While Mcdonald's recently put a halt to Automated Order Taking test run at its drive-thrus, Yum! Brands, the operator of fast food chains Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill, has announced the expansion of Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the U.S. More than a hundred stores are expected to be using this tech by the end of the year.
The goal of this rollout is to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and enhance the order experience for customers. Voice AI would elevate the task load for employees while improving order accuracy and reducing wait times.
“Yum! Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy. We’re expanding and accelerating our AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to our franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience. With over two years of fine tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction,” said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer, Yum! Brands.
This technology builds on Taco Bell’s strong drive-thru customer experience ecosystem, which is powered by digital menu boards, Yum! Brands’ propriety Poseidon POS system and the next generation of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program which the brand is planning to integrate later this year.
“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences. Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality. It also enables us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Taco Bell.
In the last year, Yum! Brands cashed in $30 billion in digital sales, with over 50% coming through digital channels. Thanks to these numbers, the company is further investing in its digital ecosystem to meet the changing consumer needs globally.
