DRU Assist - A Customer Experience

A few weeks ago Domino’s Pizza announced that they introduced conversational AI capabilities in their ordering process to enhance the customer experience. DRU Assist, a Virtual Assistant that is powered by Nuance Technology’s Nina Intelligent Virtual Assistant technology.

Of course that caught my interest, looking at AI, chatbots and Virtual Assistants for some time now from a customer experience angle. I believe that there is quite some potential in Virtual Assistants although I saw and still see some risks for customer experience in using them. Used in a wrong way, raising too high expectations that subsequently are not fulfilled, bots can kill the user experience.

The doubts I expressed in advance are nevertheless there however then I am glad to be satisfied in any other case.

Domino?S controlled a outstanding turnaround after having a few severe issues overdue inside the aughties and early tens. Apart from rediscovering fine they achieved a completely robust generation method that enables them know-how their clients higher and allows their clients to a pretty clean ordering and shipping method.

So, I took the chance to have a conversation with Nuance’s Robert Schwarz about DRU assist, and of course ordered some Pizza using DRU shortly after it came online in New Zealand. Having some Pizza-loving children and a busy lifestyle I am a frequent mobile customer of Domino’s (and no, they didn’t incentivize me for this article in any form).

Unluckily I couldn?T get statements from Domino?S, however proper right here we're ?

Nuance as a dealer has an prolonged history in speech-based totally interfaces. According to Mr. Schwarz Nina, the Nuance technology in the back of DRU Assist is really accurate at clarifying purpose and that during a human manner. It is their center commercial enterprise. This could have been part of the argument that satisfied Domino?S to go along with Nuance in place of e.G. Microsoft?S Cortana. After all Domino?S Australia is a reference account for Microsoft, so the binds are there.

Right now DRU ?Lives? At the Domino?S (Australia and NZ) web web site and the corresponding app and is effects engaged with a easy click on or faucet. The era itself can combine with Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, WeChat and plenty of others however that is presently not executed and there doesn?T appear like a plan. Amazon?S Alexa, alternatively is ? However then Alexa isn?T to be had in Australia and NZ in the intervening time.

DRU Assist offers the capability in a conversational manner, through textual content or voice. It is supposed as a manner to study a step-with the aid of using-step approach in addition to a patron-pushed one-save you order. This is a pretty tall order, given there are dozens of numerous pizzas and sides, many locations and precise delivery techniques that want to get clarified. To help this DRU Assist is achieved using a dynamic decision tree with a few learning capabilities. According to Schwarz they haven?T hit the boundaries of the tree method yet, but there may be a fallback to the ?Vintage fashion? Ordering system in case the Virtual Assistant receives stuck, as it's miles truly based upon the winning order basket. Domino?S need to offer their customers to engage with them the ?Manner they are used to?, moreover with the perception that this can offer lots more perception for them to beautify their offerings and offerings.

This all sounds appropriate and nicely, in spite of the truth that I am suspicious of the choice tree method.

So, permit?S get a few pizza ? The youngsters are hungry! And I am, too. As we're 5 individuals with unique tastes it's going to not be a small order ? So permit?S get the cellphone and speak to DRU.

I comprehend what I need, and from in which, and how, so supply it a shot: 3 Meatlover Pizzas, 2 Pepperoni Pizzas, and one vegetarian one, all on a skinny and crispy base, to pick out up at 6 pm in a store of my choice.

?I am though studying? ? There is going the only-shot experience, however then DRU surely were given added, so conventional. Let?S begin with the first company of pizzas.

To add some spice I did no longer select out the store that I used the time earlier than and certain sufficient DRU alternatives up on that. But why assuming that I took the incorrect area, actually due to the fact closing time I went to the New Brighton region? So, no, it isn't always that location.

St. Albans it's far instead, as written before, however this time deliberately without capitalization.

Confirming, OK.

Now I genuinely have one BBQ Meatlovers pizza, because the entire name of the pizza is.

But ?

Why best one? I requested for three.

So, what I clearly like to do is trade the order to make it three pizzas.

Which is without problems executed.

So some distance so proper. Now, permit?S move on with the greater pizzas. This time I would love to go for a few component else, particularly the two pepperoni pizzas of my proper complete order.

Sadly DRU appears to have a mission with numbers. Again it offers satisfactory one more pizza to the basket. The base is again accurate, despite the fact that.

This time I choose the something else desire and actually ask to feature a pepperoni pizza on a skinny and crispy base.

Works quality.

From proper right here on I actually have every other challenge in mind. Knowing that there are numerous vegetarian options ? Allow?S ask for what's to be had.

So: “Do you have vegetarian pizza?”

But why do I now get brought on with a menu of kinds? I simply gave the kind of pizza I need.

Never thoughts ? Vegetarian it is.

The reply to that is interesting. It offers a desire of the maximum popular vegetarian alternatives, which indicates that there are extra options.

Which there are.

Because the pizza that I do have in thoughts does no longer appear in this shortlist.

So, allow?S ask ?

Now this flow is not exactly what I would have expected.

DRU leads me decrease again through the same options, giving me the same end end result.

Well, then I truly circulate for the Veg Trio, which comes at a loss of sales to Domino?S as the one that I really had in mind is significantly more luxurious.

The fee technique receives surpassed over to the well-known technique. So there aren't any surprises there.

After this order I in short attempted the voice interface. After all this is in which the actual juice of a conversational interface is. With all of the accents and dialects ? I for one have a robust German accent in my English ? That is a great task.

Sincerely DRU didn?T even get the shop (I attempted the New Brighton one) and fell once more to the everyday app after some tries. This is really a few component that I will strive once more.

A buddy of mine tried to characteristic some mushrooms to a pizza and failed with that.

My Take

In short: I feel showed in my suspicions. The ordering approach was now not wherein I would possibly have liked to have or not it's. There is some strain within the technique that simply doesn?T need to be there anymore even as engaged in a conversation ? Like insisting to get shop and delivery mode up the front; and then there are a few extra kinks in the technique that need to get weeded out.

In my eyes the biggest benefit that the conversational interface has comes to play at the same time as the customers approximately recognize what they need to reserve and may bypass the catalog, specifically when ordering on a cell with its confined screen actual property. This makes conditions similar to the order string being too long to be parsed (understood) or the everyday errors with getting the variety of ordered pizzas incorrect difficult to apprehend. These are table stakes ? Especially the latter. The same holds proper within the situation of soliciting for alternatives. When requested for vegetarian alternatives the gadget want to no longer spark off returned some of feasible alternatives, especially no longer if the only that it got asked for is blanketed.

Overall this seems to be nothing that can't be overcome by way of further/higher/re- training of the underlying decision tree version. Consequently, I assume some development over time, moreover within the place of voice recognition. After all Nuance is one of the leading gamers on this area.

So a long manner, I am now not stimulated through the provided revel in and am looking ahead to repeating the experiment.