16:13Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Yelp Launches AI Agent That Calls Restaurants to Check Wait Times
Yelp is launching a new artificial intelligence agent to check wait times at restaurants. The feature, called “Check for Me,” will appear on restaurant pages in the app. Users will enter the number of people in their party and their phone number. The agent will call the restaurant and send the result via SMS within a few minutes.
OpenTable integration has also been added to Yelp Assistant. This allows users to book a table directly through the app at thousands of restaurants across the US. For example, users can ask for dog-friendly coffee shops and reserve a spot at a suitable venue. The Yelp Waitlist feature allows users to join the waitlist before arriving at a restaurant. The assistant will send a notification when the table is ready. Personalized options are also expanding. Keep Me Posted will set reminders based on the user’s schedule and send recommendations, such as weekend plans, on selected days. The assistant will take into account preferences mentioned in previous conversations and the user’s reviews. The app will display conversation history from the past 30 days, with the full history becoming available later. Users will also be able to consider the local weather forecast when booking a table. Yelp will also make it easier to save, sort and rate favorite places in the My Lists section. The section will initially include 2 lists called Been Here and Want to Go. Users can filter lists by location, category and type of cuisine, reorder them, add notes and share them with others. Starting next month, personalized recommendations based on saved places and ratings will be displayed every week. Later this year, collections will be converted into lists. The section’s design will also be updated, and a map view will be added. A paid artificial intelligence tool called Smart Lead Reply is also being introduced for businesses. The service will respond to customer inquiries, ask follow-up questions and make an initial assessment of whether they are potential customers. Business owners will be able to decide in advance how the agent should conduct the conversation. The service will cost 30 dollars (51 manats) per month. Yelp Assistant was first introduced in 2024. The voice system for restaurants and service companies was launched last year. The new feature makes that technology available for customers to use as well. However, a user’s artificial intelligence agent may end up talking to a restaurant’s artificial intelligence agent. In such cases, there is a risk that communication between the automated systems could break down.
OpenTable integration has also been added to Yelp Assistant. This allows users to book a table directly through the app at thousands of restaurants across the US. For example, users can ask for dog-friendly coffee shops and reserve a spot at a suitable venue. The Yelp Waitlist feature allows users to join the waitlist before arriving at a restaurant. The assistant will send a notification when the table is ready. Personalized options are also expanding. Keep Me Posted will set reminders based on the user’s schedule and send recommendations, such as weekend plans, on selected days. The assistant will take into account preferences mentioned in previous conversations and the user’s reviews. The app will display conversation history from the past 30 days, with the full history becoming available later. Users will also be able to consider the local weather forecast when booking a table. Yelp will also make it easier to save, sort and rate favorite places in the My Lists section. The section will initially include 2 lists called Been Here and Want to Go. Users can filter lists by location, category and type of cuisine, reorder them, add notes and share them with others. Starting next month, personalized recommendations based on saved places and ratings will be displayed every week. Later this year, collections will be converted into lists. The section’s design will also be updated, and a map view will be added. A paid artificial intelligence tool called Smart Lead Reply is also being introduced for businesses. The service will respond to customer inquiries, ask follow-up questions and make an initial assessment of whether they are potential customers. Business owners will be able to decide in advance how the agent should conduct the conversation. The service will cost 30 dollars (51 manats) per month. Yelp Assistant was first introduced in 2024. The voice system for restaurants and service companies was launched last year. The new feature makes that technology available for customers to use as well. However, a user’s artificial intelligence agent may end up talking to a restaurant’s artificial intelligence agent. In such cases, there is a risk that communication between the automated systems could break down.