Running a restaurant just isn’t what it used to be.
Ask any professional in this industry, and you’ll quickly learn that finding success is infinitely harder.
Combatting rising food costs.
Hiring competent, skilled staff.
Meeting the expectations of today’s guests. (And these issues are just the tip of the iceberg.)
The tools and tech you depend on have to provide real value. Growth requires you to source technology that provides a genuine return on your investment.
You may have heard about how some restaurants turn to voice AI technology to manage their phones. And if you’re on the fence about it, it’s probably for a good reason. In this article, we’ll dive into one example of this technology and provide four solid reasons why you shouldn’t buy it for your business.
What exactly is Slang.ai? The phone is still an immensely critical form of communication for potential customers. It’s not unusual for busy restaurants to get thousands of calls monthly.
You either need someone answering the phones at all times or a conventional phone system .
On the other hand, you could explore the capabilities of something like Slang.ai. But what is it?
Short answer: Slang.ai is the best way for restaurant operators to answer phone calls.
Long answer: Slang.ai uses voice AI to automate phone answering for restaurants. Specifically, it allows you to manage reservations, answer frequently asked questions, and create an experience that mimics your top employee over the phone.
Slang.ai was built to empower your staff to focus on what matters – in-house guests. It can handle multiple calls simultaneously, 24 hours a day. Additionally, Slang.ai can manage reservations without human interaction, so you can increase bookings without compromising a consistent and excellent experience for all of your guests.
We’re proud of how we help restaurant operators, but we’re also not trying to kid ourselves. Not every restaurant needs voice AI phone answering.
(shocking 😱)
Why your business DOESN’T need Slang.ai Voice AI has been around for the better part of the last decade, but it’s only become a viable solution for restaurants in the past few years. It’s relatively new in this industry, partially explaining why many operators have hesitations.
Customers of Slang.ai definitely see the value in this technology, but let’s keep it honest. We may not be a great fit for you. So, let’s take a look and uncover four reasons why your business doesn’t need Slang.ai.
1. Your front-of-house staff needs more work to do Good talent is hard to find and expensive to replace. But maybe your restaurant doesn’t have as many challenges in this area.
Let’s assume you have a solid, well-trained staff. You know better than anyone that they have a lot of responsibilities. Balancing their duties is crucial for maximum efficiency, from preparing for the day to tackling peak service times.
One of the best ways to tell if you don’t need an AI phone answering is if your front-of-house staff has too much downtime. They’ve got sidework checklists, but there just isn’t enough to do once they've done everything.
Because of this, it’s best to instruct them to wait patiently by the phones and hope customers call in. And if you get a ton of calls during busy service times, your guests will totally understand if they have to wait for staff to get off the phone.
2. Your clientele prefers outdated tech You built and designed your restaurant to cater to a specific audience. From neighborhood institutions to more refined concepts, some restaurants will naturally have an older clientele.
But even today’s older guests aren’t entirely averse to technology. If you think about it, voicemail has been a thing since the 1970s. If your guests have been getting along fine with voicemail, it’s more than possible that they don’t want a better experience when calling your restaurant.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Some tech is great, but if its older counterpart still works just as well, why go against the grain?
For example, vinyl records are pretty cool. It’s the perfect medium for listening to an album, so there isn’t much point in a Spotify or Apple Music subscription.
Let’s say you get a call from a regular during busy service looking to make a reservation, but the staff is preoccupied at that moment. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that if they’re more of an old-school type, they’ll gladly wait for the voice recording to finish so they can leave a message and hopefully hear back within the next couple of hours (or days).
3. You don’t miss a single call, ever Although we don’t rely on phones as much as we did 20 years ago, they’re still pretty important to brick-and-mortar businesses. It’s hard to ignore that standards have changed and that in an age of instant gratification, an average of 85% of customers will call a competitor if their call goes unanswered.
Another way to judge whether AI phone answering is right for your business is how successfully you manage your phones. If this is an area your restaurant excels in, then a solution like Slang.ai might not provide the value you need.
Suppose your team is well-equipped to handle phone calls at all times, regardless of when they call. No call should ever go unanswered if your team is on the premises, right?
And if you have only one phone line, there’s a good chance some guests will call at the same time. Although it’s a tough pill to swallow, the limitations of a single phone line restrict your ability to answer every call.
There is the matter of what happens before and after business hours. It’s unsustainable to always have someone on call – unless you try out 24/7 call center services. These are known to be pretty expensive and tend to rely on workers who aren’t native English speakers, but they are still something to consider.
4. Your restaurant gets too many reservations While some restaurants struggle to keep demand consistent throughout the year, your restaurant may not have such a problem.
In some instances, guests are willing to wait up to four years to snag a table at a hot restaurant. If you’re rarely concerned about how many bookings your restaurant earns, then maybe AI phone answering isn’t for you.
Guests have it easier than ever to make reservations. With popular reservation management software like OpenTable and Resy, a significant chunk of your guests probably opt to book online. If nearly all your reservations come via these platforms or your website, then it makes little sense to prioritize guests who call to make a reservation.
We’ve established that guests are unlikely to call back if they can’t reach you the first time. On top of that, conventional phone systems and voicemail have serious limitations when it comes to booking reservations. However, if your restaurant is simply too busy and never has a table available months in advance, Slang.ai probably wouldn’t be of much use in booking more reservations.
Choosing the right tech matters No matter what solutions, tools, or technology you’re exploring, just remember that value is essential to keep in mind. It can be easy to get swept up by the excitement of AI. But again, the timing could be wrong or it might not be the right fit for what you need.
While Slang.ai might not be a good fit for your business, here’s a quick look at three businesses that did see the value in this technology:
The Genuine Hospitality Group used Slang.ai to facilitate 1,200+ voice phone reservations over a 90-day period.STUDS gained a 30% conversion rate on booking new appointments through Slang.ai.Burning Rice reported that Slang.ai handled 88.4% of calls without human intervention. Ready to learn how voice AI could be a perfect match for your business? Book a 10-minute demo to see Slang.ai in action.
