Domino’s is upping the ante on voice-activated orders

Two new projects — on three continents — are expanding the reach of Domino’s conversational-based orders.



The pizza giant, which was among the first companies to launch digital ordering on Google Home in December, is introducing the service to more users in the United States. Now guests can start a new order without having to be a member of the “Pizza Profile” rewards program — a move that opens up the service to more shoppers.



"The Google Assistant on Google Home is the second full-ordering platform to launch on Domino's lineup of AnyWare ordering capabilities this year," said Dennis Maloney, Domino's senior VP – chief digital officer. "Our in-house technology team has created a simple and convenient ordering experience that is now open to everyone, not just those who have a saved account.”



The benefit of being a Pizza Profile member however, is they can simply say to the device, "OK Google, talk to Domino’s,” to get the ordering process underway. Members can also place orders using their saved “Easy Order,” a recently ordered meal.



They can also ask Google Home to track their order progress with Domino's Tracker, a service that shares a guest’s order status from the moment their meal is prepared to when it leaves a store for delivery, the chain said.



To further expand the breadth of its voice-activated ordering services, Domino’s is introducing a new option to guests overseas. In conjunction with Nuance Communications, the pizza chain is introducing a voice-enabled ordering app this week for its iPhone and Android apps for users in Australia and New Zealand. Domino’s launched this service in the U.S. in 2014.



The partners created DRU Assist, a customized multichannel virtual assistant based on Nuance’s Nina virtual assistant engine. Powered by conversational artificial intelligence (AI), DRU Assist enables customers in Australia and New Zealand to place voice-activated orders through Domino’s mobile app and website.



The technology also supports other voice-controlled customer service functions, such as responding to questions about menus, ingredients, store locations and operating hours, the chain said.



Besides enhancing the customer experience, the chain expects the AI solution to drive new projects.



“At Domino’s, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to engage with our customers by leveraging the latest in technology innovation,” said group CEO and managing director of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, Don Meij.



“Our partnership with Nuance Communications has not only enabled us to continue on our digital journey, but it has also allowed us to deliver an easy and seamless ordering experience for our customers,” he added. “The partnership has also allowed the company its first step into AI and machine learning, a platform we intend to continue across all of our future developments.”