McDonald’s Outsourcing Drive-Thru Orders
Reuters is reporting that McDonald’s is actively testing the use of mid-western call centers for drive through orders. Apparently, there have been some long standing issues of order accuracy with the current system of having local teens with headsets enter the orders from cars into the fast-food chains computer system. While I seldom eat at any McDonald’s, I can vouch for similar problems at the walk up counter at my local Burger King.
The plan is to have professionally trained call center employees take your order and enter it precisely into a national computer system, presumably encoded with the restaurant you ordered from. There could be some interesting accidents with a system like this. A one-digit error could result in a surplus of cheesburgers in DesMoines and dozens of angry customers in Detroit. If you thought lost luggage was a sore spot with Americans, just wait until you’ve misrouted their lunch.
Personally, I like the concept as it creates jobs for mid-America. This is the sort of work that could be performed in the Arkansas Delta region, which has been devestated by the loss of agriculture and manufacturing jobs.
I also like the idea of using call centers as it involves telephones versus outdoor speakers. I’ve always hated talking into those drive through speakers. With real telephones involved, perhaps we can use a cell phone to call in our orders. Why not call up McDonalds from your home and have an order ready to pick up?
As I used to traverse the USA with my family during military changes of station, how about ordering ahead? While having lunch in Oklahoma City, could I not pre-order dinner at 8:00 tonight in Tucumcari? I can reserve a motel room, why not dinner?
Think what this out-of-the-box idea could mean to Pepsi, who owns Taco Bell and KFC. While picking up my wife’s Burrito Grando Supreme-o Extra-Sauce-o, I could have a box or bucket of extra-crispy, deep-dish, double stuffed, Sunday bird waiting at the KFC just around the corner.
I have seen the future and it is good… finger licking good.
UPDATE
Dave over at BlogCritics has a more complete story and analysis of the McDonald’s outsourcing story. Lots of comments from readers too.
And I thought I had heard everything! I have told this story many times: I bought a Compaq laptop for my office. Even though I am pretty technically proficient, I had trouble with the wireless adapter. I called support, and reached a young man named “Charlie.” He was very Indian, and trying hard not to sound Indian. Making conversation, I asked him what time it was in India. He was shocked that I knew he was in India, but told me the local time.
The problem required my reboting my wireless router, and he ASKED me for permission ot call me back to very the solution he gave me worked after rebooting the router. Then he confirmed the EXACT time he would be calling, and asked me if that time was a good time. Shocked I agreed to the time, 9:00PM. At the designated time, Charlie called me, and the solution worked fine. Sad to say, I don’t have similar stories of that level of customer service offered by other American companies.
However,McDonalds can probably be fix the problem with a simple display panel with buttons next to pictures of each items that could be pulled into the car.
Comment by S. Anthony Iannarino — March 13, 2005 @ 1:42 pm
Wow! Just wow…
Comment by Bitchitude aka GlassHoppah — March 16, 2005 @ 3:50 pm