Reducing Wait Times and Improving Accuracy: AI Phone Agents in Quick Service Restaurants

July 13, 2024

Reducing Wait Times and Improving Accuracy: AI Phone Agents in Quick Service Restaurants

AI phone agents are transforming fast food ordering, offering key benefits:

Cut wait times by up to 25%
Reduce order errors by up to 95%
Increase sales by up to 6% through smart upselling
Provide 24/7 ordering and multilingual support

Feature	AI Phone Agents	Human Order-Takers
Speed	Handle multiple orders simultaneously	One order at a time
Accuracy	Fewer mistakes	Prone to human error
Cost	Lower long-term expenses	Higher ongoing costs
Availability	24/7	Limited by shifts
Language	Multiple languages	Usually limited

Real-world examples show success:

Jet's Pizza: 5 million AI-powered orders, $6 million monthly earnings
McDonald's: AI suggestions in 9,500+ U.S. drive-thrus

While initial setup costs and integration challenges exist, AI phone agents offer significant long-term benefits for fast food restaurants seeking to improve service speed and accuracy.

2. Problems with Current Order-Taking Methods

Fast food restaurants face several issues with their current order-taking methods. These problems can make customers unhappy and hurt the business.

2.1 Long Waits During Busy Times

When restaurants get busy, customers often have to wait a long time for their food. This is a big problem:

Impact of Long Waits	Details
Customer Behavior	36% of fast-food customers have switched to a different restaurant or stopped visiting due to long waits
Business Consequences	Loss of customers, fewer sales

2.2 Mistakes in Orders

Wrong orders are common in fast food restaurants. Here's why:

Cooks may make mistakes when they're busy
Customers might not know how to order special items
Kitchen staff may misunderstand orders

These mistakes can upset customers and even cause health problems for people with food allergies.

2.3 How These Issues Affect Customers and Business

Long waits and wrong orders can hurt restaurants in many ways:

Problem	Effect on Customers	Effect on Business
Long Waits	Frustration, leaving without buying	Lost sales, bad reviews
Wrong Orders	Anger, health risks for some	Complaints, fewer return visits

3. What Are AI Phone Agents?

AI phone agents are computer programs that take orders and talk to customers on the phone. They use smart technology to understand what people say and respond like a human would.

3.1 How AI Phone Agents Work

Here's how AI phone agents handle customer calls:

Step	Description
1. Answer	AI agent picks up the phone
2. Greet	AI agent says hello to the customer
3. Listen	AI agent hears the customer's order
4. Process	AI agent understands the order
5. Clarify	AI agent asks questions if needed
6. Confirm	AI agent repeats the order to check
7. Send	AI agent puts the order in the restaurant's system

3.2 Main Technologies Used

AI phone agents use these key technologies:

Technology	What It Does
Natural Language Processing	Helps the AI understand human speech
Machine Learning	Lets the AI get better at its job over time
Speech Recognition	Turns spoken words into text the AI can use
System Integration	Connects the AI to the restaurant's computers

These tools work together to help AI agents take orders quickly and correctly.

4. How AI Phone Agents Help Fast Food Restaurants

4.1 Shorter Wait Times

AI phone agents can cut down wait times for customers. They take orders faster, which means:

Benefit	Details
Faster service	Restaurants can serve more people quickly
Less waiting	Customers spend less time in line
Happier customers	Shorter waits lead to better experiences

According to Valyant AI, these agents can cut wait times by up to 25%.

4.2 Fewer Mistakes in Orders

AI agents make fewer mistakes when taking orders. They use smart technology to understand what customers want. This leads to:

Improvement	Result
More accurate orders	Customers get what they asked for
Fewer remakes	Less food waste and faster service
Happier customers	People get the right food more often

Presto reports that AI can cut order errors by up to 95%.

4.3 Better at Suggesting Extra Items

AI agents are good at suggesting more items to customers. They look at what people order and offer things that go well with it. This helps:

Benefit	Outcome
Bigger orders	Customers might buy more
More sales	Restaurants can make more money
Happy customers	People might like getting good suggestions

Presto's AI has shown it can boost sales by up to 6% by suggesting extra items.

4.4 Always Available to Take Orders

AI phone agents can work all the time. This means:

Advantage	Impact
24/7 ordering	Customers can order anytime
No waiting for staff	Orders get taken even when it's busy
Late-night service	Useful for restaurants open late

4.5 Can Speak Multiple Languages

AI agents can talk to customers in different languages. This helps:

Feature	Benefit
Serve more customers	People who speak other languages can order easily
Fewer misunderstandings	Language barriers are less of a problem
Wider customer base	Restaurants can welcome more diverse customers

5. Problems with AI Phone Agents and How to Fix Them

While AI phone agents can help fast food restaurants, there are some issues to think about when using them. Here are some problems and ways to solve them:

5.1 Cost and Making Money Back

AI phone agents can be expensive to set up. Restaurants might worry about how long it will take to make their money back. To help with this:

Solution	How It Helps
Start small	Use AI agents only during busy times or in some stores
Look at long-term gains	Think about how AI can save money over time
Do the math	Figure out how much money AI might save or make

5.2 Working with Current Computer Systems

It can be hard to make AI phone agents work with the computer systems restaurants already use. To fix this:

Solution	Details
Work with experts	Find companies that know how to connect AI to restaurant systems
Use special software	Get programs that help different systems talk to each other

5.3 Teaching Workers to Use AI

Workers need to learn how to work with AI phone agents. This can be tough. Here's how to help:

Solution	What It Does
Give good training	Teach workers how to use and fix AI agents
Help workers adjust	Use ways to make workers feel good about using new tech

5.4 Helping Customers Use AI Agents

Customers might not know how to use AI phone agents. To help them:

Solution	How It Works
Give clear instructions	Put up signs or info on websites about how to use AI agents
Ask for feedback	Find out what customers think and make things better

6. Real Examples of AI Phone Agents in Use

6.1 Jet's Pizza: Using OrderAI

Jet's Pizza

Jet's Pizza has put AI phone agents to work in their stores. Here's what they've done:

Feature	Results
OrderAI Text and Talk	5 million orders taken
Text-to-order (since 2019)	4 million orders
OrderAI Talk (since 2022)	Over 1 million orders
Monthly earnings	$6 million across all stores

These AI tools have helped Jet's Pizza:

Take more orders
Make more money
Lower stress for workers

6.2 McDonald's: Using Dynamic Yield

McDonald's

McDonald's is also using AI to help with orders. They're using a system called Dynamic Yield that:

Feature	What it does
Smart suggestions	Recommends items based on time, weather, and popular choices
Where it's used	Over 9,500 U.S. drive-thrus
Future plans	All U.S. and Australian outdoor menus by year-end

McDonald's tested this system in some U.S. stores and found it worked well. Now, they're using it in over 12,000 drive-thrus to suggest items to customers.

These examples show how AI phone agents can:

Help customers order faster
Cut down on wait times
Boost sales for fast food places

7. AI Phone Agents vs. Human Order-Takers

7.1 Comparing Speed, Accuracy, and Cost

Let's look at how AI phone agents and human order-takers stack up in key areas:

Factor	AI Phone Agents	Human Order-Takers
Speed	Can handle many orders at once, cutting wait times	Can only take one order at a time, leading to longer waits
Accuracy	Make fewer mistakes in taking orders	Can make errors due to tiredness or distractions
Cost	Lower long-term costs, no need for breaks or benefits	Higher costs due to wages, benefits, and training

Speed: AI agents work faster because they can take multiple orders at the same time. This means customers don't have to wait as long. Humans can only handle one order at a time, which can cause delays when it's busy.

Accuracy: AI agents are less likely to get orders wrong. They don't mishear things or pick the wrong items by mistake. Humans might make errors if they're tired or distracted, even if they're trying their best.

Cost: AI agents can save restaurants money over time. They don't need pay, days off, or health insurance. Human workers cost more because restaurants have to pay them, give them benefits, and train them.

8. What's Next for AI in Fast Food Ordering

AI phone agents are changing how fast food places take orders. Let's look at what might happen next.

8.1 New AI Improvements Coming Soon

AI phone agents will get better at understanding customers. Here's what we might see:

Improvement	What It Means
Better speech understanding	AI can understand different accents
Smarter suggestions	AI remembers what you like and suggests similar items

These changes will make ordering easier for customers.

8.2 Connecting AI with Other Restaurant Tools

AI phone agents will work better with other tools restaurants use. This could lead to:

Connection	Result
AI + Kitchen displays	Cooks see orders faster
AI + Inventory tracking	Restaurants always have the right food in stock

When AI works with these tools, restaurants can:

Make food faster
Have fewer mistakes
Keep track of food better

As AI gets better, it will help fast food places work smoother and make customers happier.

9. Wrap-Up

9.1 Main Benefits of AI Phone Agents

AI phone agents have made big changes in fast food ordering. Here's what they do well:

Benefit	How It Helps
Shorter waits	Customers get their food faster
Fewer mistakes	Orders are more often correct
Suggest more items	Restaurants can sell more
Always working	Can take orders any time
Speak many languages	More customers can order easily

9.2 How AI Might Change Fast Food Restaurants

AI will keep changing how fast food places work. Here's what we might see:

Change	What It Means
More AI use	Faster and more correct orders
Personal ordering	AI remembers what you like
Better service	Happier customers

As AI gets better, fast food places will use it more. This could make ordering food easier and quicker for everyone.

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