Domino’s Gets Its Own Virtual Assistant

Amazon and Google aren’t the only ones who own the AI virtual assistant space. Domino’s Pizza Enterprises has just made a move to up their digital ordering game, starting in Australia and New Zealand.

The restaurant franchise recently announced a partnership with voice and language solutions provider Nuance Communications based in Burlington, Mass. The two worked to create DRU Assist, a multichannel virtual assistant based on Nuance’s Nina virtual assistant engine but tailored to fit the Domino’s brand.

DRU Assist uses conversational AI on Domino’s mobile app and website in Australia and New Zealand to deliver virtual online ordering and other customer service functions. Additionally, DRU Assist is able to hold digital conversations with customers about menus, ingredients, store locations and operating hours.

“Domino’s is already a recognized industry leader in digital innovation,” said Robert Schwarz, managing director for Nuance Enterprise in Australia and New Zealand. “Through our partnership, we collaborated with Domino’s to deliver a tailored, first-to-market solution that supports the brand and is on the cutting edge of innovation.”

DRU Assist’s conversational AI capabilities are reportedly able to deliver faster results compared to point-and-click interfaces used in online ordering websites. The virtual assistant was also built with the scalability to allow for expansion across Domino’s other regions worldwide supported by global cloud technologies.

Group CEO and Managing Director of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, Don Meij said, “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.”

Domino’s has a history of innovating with ordering technology. The company also recently rolled out the ability to order from the full menu on Facebook Messenger. While the restaurant franchise has had an order bot in Messenger since September, it wasn’t until last month that users had full access to every item. Hungry customers are also able to order via Amazon Echo or from the restaurant’s mobile app and website.