How restaurants are approaching voice AI in the drive-thru: Chakri Somisetti, VP of IT for Restau- rant Business International, discusses how the company is leveraging the efficiencies of voice AI while making sure not to alienate customers who still prefer a human interaction.
Does technology lower restaurant satisfaction?: Rich Shank, senior principal and vice president of innovation at Technomic, cautioned restaurants to make sure technology doesn’t inadvertently put distance between the customer and brand, noting that satisfaction scores tend to decline when more layers of technology — third-party platforms, kiosks, voice AI, etc. — sit between the guest and the brand experience. Why clunky technology is a ‘locked door’ for restaurants: Yosra Saleh, vice president digit- al marketing for Potbelly Sandwich Works, sits down with Restaurant Business’ Joe Guszkowski to discuss how tech functionality issues, such as slow load times or frustrating sign-ons, can damage loyalty. Customers demand speed and convenience, and even small delays can have an outsized negative impact: “In digital, 10 seconds is like 10 minutes.”
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