By Contributor,Gene Marks

Copyright forbes

Restaurant reserved table sign with places setting and wine glasses ready for a party

As we head into a new year, many business owners are still wondering if AI actually has real value for their company. The answer is absolutely yes. But it depends on the AI technology they’re using. Voice recognition is one example.

While there are some reports of companies finding “no significant bottom-line impact” to their AI investments and a large number of AI projects “failing to deliver measurable profit-and-loss impact” there are other surveys saying that generative AI adoption at small businesses is “surging.” Big brands are spending millions on their AI initiatives, with lukewarm results. But I’m starting to see AI platforms emerge for smaller companies that are actually generating ROI.

One example is Slang AI.

Voice Enabled AI For Reservations

Slang AI is an agentic AI platform that uses voice recognition to book tables at restaurants without human involvement. If you own or manage a restaurant you know that taking reservations from prospective diners is core to your operations. The problem is that it’s a time-consuming process and – at least up until now – requires a paid employee to answer calls, respond to questions and update the reservation book. Slang AI mostly replaces this function with a bot.

Are people still making reservations on the phone? Absolutely. Like newspapers, cable TV and classic rock, people have preferences, and a significant number of diners still prefer to call a restaurant to book a table.

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“Groups tend to call, last-minute reservations tend to call, and business travelers and tourists tend to call.” Alex Sambvani, Slang AI’s co-founder and CEO told me. “We often hear people calling from their cars.”

Slang AI doesn’t replace online reservation systems like OpenTable or Resy. It’s a complement.

“Big-picture, OpenTable integrates with the most widely used restaurant software to help restaurants maximize revenue and manage their business in one place,” said Sagar Mehta, OpenTable’s Chief Technology Officer. “Our voice AI integrations with Slang AI helps satisfy three key needs: helping fill seats by taking reservations 24/7 (incorporating OpenTable’s real-time availability), creating operational efficiencies by reducing time spent manning the phones, and powering hospitality by getting guests information they need quickly and around the clock.”

A Bot Voice Vs. A Human Voice

No one likes talking to a bot, me included. I’m the guy who, when a bot is detected on the other line, furiously pushes “0” fifty times to be transferred to a human. Slang AI, like most intelligent companies, realizes that there are times when a human is better than a bot.

“Sometimes questions are more complicated than what our AI agent can handle like asking about parking or allergies or special needs,” said Sambvani. “We believe in giving guests choice. So if a guest wants to bypass the system, we let them.”

That said, attitudes are changing. And, just like my doubts about online payroll, Starbucks coffee shops in strip malls and people getting into strangers’ cars instead of taxis – I’m eventually going to give in to reality. Voice enabled AI systems like Slang AI will be ultimately be everywhere and we will be talking to bots all the time. Most of the time we won’t even know it. The smarter platforms will be upfront and disclose that the call is being answered by an AI agent with the choice of transferring to a human if desired.

“A year ago, 33 percent of guests would just try and bypass the system immediately,” Sambvani said. “Today that’s closer to between 22 and 25 percent. Even so, it’s important to make sure we’re super-explicit that the guest is speaking to an AI agent.”

AI Voice Platforms Replacing Jobs

Everyone seems terrified that AI will take away jobs. And in some industries – software development, customer service as examples – that is obviously the case. But for restaurants? Sambvani rejects that claim.

“Pretty much every restaurant in the United States is currently operating at a labor deficit,” he said. “So what happens when our product gets installed is we’re just giving the existing staff more relief.”

Sydney Grims agrees. As the Director of Business Development at Fearless Restaurants, a restaurant chain with 14 locations, two hotels, and over 1,500 employees, she’s uses Slang AI not to replace workers but to better maximize productivity and revenues.

“This is not to reduce head count,” she said. “We cannot get rid of greeters. Our goal is to provide easy answers to guests quickly. We had over 250 coinciding calls at one restaurant in a week… that’s about a thousand covers we would just lose without this platform.”

Grims says that using this platform – which is always on and ready 24/7 – reduces the time spent manning the phones, and gets her guests information they need “around the clock.”

Slang isn’t cheap. Grims says she pays about $450 per month per location, so it may not be right for the smallest of businesses. But for her the customer service benefits outweighs what she’s paying.

“I want my greeters at the front door talking to guests, not on the phone,” she said. “I find it incredibly annoying when you walk in and the greeter is on the phone. To me, the biggest thing isn’t just answering questions – it’s the customers potentially being lost from multiple calls at once. That’s where the opportunity cost is.”

Voice enabled AI is providing ROI for restaurants. Expect to see lots of more this type of technology benefitting small businesses in the near future.

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