Balancing Tech/Personal Touch in Drive-Thrus

Making the most of their drive-thru operations is important to QSR restaurants. A just-released annual study, by QSR magazine in partnership with Intouch Insight, offers an in-depth look at how leading restaurant brands in that sector are performing across speed, order accuracy, hospitality and technology in running their drive-thru ops.

“The drive-thru continues to be one of the most important customer touchpoints for quick-service restaurants, but the definition of a great experience is changing,” said Danny Klein, VP Editorial for QSR, FSR, CStore Decisions, PMQ and Club + Resort. “This year’s findings illustrate that technology alone isn’t the answer. Restaurants have to find the right balance between operational efficiency, order accuracy, and the personal connections that keep customers coming back. The data offers plenty of surprises, but it also provides a valuable roadmap for where the industry is headed.”

Among the report’s key findings:

* Tim Hortons takes the speed crown, with an average total drive-thru time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds, while Starbucks leads in order accuracy. (Click here for the full study, which includes the top 10 rankings in both those categories.)

* AI may be costing restaurants a personal touch. While artificial intelligence is becoming more capable of handling drive-thru orders, the study uncovered a potential “hospitality gap.” When AI handled the ordering interaction, employee behaviors such as saying “thank you” and demonstrating a pleasant demeanor declined significantly. The findings raise important questions about how restaurants can embrace automation without sacrificing the human connection.

* Personalization makes a measurable difference. Customer satisfaction climbed from 93.2% to 98.2% when guests experienced some form of personalization, such as being greeted by name, having their name written on their order bag or being recognized as a loyalty member.

* Faster isn’t always better. The study found that customer perception of speed can matter more than the actual time spent in the drive-thru. Customers who felt their experience was quicker than expected reported satisfaction levels of 96.8%, compared with 82.3% among those who felt their visit was slower than expected.