AI chatbots have grown significantly in popularity over the past few years, with many consumers saying that they prefer conversing with chatbots on a website rather than having to make a phone call. Any restaurant that has customers coming to its website could benefit from having an AI chatbot on it.
However, some industries have had difficulties in incorporating AI chatbots on their websites, while others have found them easy to use. If you’re running a restaurant, for example, should you get an AI chatbot for your website? Let’s look at four potential benefits of having an AI chatbot on a restaurant website.
1. Answer Routine Questions
For a restaurant, most of the questions you receive will be routine. Questions like, “What are your hours on Saturday?” “Do you have a kids’ menu?” “Do you serve ceviche?” “How do I set up a reservation?” and other, similar inquiries will make up the majority of the questions your customers are likely to have.
With an AI chatbot, these questions can be answered automatically and instantly. Customers won’t have to search around on your website or pore over all six to eight pages of the PDF copy of your menu to figure it out. If they have to hunt for these answers, they might lose interest and choose another restaurant.
2. Frees Up Time for Employees
These chatbots are also a great help for front-of-house staff because they reduce the number of phone calls they’re likely to receive during working hours. Instead of answering the phone every five minutes to have a two-minute conversation in response to a one-sentence question, they can focus on helping customers already in the building.
3. Stand Out Amongst the Competition
The restaurant world is very competitive, and many restaurants find that simply having the best food isn’t always enough to sustain the business. Poor customer service, insufficient advertising, a subpar location, and similar issues could sink even a potential future Michelin-starred restaurant.
Not all of those issues can be resolved with an AI chatbot, but it’ll definitely help with improving customer service. Potential diners can have their questions answered with ease and, once they arrive, can enjoy excellent service from a staff focused on them and their party, instead of watching employees read the menu over the phone.
4. Handles Reservations and Take-Out Orders Instantly
An AI chatbot can also be an integral part of a reservations system. Some customers will prefer making reservations over the phone, so you’ll want a database that both you and the chatbot can share to avoid double-bookings. It can also handle deliveries and take-out orders for customers who don’t have the time to sit down but want to enjoy your delicious food.
Adding an AI chatbot can be a quick and easy process that will provide plenty of benefits to restaurant owners, their employees, and their customers. Simple questions can be handled automatically, reservations can be taken online, and employees will have more time to provide excellent customer service instead of spending the majority of their shifts answering telephone calls for these quick inquiries.