[Hat tip: The Mayor of Simpleton]
The next time you run through the drive-through window at McDonald's the person taking your order might be a thousand miles away. The fast-food chain is experimenting with using call-centers to take the orders, which will then transmit the orders back to the kitchen.Fast Company calls it out-of-state-sourcing and reports that for the last year-plus, the Big Mac of fast food has been working with a call center that handles drive-through orders at 40 restaurants around the country. The remote order-takers earn the minimum wage, do not get health benefits and do not wear uniforms.
Not to be left out of the loop, Hardee's and Carl's Jr., CKE Restaurants, plans to deploy a similar system later this year in restaurants in California.
5 comments:
why not a keypad or voice recognition software ... get rid of the order take altogether ... what next?
Wow...Lou Dobbs is going to lose his shit over this!
There is a McD's in Freeport Maine that doesn't have an actual person due to some crazy town ordinence about loud voices coming through AM radio quality speakers...so you speak into a machine that actually translates your order for you. It's a little insane.
Somebody will still have to take the money and give change. Right now at the McDonald's near me the person taking the orders is also the one dealing with the money.
I don't see how it will benefit MdD's unless they just want to brag about outsourcing.
Kvatch, they only replaced the order taker, but still have someone at the window to hand you your food and take the money. From what I read, the cost saving comes from the fact that minimum wage is paid (bypassing the prevailing wage that is higher in some areas), no health benefits are provided, and no uniforms. I'm assuming each franchisee pays a lump sum for this service and also saves money on unemployment insurance, FICA, etc. That's just my guess.
Also, the article stressed the order taker was trained to push additional items on the customer like dessert, etc. Just what we need, pushy order takers along with our french fries.
Rory, great point about the key pad or voice recognition software, but I think the importance of trying to sell add-on items is why the company is going this route for now.
Jeremy, you're right about Lou Dobbs...he'll have a cow. Lou is my new hero!
The problem I have with a speaker is that I can't ask a question, although I certainly don't want a professional order taker trying to push dessert on me either. I guess I'll have to ditch McDonald's and stick with Wendy's for now.
So much for "hot fries" with my chicken sandwich!
This is insane!
kvatch is right... Where the hell is the viability of such a moronic move?
I don't know why this pisses me off, I don't eat at Mcdonalds anyway!
The rest of America (the world) would do good not to eat there as well. McDonalds, Burger King, Arbys, etc!
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