|
Title: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Shockeye on March 10, 2005, 12:24:48 PM Quote from: Reuters McDonald's May Outsource Drive-Thrus (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=569010) Mar 10, 2005 — LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. <MCD.N> wants to outsource your neighborhood drive-thru. The world's largest fast-food chain said on Thursday it is looking into using remote call centers to take customer orders in an effort to improve service at its drive-thrus. "If you're in L.A…. and you hear a person with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you'll know what we're up to," McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner told analysts at the Bear Stearns Retail, Restaurants & Apparel Conference in New York. Call center professionals with "very strong communication skills" could help boost order accuracy and ultimately speed up the time it takes customers to get in and out of the drive-thrus, the company said. Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: HaemishM on March 10, 2005, 12:35:02 PM If the "remote call centers" of tech support and Pizza Hut delivery are any indication, I can look forward to outsourced fuckups as opposed to pimply-faced, barely English-speaking fuckups at the drive-thru. If they are going to take the time and money to outsource the idiot's job of order-taker, they should just put up touchscreens at the drive-thru and pay someone minimum wage to take our money. Hell, they could do the self-serve aisle thing the grocery stores are doing. That thing will take my cash, and unless I'm buying beer, I don't need to talk to anyone to use it.
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Furiously on March 10, 2005, 12:38:43 PM Why not just go to vending machines outside at that point?
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Samwise on March 10, 2005, 12:41:52 PM If the vending machine could make my McBurger not taste any worse than it does when I get it from a drive-thru, I'd definitely use the vending machine.
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Sky on March 10, 2005, 01:22:11 PM Hello, my name is Apu. You will be very much enjoying the McDonald today, yes?
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Murgos on March 10, 2005, 02:35:22 PM North Dakotans have an accent?
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: stray on March 10, 2005, 04:46:41 PM North Dakotans have an accent? I really hate to ruin a good joke (?): You're not serious, are you? Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: MaceVanHoffen on March 10, 2005, 05:01:42 PM Hello, my name is Apu. You will be very much enjoying the McDonald today, yes? Silly customer, you cannot hurt the Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Murgos on March 10, 2005, 05:35:58 PM North Dakotans have an accent? I really hate to ruin a good joke (?): You're not serious, are you? Eh? Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Sky on March 11, 2005, 06:54:43 AM Quote North Dakotans have an accent? Yo, wut up, G? Yo wan' sum FRIES widdat?America is gaining a new accent. And language. Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Llava on March 11, 2005, 10:02:25 AM I don't care if they're in another building, this is a bad idea. Ever been to a fast food place where they've run out of shakes? I have, quite often. What happens when the people taking the order don't know that they're out? I know we'd like to say that McDonald's will take precautions to ensure that the people taking the orders know the state of things in the store, but we all know they won't.
This is a crappy idea and will cause a shitload of chaos and unnecesary confusion. Sure, customers will get past the little talking box more quickly, but they'll spend 3x as long at the window correcting their order. Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Mesozoic on March 11, 2005, 11:38:25 AM Phase 2 will be potato guns filled with blended cheese and meat byproducts, shot in the general direction of your house following a phone call to a customer service rep in Punjab.
Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: SirBruce on March 12, 2005, 12:41:13 PM This will never work, because the call center won't know what the local supply situation at that McD's is. When I worked at McD's for a few months, we ran out of stuff all the time. Also, different restaurants run different menus, and sometimes don't participate in a particular promotional special.
Drive-Thru times are actually very short most places; it's the food perperation that takes the most time. McD's spent years optimizing an elaborate queueing system that allowed for how long you could keep something around and it still be considered "fresh", but when the competition started making everything when you ordered it, they were forced to move to the same system, which slowed down food delivery times. Bruce Title: Re: Derka Derka Supersize Derka Derka Post by: Paelos on March 14, 2005, 07:46:41 AM I went to a McDonalds in an airport where they had touchscreen order terminals just like those you see at the quicklane of your supermarket. You'd put your order together, customize it, and then insert the money or swipe a card. It would print a receipt and then you'd wait for your order number. It was extremely efficient and I loved the system. Drive-thru would be awesome if it worked like that.
|