How Conversational AI Could Benefit Back of House

How Conversational AI Could Benefit Back of House

A growing array of restaurants and convenience stores are putting conversational AI at the forefront of customer experience. Yet the bigger opportunities could be in the back of house – where chatbots and voice skills can reshape how employees are onboarded, orders are filled and inventory is managed.

There’s no question that conversational AI is gaining momentum in the industry. From Dunkin’ and Denny’s to Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Wingstop, businesses are feeding consumers’ appetites for conversational experiences that enable more convenient and personalized interactions. Domino’s has gone a step further – enabling customers to place their usual order via chat using only a pizza emoji. Whether in the form of voice skills, chatbots or some combination, conversational AI makes it possible for QSRs and convenience stores to engage with customers from their homes, their vehicles or anywhere they’re carrying their mobile phones. When well designed, these capabilities can improve experience and strengthen loyalty.

But consumer demand isn’t the only reason to invest in conversational AI. There are also impressive opportunities to reduce friction – and improve profitability – in day-to-day operations.

Not sure where or how to get going? Think of conversational AI as a new “employee” and brainstorm where best to deploy it. Start by identifying pain points in your back-of-house and business operations. These questions may help get you started:

• What are the top sources of friction in your kitchen? What slows your staff during the lunch rush? What back-of-house processes require them to leave their stations, taking time away from preparing orders?
• How could conversational AI tools help streamline inventory management? When you run out of a key ingredient, what if your food preparers could edit menu options using only their voice – keeping them on the floor and ensuring that you don’t accept any orders that can’t be fulfilled?
• What if food preparers could use voice to hear recipe instructions or locate ingredients in the kitchen? Or, what if a voice skill could help improve timing when preparing multiple dishes for the same order?
• How could you use voice and/or chatbots to improve employee onboarding and training? Could these tools be used for simulations during the training process? How might a better employee experience help you reduce the costs and headaches of turnover?

While it’s never wise to rush ahead with a solution in search of a problem, every player in this space should be feeling a sense of urgency to catch up to – or surpass – the fast movers. Putting conversational AI to work in serving customers and supporting operations will be key to attracting and retaining customers, increasing profit margins and not letting your competitors eat your lunch!