SoundHound’s Voice AI Starts Taking Phone Orders at 50 Jersey Mike’s Subs
An AI voice assistant built by SoundHound will soon take your phone order at 50 Jersey Mike’s Subs locations. The synthetic voice answering the phone can understand human speech and language well enough to take multiple customer orders simultaneously and accurately, freeing employees to focus on in-store customers.
Jersey Mike’s AI
The 50 Jersey Mike’s locations are just the initial rollout for SoundHound’s voice AI. After training on the entire Jersey Mike’s menu, the synthetic voice on the phone can handle any complex order. The AI can also leverage other information about Jersey Mike’s to answer questions about the menu, any special deals, and details about hours and parking options at any of the franchise locations.
“Jersey Mike’s customers know that we strive to provide quality in everything we do. The way we choose technology is no different,” Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems chief information officer Scott Scherer explained. “AI is becoming an important part of supporting restaurant staff and providing impeccable customer service, so we’ve partnered with SoundHound because they have the experience and expertise to make sure that our customers get their favorite sub exactly how they like it on time, every time.”
SoundHound has made restaurants a key element of its services over the last couple of years. The company acquired voice AI startup SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions for $25 million in December, which is projected to bring it to more than over 10,000 locations across 25 brands. That’s on top of the more than 100 White Castle drive-thrus using it, in some cases with a multimodal enhancement from Samsung and its MagicINFO interactive digital sign technology.
The potential for generative AI and LLMs in the food service space has sparked an acceleration in adoption. For instance, Presto and ConverseNow have both embedded ChatGPT’s model in their drive-thru AI services. McDonald’s recently struck a deal with Google Cloud to incorporate generative AI features into its restaurants after a limited focus on voice AI after the sale of McD Tech Labs to IBM.
Phone orders aren’t getting ignored in the voice AI adoption, of course, as seen at chains like Marcos Pizza. SoundHound positioned itself as an easy choice for restaurants exploring voice AI after making a deal with Square to add its phone-based voice assistant for restaurants with Square’s popular payment service almost two years ago.
“More than ever, restaurant customers are ordering for pick-up and delivery, and to keep them coming back businesses need to provide a slick, hassle free experience,” SoundHound CEO Keyvan Mohajer said. “Technology is now a critical part of that, and Jersey Mike’s is at the forefront of brands embracing AI to deliver first-class customer service – from when they place the order, to handing over the sub. We’re excited to be working with them.”
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