Yelp adds paid AI replies for business customer inquiries
By Automate Basics, written with AI from TechCrunch's original
Yelp is releasing Smart Lead Reply, a paid AI product that responds to customer inquiries and helps qualify leads. Business owners can set how it should handle conversations.
What changed
TechCrunch reports that Yelp is releasing Smart Lead Reply, a paid AI product for responding to customer inquiries. The product can continue a conversation with a potential customer to help qualify the lead. Business owners can specify how the AI should handle those conversations.
For a business that receives inquiries through Yelp, the change could mean fewer initial replies to write by hand. The useful distinction is that Smart Lead Reply is meant to do more than send an immediate acknowledgment: according to TechCrunch, it can engage with the customer. The report does not describe exactly what information it collects or how an owner reviews a conversation.
Who can use Yelp Smart Lead Reply?
Yelp Smart Lead Reply is intended for business owners who want help handling customer inquiries, according to TechCrunch. The report says owners will be charged $30 per month for the service and can tell the AI how to approach a customer conversation.
TechCrunch describes it as a new paid product but does not specify which existing Yelp plans include it, whether a trial is offered or whether availability differs by location. A business considering the service should confirm those details with Yelp before relying on it for incoming inquiries. The stated monthly charge is the only price the report gives.
How do I try it at work?
A business owner could start with a familiar type of customer inquiry, where an appropriate answer and follow-up questions are easy to recognize. TechCrunch says owners can specify how Smart Lead Reply should handle a conversation, so the first test should focus on whether the AI follows that guidance while finding out what the customer needs.
Check any conversation you can review for accurate business information, a suitable tone and questions that help clarify the request. Do not assume the AI has confirmed a detail that the customer has not supplied. TechCrunch does not explain what review controls are available, so confirm how you can monitor replies before using it for important inquiries.
Frequently asked questions
What does Yelp Smart Lead Reply do?
Smart Lead Reply is a paid Yelp product that can respond to customer inquiries and continue conversations to help qualify leads, according to TechCrunch. Business owners can specify how the AI should handle a conversation. The report does not detail the questions it asks or how owners review replies.
How much does Yelp Smart Lead Reply cost?
TechCrunch reports that business owners will be charged $30 per month for Smart Lead Reply. Its report does not say whether a trial is available, which existing Yelp plans might include the product or whether the service is available in every location.
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Written with AI from TechCrunch's original and published after automatic checks: every figure here appears in the original, and no sentence is copied from it. The picture is AI-generated. The original is the authority.
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Source: Yelp can now call on your behalf to check wait times at a restaurant, TechCrunch, 20 Oct 2026.