Remember the days with Google's "Hold For Me?" This time, the search engine giant has quite a similar AI named quite close to it. The lifelike tool dubbed "Ask For Me" is designed to call businesses on your behalf and gather information.
This advanced AI system, built on the same technology as Google Duplex, eliminates the hassle of calling businesses by automatically fetching pricing, availability, and service details—all while you focus on other tasks.
What Is Ask for Me?
According to the official "Ask for Me" website, the service is part of Google's experimental Labs division designed to streamline the way people engage with local businesses. You won't need to call the businesses yourself because the AI-powered service will be able to fetch the necessary information within a few minutes.
Currently, this service is restricted to auto shops and nail salons; Google may expand this service to more industries soon.
Here is how it works:
- Find a business - e.g. "oil change near me" or "nail salons nearby"
- Specify what you want, e.g. pricing or appointment availability
- AI will call the business and collect the information
- You get the summary of details via email/text within 30 minutes
Read More: Google's New ChromeOS Feature Will Now Allow You to Control Your Chromebook With Your Face
How to Use Google's Ask for Me
Right now, Ask for Me is available on both desktop and mobile, but only in select countries, including the United States. If you're in a supported region, here's how to access the service, TechRadar details in its report:
- Visit the Ask for Me website via Google Chrome.
- Click "Join Waitlist" to request access.
- Once approved, search for a service.
- Click "Get Started" in the Ask for Me pop-up box.
- Select your service type, give us details, and provide us with your email or phone number.
- Google will make the call and respond back to you within half an hour.
AI-Powered Calls: The Future of Customer Service?
According to San Francisco-based product leader at Google, Rose Yao, Ask for Me utilizes the same AI-powered Duplex technology that facilitates restaurant reservations through Google Search and Maps. But while Duplex is all about booking, Ask for Me is focused on gathering business information—potentially making it a goldmine tool for consumers and enterprises alike.
One important note: Google guarantees that companies are made aware they are dealing with an AI, and they can opt out if they do not want to receive automated calls. It is yet to be seen how companies will respond to the hyper-realistic AI voices, which may be indistinguishable from human callers.
Game-Changer or Just Another AI Gimmick?
With AI-powered assistants getting even smarter, Ask for Me might be the future of automated customer service. Either way, with consumers embracing this or businesses fighting back, it is sure that AI-powered calls are here to stay.
Outside anything related to AI, Google appeared to be determined to combat fake reviews. The software maker recently collaborated with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority to make this initiative possible.
Since everyone is annoyed about the random pop-ups and bogus reviews they don't want to see, the purchasing decisions of people are heavily affected. Google stepped up to eliminate them by issuing clear warnings on the profiles of Google businesses.
