More restaurants will have access to artificial intelligence (AI) ordering solutions in light of a recent partnership between SoundHound and Olo.
SoundHound, an AI voice provider, has integrated with restaurant tech firm Olo to make its technology available to any of the 77,000 locations that use Olo.
Through the Olo Connect program, restaurants can process voice orders placed at the drive-thru, on in-store kiosks, or over the phone using AI.
All restaurant orders are transmitted directly to the Olo platform which “seamlessly integrates with a restaurant’s operations.” This builds on SoundHound’s existing point-of-sale relationships, including Square, Toast, and Oracle’s Micros.
The voice AI technology has the ability to learn a restaurant’s menu and perform tasks such as processing orders, answering customer questions, as well as upselling add-ons and special offers.
It’s also optimized to understand natural human speech, meaning a customer does not have to modify their language and can speak as they would to another person.
The companies’ goal is to help restaurants harness voice AI to “free up staff to complete more complex tasks while still providing reliable, consistent customer service” and to help restaurants “capture more orders and drive revenue”—according to a release.
The collaboration comes as consumers are becoming increasingly open to the idea of AI and as a growing number of restaurants begin implementing automation technologies.
“It’s becoming clear that soon every business will have a customer service voice assistant, and we’re delighted to join Olo Connect to provide its entire restaurant network with access to SoundHound’s powerful voice AI,” said James Hom, co-founder and chief product officer at SoundHound.
“We’ll be using our years of AI know-how to help restaurants drive more orders and give guests what they want—a fast, hassle-free experience,” Hom continued.
“At Olo, we are constantly looking to connect our restaurant brands to innovative technology through our partner network that keeps them ahead of the curve,” said Nolan DeCoster, SVP of partnerships and business development at Olo. “We are thrilled to partner with SoundHound to bring their voice AI to multiple ordering applications within restaurants, an exciting step forward in our pursuit to help build the restaurant of the future for our customers.”
