Health and safety are critical considerations for restaurant customers and hotel guests and voice assistants eliminate many of the concerns around hygiene by providing touchless interfaces—while improving efficiencies and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Voice-enabled kiosks in QSRs allow customers to order their favorite menu items without having to touch a screen. They can ask for what they want naturally and conversationally, even if they don’t know what an item is called or where it is on the menu. This hands-free ordering system ensures that customers are experiencing the convenience of fast and efficient service free from concerns about contact with a surface that may contain harmful viruses and bacteria. 

In hotels, rooms can be integrated with a voice assistant either through a smart speaker or by using a smart TV as the central hub. Through a voice interface, guests can control lights, thermostats, the TV, and other elements in the room without having to touch a single surface. Voice-enabled kiosks in the lobby can also provide fast and hands-free check-ins and check-outs that help guests achieve their goals without waiting in lines in a crowded lobby. With voice AI, hoteliers can reassure guests that every precaution is being taken to ensure they have an enjoyable and safe experience. 

Consumers trust brands that take care of their employees

Hotels and QSRs are facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining enough employees to perform all the customer service and food preparation tasks required to provide the kind of service their customers are demanding. Recent labor shortages have made it difficult to keep a full staff of employees, while overworked staff are experiencing burnout and leaving jobs as a result. The Great Resignation has hit the restaurant and hotel industries the hardest and businesses are struggling under the weight of customer expectations with no way to meet them.

In the midst of this turmoil, consumers are looking into the internal operations of companies when deciding where to spend their money. According to Hospitality Tech research, 47% of consumers said they would trust a brand more if it took care of their employees. Companies hoping to foster brand loyalty are now tasked with delivering excellent service while ensuring their employees are having a positive experience—not an easy task.

Voice assistants in QSRs, fast-casual restaurants, and hospitality help overcome challenges with staffing and employee satisfaction. Voice-enabled kiosks and telephone ordering and reservation systems free staff from routine tasks, so they have more time to focus on food preparation and matters that require face-to-face interactions with customers. Other voice assistant use cases, such as ordering room service, requesting more pillows, can allow employees to focus on delivering faster, personalized service to guests and customers without the need to answer phones and record requests. 

Poor customer service is a reason to abandon a brand

Exceptional customer experiences are the foundation of brand loyalty and return customers. However, it’s not always easy. Customers at QSRs require fast, efficient, and accurate service, while guests at hotels and cruise ships expect knowledgeable, convenient, and quick assistance. 

The quality of customer service can make or break a customer or guest’s decision to return or recommend the brand to others. In the research by Hospitality Tech, 65% of consumers reported having switched brands because their expectations did not live up to an advertised promise, and 69% said that poor customer service would cause them to stop purchasing from a brand.

69% said poor customer service would cause them to stop purchasing from a brand.

Hospitality Tech

Voice assistants can deliver on the promise of exceptional customer service by providing consistently fast, accurate, knowledgeable, and convenient assistance. At QSRs, they can remove the possibility of human error and ensure each order is recorded accurately and quickly. They can also offer a variety of nutritional and allergy information that the average employee might not know or would need to look up. For returning customers with a voice profile, voice assistants can even save favorite menu items or allergy information for future orders.

At hotels and on cruise ships, voice assistants can provide a variety of information on amenities and dining options while supplying the convenience and efficiency of ordering room service, making reservations, and ordering extra towels or bedding without having to call down to the front desk. With personalization, and guest permission, voice assistants can also store information about preferred room temperature, the number of blankets, or favorite reservations for future visits. 

Social media reviews guide new customers

Word of mouth, from reviews to recommendations, is essential for QSRs, fast-casual restaurants, and hotels to attract new customers and retain current ones. Hospitality Tech’s research revealed that 78% of consumers look at customer reviews before buying from a new brand, and 66% said they were at least somewhat likely to purchase from a new brand if recommended by a friend, family member, or colleague.