Yelp adds AI restaurant calls and OpenTable booking
Yelp introduces Check for Me for restaurant wait times
Yelp has introduced Check for Me, a feature that lets users ask a voice agent to call a restaurant and check its current wait time. Available from restaurant pages in the Yelp app, the tool asks for a party size and phone number, then sends the result by text message so the user can decide whether to visit.
The release extends Yelp’s use of voice technology beyond the business-facing voice solution it introduced last year for restaurants and service providers. Check for Me applies that approach to the consumer side of restaurant discovery, turning a routine telephone enquiry into an in-app request.
Restaurant discovery, booking and memory updates
Yelp is also updating its AI assistant for finding restaurants and services. An OpenTable integration will allow users to book a restaurant without leaving the Yelp app, connecting discovery and reservation activity in one workflow.
The assistant will gain more personalization by retaining preferences mentioned in prior chats. Users can access 30 days of chat history in the app, while Yelp says a full history option is coming soon. The chatbot can also set custom reminders, including recurring requests such as activity suggestions every Friday.
Yelp is expanding list management as well. The first two lists are called Been Here and Want to Go. Users can filter them by location, category and cuisine; reorder items; add notes; and share lists with others. Yelp plans to begin showing weekly personalized recommendations next month based on saved items and rankings.
New AI lead replies for businesses
For business owners, Yelp is launching Smart Lead Reply, a paid product priced at $30 per month. The service can reply to customers and continue a conversation to qualify a lead. Owners can specify how they want an agent to handle customer conversations.
The new tools show Yelp applying AI to both sides of its marketplace: consumers can delegate basic restaurant enquiries, while businesses can automate parts of inbound lead handling. Companies considering similar workflows will need to define how automated conversations should be handled when a customer or another agent requires a clear handoff.