Papa John's Overhauls Call Center with AI-Infused PapaCall Solution

Pizza chain Papa John's has overhauled its call center with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The new PapaCall initiative is designed to help customers order food and beverages more easily and facilitate faster turnaround times during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Papa John's joins competitor Domino's in integrating virtual assistant and AI software to improve the ordering process. According to Justin Faciola, chief insights and technology officer at Papa John's, the company hopes to improve the overall customer experience with the PapaCall AI initiative.

"Like most companies, we were reacting in real-time [to the coronavirus ramifications]," Falciola told CIO.com. "We had to keep employees safe and do the same for customers, while continuing to provide the best customer experience."

PapaCall includes an AI engine designed to feed call center agents information when customers place an order by phone. This reduces the time needed to process orders, freeing Papa John's employees to focus on making and delivering pizzas. The company worked with Cognizant (News - Alert), a long-time technology partner, on implementing AI and machine learning in an effort to assist Papa John's human workers.

Cognizant helped build the PapaCall solution from the ground up, including new IVR software and built-in business logic designed to streamline and enhance the Papa John's ordering experience. Features include mastery of the restaurant's entire menu as well as all possible order permutations.

PapaCall also offers a more personalized customer experience for those calling in their orders. The cloud-based telephony system recognizes repeat customers' phone numbers and greets callers by name. The system also stores customer preferences to create a more contextual interaction.

Papa John's is using the enhanced call center solution at more than 1,500 locations in North America, with additional locations slated to be added. The company hopes to expand the use of AI moving forward to improve personalization. Human workers would be able to easily gain insights to help with processing orders, better assist customers and make personalized product suggestions.

Edited by Luke Bellos