Yelp is introducing AI-powered voice agents to help service providers, including restaurants, handle customer calls more efficiently. The company announced this development on Tuesday, revealing that the new technology will streamline processes like answering basic questions, managing restaurant waitlists, and handling reservations—all without the need for complicated setup or API integrations.
The Yelp AI voice agents are designed to be easy to deploy, using existing metadata and business-specific data, such as pronunciation guides, customized voice greetings, and call-forwarding rules. This makes the system accessible to businesses of all sizes, especially those without technical expertise.
Simplifying Call Management for Restaurants and Service Providers
For restaurants, Yelp’s voice agents can connect directly to the restaurant’s management software, allowing the agents to seamlessly handle tasks like confirming reservations or updating customers about waitlists. After a call, businesses receive a summary of the conversation along with a transcript and the audio recording, ensuring a comprehensive review of customer interactions.
Yelp’s voice agents also feature automatic spam filtering and call analytics, allowing businesses to filter out unwanted calls and better understand their customer interactions. The system can manage routine tasks but will hand off more complex requests to human staff when needed, ensuring that customers always get the right level of assistance.
Craig Saldanha, Yelp’s Chief Product Officer, explained that the AI system was designed to support service professionals who often work in challenging conditions. “We wanted to build a product that helps convert leads that might otherwise be missed,” Saldanha told TechCrunch.
Yelp’s AI-powered voice agents are powered by OpenAI’s Realtime API, allowing them to manage end-to-end calling while leveraging Yelp’s extensive knowledge graph. This integration enhances the agents’ ability to respond to follow-up questions, ensuring more dynamic and accurate conversations. Yelp continuously evaluates new models to improve latency, speech recognition accuracy, and the overall customer experience.
Saldanha believes that voice technology will become increasingly commoditized over time. However, he also noted that the real point of differentiation will be the quality of the underlying data and how well AI can handle customer queries. Yelp aims to stand out in these areas, leveraging its rich database and experience in customer interaction.
The rollout of Yelp’s AI voice agents comes at a time when many businesses are seeking ways to improve customer service while reducing operational costs. The new technology offers businesses a cost-effective solution for managing high volumes of calls without compromising on customer satisfaction.
Key Features of Yelp’s AI-Powered Voice Agents
- Ease of Deployment: Yelp’s agents do not require complex setup or API integrations, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
- Voice Customization: Agents can use pronunciation guides and customized greetings to match the business’s branding and tone.
- Integrated with Management Software: For restaurants, Yelp’s voice agents can send reservation details directly to customers, improving the overall experience.
- Advanced Call Handling: Yelp’s agents can manage routine calls, filter spam, and provide analytics while passing complex requests to human agents.
- Post-Call Summaries: Businesses receive detailed call summaries, transcripts, and audio recordings for easy review and follow-up.
With the introduction of AI voice agents, Yelp is looking to offer businesses a smarter, more efficient way to manage customer calls and enhance the service experience.
