolving landscape of the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry, pizza chains are now presented with an exciting opportunity to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance customer service. While AI has primarily been utilized to optimize operational efficiencies, pioneering restaurant owners are beginning to implement AI to improve customer interactions in real-time and through post-call analysis, all while safeguarding their brand reputation.

The Current State of AI in Quick Service Restaurants
To date, most AI applications in the QSR industry have focused on automations that help restaurant management reduce costs and optimize efficiencies. These include using AI for predicting sales, supply chain management and staffing needs. Although AI is integrated into ordering apps and bots, many stakeholders are hesitant to use AI in lieu of direct customer interactions due to concerns about misinformation or AI “hallucinations”.” However, this is beginning to change as innovative restaurant owners explore new ways to enhance customer service with AI.

Sentiment Analysis: A Key AI Application for Customer Service
One of the most promising uses of AI for customer service is sentiment analysis. Traditionally, sentiment analysis has been used to detect a caller’s demeanor—whether a customer sounds happy, frustrated or angry. However, the term “spoken word analytics” is more fitting, as AI can be used in various ways beyond detecting customer sentiment. For example, spoken word analytics can identify trends, persistent problems and opportunities for upselling customers.

Related: Dodo Pizza’s AI-powered ‘flavor generator’ creates a whole new app experience

Identifying Trends and Problems
AI-powered spoken word analytics can flag certain keywords such as “sampler” or “vegan,” indicating the volume of customers asking to bring back a menu item or create something new. With numerous third-party food delivery services available, spoken word analytics can also pinpoint if an unusual number of complaints are related to a particular delivery service. By being alerted immediately to potential problems or frustrated customers, managers can step in to resolve issues before they escalate to negative online business reviews that cannot be retracted.

Staff Engagement Grading Programs
Spoken word analytics can also be employed to improve the overall customer experience. By analyzing and grading staff members during customer engagements based on specific parameters, stakeholders can review staff report grades regularly to determine which staff members are following “the standard script” and performing well with customers, and which ones need additional coaching or reassignment.

Whisper Coaching
AI-based whisper coaching is another innovative application that quietly suggests to staff members how to upsell customers or provide top-notch customer service. For example, a whispered suggestion might remind a staff member to ask if the customer wants to upgrade to a large pizza for just a dollar more. Alternatively, a suggestion to a new staff member might remind them to offer a coupon only if the customer asks for one or to inform customers that delivery orders are taking slightly longer than usual due to the weather.

Safeguarding the Brand
Many restaurant owners are hesitant to use AI in customer interactions due to concerns about accuracy, professionalism and brand protection. Large language models like ChatGPT contain more data than necessary for guiding a pizza order. For instance, an app doesn’t need to understand the nuances of the fall of Rome to suggest a promotional upsell effectively. Smaller, vertically focused language models yield better results within the constructs of QSR.

Using AI instead of humans for customer interactions introduces another challenge: the potential distance created between the customer and the brand. This distance arises from utilizing various AI-based solutions, such as chatbots, to take orders. Safeguarding the brand involves not only identifying negative customer engagements but also enriching the human conversations between staff members and customers, thereby bringing the brand closer to the customer. Presenting suggestions quietly to the staff allows them to decide if a suggestion should be presented to the customer. 

Other capabilities, such as distinguishing calls involving customer orders from those between staff, help owners refine their operations and enhance customer service. For example, a call flagged with profanity might be between two employees, with one colorfully describing the reason for being late.

Related: The Chef vs. the Singularity: PMQ’s Brian Hernandez reviews 8 AI recipe ideas

Conclusion
Restaurant owners can now use AI to go from improving operational efficiencies through automation to proactively enhancing the customer experience and capturing additional revenues. Identifying customer trends and demands, whisper coaching to upsell orders, and identifying negative customer sentiment in real-time to address issues before they end up on ratings and review boards are just a few ways stakeholders can use AI today. 

When evaluating AI platforms and applications, look for vendors with language models specifically trained for the QSR industry. Ask about capabilities to safeguard customer interactions from AI hallucinations or fabricated information. Consider the use cases and applications that would apply best to your business. With proper implementation and training, restaurant owners can not only realize the power of AI for addressing operational efficiencies but also for providing excellent customer engagements and increased revenues.

Ray Pasquale is an accomplished telecommunications and data networking entrepreneur and is the founder and CEO of Unified Office. He has spent the last 20+ years as an entrepreneurial technology professional. Ray was a founding member of Sonus’s services organization, recruiting many of its most senior members. He has held senior technical, sales and management positions in industry-leading companies including Cascade, Ascend, Lucent and Digital Equipment Corp.

Unified Office is a leading communications technology company, constantly innovating to keep you ahead in a rapidly changing world. Unified Office’s unique Voice Over IP business communications platform, Total Connect Now^SM, is built on its patented Highest Quality Routing Protocol™ (HQRP™) transmission network. This ensures exceptional call quality and zero downtime over common Internet circuits.

Customers benefit from real-time AI-based business analytics, gaining valuable insights into business performance and customer behaviors through voice communications. Unified Office’s AI scans calls to identify issues, interests and market trends. Deployed since Q3 2013 and present in major markets across the U.S., scalable technology addresses significant needs in the Small and Medium-sized Business (SMB) market. For more information, call 877-589-3700 or visit  www.unifiedoffice.com.