June 6, 2019
Apps, kiosks and online ordering make engaging with QSR brands easier and more convenient, but they also make the experience less personal. For QSRs that aren’t mindful, they run the risk of letting tech replace customer service, which can ultimately lead them to lose that personal connection with their audience.
People still want friendly smiles from behind the counter asking, “Hi, how may I help you?” They want to be asked, “How is your day going?” If you remove the human connection altogether, you’ll risk losing revenue generating opportunities.
Here are three simple ways for how to use tech while remaining personally connected:
1. Start with a good app or kiosk
Make the app fun, exciting and engaging. Keep the voice of the app human, not techy. It can be a simple headline, “How are you today?” Offer value, such as giving traffic or weather reports at store locations. These same tactics apply to kiosks within the restaurant.
2. Keep your brand experience personal
Technology shouldn’t give brands the relief of not having to interact with their customers personally. People want interactions, and it’s really a missed opportunity to connect at the store level.
Hire a host to meet people at the order pickup locations within your store, especially during high traffic times. The host should interact and ask questions: How are you? Did you find your order? Is it all there? Need anything else? This is a perfect time to add additional sales – because like most people, they forgot to get something, or they have friends asking them to pick something up for them.
3. Kiosks don’t shorten lines
Kiosks mean you don’t have to wait in line, but you still have to wait. Most of the time people take a seat, crowd around the kiosk, or worse, crowd around the cash register. This doesn’t make for positive store visit experiences. Give kiosks their own area and provide barstools with reading material to keep customers busy to pass the time. Have your host engage with your customers and offer them drinks – people are always thirsty, and you can sell a lot of drinks this way!
While it’s vital for QSRs to keep up with the latest trends – such as incorporating tech to create more efficient experiences for consumers – you can’t forget the cardinal rule: quality customer service will always help build and retain brand loyalty.