HI Guys;
We have been asked to find a few volunteers to test and advise on a new, completely automatic, voice operated, phone order taking system. This system requires no human involvement in the order taking process. Orders can be taken and, if you wish, automatically entered into your POS system.
This is a truly amazing system, it talks and interacts with the pizza buyer just as a human would.
It would be installed at no cost to you.
To learn more Email me at pizzaovens@aol.com
George Mills
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Memo from the manufacturer of the voice order system.
Many thanks for the leads you have sent me. Please let me know a suitable time to speak to you today and I shall call you to co-ordinate things.
I am looking for 7 More pilots to try our product and if we can finalize these guys by tomorrow I can work on setting up the software for all these stores and we can start planning for the Pizza show.
Any one that would be willing to run a test please E mail me George Mills pizzaovens@aol.com
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Is this like the cable, bank, phone companies voice automated systems? If so, those are a pain in the rear! I’d have to say, this world could use LESS of those. That’s whats wrong with America these days, everything is so technical, what happened to customer service?
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
George
I had a gut send me an email to try his voice recognition system. He had harvested my email address form the think tank. Here is my response:
I pride myself on the personal service that I give to my customers. The system you are trying to sell me would undermine that personal service. In talking with my customers the topic of voice recognition has come up several times. The phone companies have this type of software that drives most customers crazy. The main topic of discussion is how to bypass the system in order to speak with a live person.
I recently called the offices of Stanislaus and was very pleased to have them answer the phone on the second ring with a live person. I did not have to press 1 to speak to sales or 2 to speak to distribution. If I have a choice when I am calling a company and reach any automated system I will hang up and call an alternate business. Yes the personal service does cost more to provide but in my opinion it shows my customers that I care enough to have a person there to answer their questions.
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Yes I am some what of the same opinion and prefer to speak to a live person. But then, I am an older guy and find that the younger generations are very receptive to automated voice mail and order placement services.
We do not use an automatic system to answer our phones and some younger callers have interpreted that as a sign of an old fashioned operation.
To each his own. Let those who wish to use the latest technology do so. It will be interesting to see the results from any who do test the system.
George Mills
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
I looked @ the demo site & got a pdf brochure - bad news is that is must tie into your POS to work - so that leaves many of us out…
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
I’m in the young generation category and I wouldn’t consider, in a million years, that a human answering the phone is old fashioned… I can’t imagine it being any faster or organized than a human… I really can’t even imagine anyone complaining that there are humans answering the phone as opposed to a lifeless robot that gets it wrong half the time. I know lots of people, young and new, that cant attest to this. There are times when I want to literally bash my phone into millions of pieces with those things.
Sorry, nothing against you George whatsoever… but those this subject actually gets me pretty heated. I guess you could say it really “pushes my buttons” lol.
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
IVR can be pretty useful in organizing phone queues but with most independents, we are trying to sell personal service. I will be interested in the results from those that try it.
Answering the phone gets short shrift in most places and this is one way to handle it. The technology is pretty mature. I use it to get phone numbers from Google on my phone (1-800-GOOG-411). Perhaps when the lines are busy it could roll over to the system and offer the option to use the system or stay on hold for a person.
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Hi Stevo;
I agree, I do not like automated systems.
Most of my friends do not like them. You and most others posting do not like them. But apparently they are growing like mad.
There are almost none of the manufacturers we deal with that do not use them in some form.
In a way they are an improvement over the computer help lines that put me through to India or some other low cost nation and I can not understand what the person at the other end is saying.
George Mills
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
George,
I think theres a misconception here that our product is trying to replace agents.
What we are looking is to automate repeat orders, have customers express checkout, help international callers, cross sell more, get status on the orders and do much more.
The system also prompts for an option if a customer would like to speak to a ‘live operator’
The system would really benefit returning cuctomers who place repeat orders to checkout very quickly.
While the line is busy, a greeting prompting the customer to try the automated system and a discount for placing an order over the IVR will really encourage the customer to use the system.This way offering a small discount can encurage and educate your customers.
We have seen express checkouts at shopping malls to save time from queing up to the lady at the till.
The system can be put to use very effectively.
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Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
I would be interested in learning more. Got a website? What would the estimated capital and operational costs be?
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Seems to me online ordering fills the bill here.
I suppose if there is an option at the beginning to go straight to a live person that “should” logically solve the problem of being impersonal but I just don’t see it. People seem to like the social interaction of ordering food and this is one area where independents can really distinquish themselves from the big chains.
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
I think if you asked folks if they wanted a “real” person most would say yes…Human nature at work, however, I think the reality is they just want to order pizza as quick as they can…They do not want to be put on hold…They do not want to be misunderstood…They do not want to be asked their address because you do not have a POS…Although most like the human touch, if you piss them off too much they will take the “machine”…
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Hi Royce,
I fully agree with you that traditionally one would always prefer to speak to a human and place and order but as a repeat customer and if I am calling to place my fav pizza that I order always every time I would want to have a system or the human to just say please repeat my last order or my favorite pizza.
What we are looking is to automate repeat orders, have customers express checkout, help international callers, cross sell more, get status on the orders and do much more.
The IVR system can also do promos while one is on hold 
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Can it distinguish special requests for repeat orders? For example, I have a guy that orders a six topping pizza + extra cheese + extra sauce the same exact way everytime, but sometimes he orders 1 or 2 orders of cheesesticks. Can he tell the automated to repeat last order but only 1 order of cheesesticks? Or can he say repeat last order but add a six pack? Plus since he orders sometimes sometimes I give him the good neighbor discount, can it do that to randomly? Or if he orders 10 times, the 11th is free?
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Hi Steve,
When someone calls the number, the system first checks if the customer calling has already placed an order and it prompts if you would like to repeat the last order.
The IVR confirms the order that was placed earlier.
Next after the customer confirms yes, it prompts if he would like to place anything else from the menu.So he gets to place his last order without any effort and also can make orders on top of it.
Coming to discouts and promos, the system is completely customizable and promotions can be inetgrated and setup.
Please let me know if you require more clarification.
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Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Does the system know of any 87 items for the day? Can you change repeat orders like take a certain ingredient out or replace it with another? What about phone numbers; does it detect multiple phone numbers? Like if someone calls from their work number but placed the last order with their home phone number?
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Hi Steve,
Does the system know of any 87 items for the day?
I am not sure what you meant by this.If you are referring to menus, yes that can be customized the way you require.
Can you change repeat orders like take a certain ingredient out or replace it with another?
It is not possible at this stage.We can repeat orders and add additional orders to your shopping.However, your point is interesting and we will make a note of this and try to come up with a solution for this kind of situation.
What about phone numbers; does it detect multiple phone numbers? Like if someone calls from their work number but placed the last order with their home phone number?
→ The repeat orders are identified by telephone numbers and if a call is being made from a different number the profile is different.This can be achieved but again can create some confusion especially if work phones are used by multiple people.However, every number creates a unique profile by itself.
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Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
I see a problem with this system that comes up at least once a day. A regular customer calls and says they want the same as last time but does not know their teenager ordered in between and had something entirely different. How far back does the system go? Is it connected through the POS? If so does the interface with the POS need to be designed by the POS supplier? How does the system search for the regular order?
Re: need a few pizza shops to test new automated order syste
Sorry, that was a huge typo. I mean 86. 86 means when a particular item is out. Like if someone calls and orders a pizza with red onion on it, and we happen to be out of red onion for the night will it know that?
So you’re saying if a person has 4 different phone lines they use they have to setup accounts for each? That has happened to me at least 30 times since I’ve been open (4 months). Where people call with a new number and I say “first time order” and they say “no…”, “ok, do you remember the last number you used?”. And they try to remember like 3 or 4 of them.