Yelp's AI Can Now Accept Reservations via Phone Call

Yelp's artificial intelligence solutions are designed to assist restaurants facing "staff shortages" by answering calls, accepting reservations, and managing bookings. Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist are part of a broader initiative by Yelp and similar platforms to leverage AI for round-the-clock streamlining of customer interactions.

According to Yelp, Host functions as an AI agent capable of answering guest calls and managing table reservations. The system can accept bookings via phone, modify or cancel existing reservations, provide updated wait times, collect special requests, and respond to inquiries about the restaurant, such as whether it offers vegetarian options or allows pets. Additionally, it can send menu links to guests, add them to a waitlist, or facilitate order pickups and deliveries through automated follow-up messages.

Yelp first previewed the Host tool in April. Restaurants can access it starting at $149 per month, while Yelp Guest Manager customers can use it for $99 monthly. New capabilities are being rolled out, with Yelp stating that Host will soon be able to directly add guests to waitlists on Yelp within the coming weeks.

This week, Yelp also launched Yelp Receptionist, an AI-powered agent intended to manage incoming calls for businesses. Similar to Host, Receptionist will handle incoming calls, respond to customer questions, and gather information necessary for collecting leads, providing quotes, and scheduling appointments. Both tools are pre-trained on Yelp business data and are ready for immediate use, offering either 24/7 call support or additional coverage when needed.

Initially, Receptionist will be available only to "qualified" businesses at a starting price of $99 per month. Yelp has indicated that it plans to make the service broadly available to local businesses across categories in the coming months.

As part of Yelp's fall feature rollout, which includes making its AI-powered chat assistant available across all platforms in Canada, the company has introduced several enhancements. These include a new function that displays photos and reviews when users point their phone at a menu, as well as AI-driven voice search that simplifies finding what users need on Yelp by allowing them to search just as they would speak. These features join a growing suite of AI capabilities already in place, including tools that compile user content into restaurant reviews, summarize customer feedback, and connect users with local service professionals.

Voice AI agents like Host and Receptionist represent a larger trend within the service and hospitality sectors, as platforms such as Yelp and DoorDash deploy AI technology to help businesses focus on face-to-face interactions and core services.

Companies like Google are also developing similar tools, although their focus is on customer-facing AI assistants that can place calls to businesses on behalf of users, ask questions, and make reservations. It seems we may soon be entering an era where AI interacts with AI.