What Makes McDonald’s Self-Service Kiosks So Easy to Use?
McDonald’s is probably one of the most easily recognized fast-food chains on the planet. Since its inception in 1955, the world-famous golden arches have seen several transformation phases. However, it was a real game-changer when McDonald’s self-service kiosk became available for the customers.
The innovative approach of McDonald’s self-ordering kiosk made the chain’s operation faster, more user-friendly, and more efficient than ever before. If you wonder how self-ordering kiosk McDonald’s helped the world’s largest fast-food giant achieve success, this post is for you.
Let us dive right in and explore the McDonald’s kiosk benefits from different aspects.
The Business Benefits of McDonald’s Self-Ordering Kiosks
Here are the McDonald’s kiosk benefits that helped the company become better at handling its massive operations while offering quick services.
Giving More Control to the Customers
McDonald’s started testing the self-service kiosks back in 2003. The upgrade was to give more control to the customers on what they would like to eat and make the services faster with fewer in the waiting queue.
According to statistics, 30% of visitors/customers prefer using McDonald’s self-order kiosk rather than queuing up for a cashier to take an order. Using a McDonald’s ordering kiosk, you can explore options, see what you are about to order, and place an order.
You have to listen to a cashier read out the extra ingredients and side orders. However, on a McDonald’s self-ordering kiosk, you can actually read out the ingredients you wish to add in your own time. There is no rush. Furthermore, self-ordering also ensures that the order is accurate and served with speed.
Increase in Order Size
When you pitch an order to customers asking if they wish to add something else, the customers may feel pressured. However, by using a self-order kiosk, McDonald’s can make an upsell while eliminating the need for a sales pitch. Not to mention, self-ordering has shown promising results in increasing sales and order size.
Enhancing the Ordering Experience
A scientific study proves that customers’ purchase intentions differ when using a touch screen compared to a desktop computer. A computer evokes a rational thinking pattern in customers. However, a touch screen device with haptic feedback evokes a fun and experiential thinking pattern.
A touch screen McDonald’s self-ordering kiosks enhance customers’ experience while reducing human error. Your customer can require any information with a simple tap and complete the order.
No Social Pressure
Some customers may have anxiety about pronouncing the product name wrong and sounding silly. This is where McDonald’s self-service kiosk gives the customer an advantage to place an order with minimal social interaction with the cashier.
However, the McDonald’s kiosk benefits are not only for the introverts but for extroverts as well. According to Tillster, over 65% of customers prefer to visit restaurants with self-service kiosks.
Increase in Profitability
It is definite that a self-service kiosk will have an impact on your sales and revenue. This makes the technology the most cost-effective move you will ever make in the fast-food industry. For instance, the McDonald’s self-service kiosk does not require supervision or management. Therefore, implementing this device allows you to free up the staff to serve your customers better.
The increase in size order and improvement in order’s accuracy will translate into an increase in profits for your business. Well, it worked for McDonald’s because it has surpassed all of its market goals since the adoption of self-service kiosks.
Shortly after the innovative measure with the tag “Experience of the Future,” the company’s stock market shares hit their all-time high value. Imagine the complexity of the world’s largest franchise being able to reap the benefits of self-service. For a smaller fast-food chain or restaurant, the results may be even more promising.
Staff Can Be More Productive
The McDonald’s kiosk benefits seem universal for most businesses selling products and services. However, many people have a misconception and fear that by leveraging the self-service technology, companies will be firing people due to the automation of the ordering system.
This is far from the truth, as adopting automation is only to make the services efficient, then eliminate the employees. Think about it, who would want to walk into a restaurant with just a self-ordering machine and zero interaction with a human.
Yes, customers love to use McDonald’s ordering kiosk but eventually expect the staff at the delivery counter to be polite, friendly, and efficient. This is where the benefits come into play. Now that the staff does not have to be at the counter all the time to take orders, you can use your staff in the back kitchen to prepare more orders for faster deliveries.
To alleviate the fear of mass layoff and total labor replacement due to McDonald’s self-service kiosk, the company’s CEO made an official statement.
The statement mentioned that a self-ordering kiosk would provide the business an opportunity to transition the roles of employees into more customer-centric positions such as table service and concierges. This will help the company to truly engage with the customers and create a more personal and enhanced dining experience.
Accommodate a Hybrid Model
Not everyone has a credit card or prefers to pay online; some customers may want to pay by cash. However, this should not prevent your customers from reaping the benefits of a self-ordering kiosk. Therefore, you can still continue accepting cash payments as well.
In fact, this will bring your business customers’ loyalty to being a flexible business. While your cashier will accept the cash payment, the self-ordering kiosk will do the rest by taking care of the order. Automation does not have to be extreme. You can find the right balance of face-to-face interaction and self-ordering kiosks to create a more personalized and efficient customer experience.
How the Self Order Kiosks Benefits McDonald’s Customers & Employees Alike
The McDonald’s self-service kiosk model is ideal for any business that wishes to improve customer experience, reduce the waiting time, and boost its revenues. This is how using the technology can benefit both the business as well as the customers:
- A self-service kiosk allows you to eliminate the long queues at your counter. This takes the pressure off of your cashiers to try to serve customers as quickly as possible. Hence your staff is less likely to make errors in orders due to the rush. Furthermore, you offer an impeccable customer experience with faster delivery times.
- The self-service kiosk will be doing the upselling as well as cross-selling for you. As the customers tend to make bigger orders, this will enhance your revenue with minimal effort.
- Self-ordering kiosks will all cut down your business expenses of having to hire extra staff during the busy seasons. Now you will be able to use the freed-up staff members for food preparation operations.
- Rest assured McDonald’s self-ordering kiosk model does not mean labor replacement
- The self-service kiosk is a technology that requires minimal maintenance, and you can install it once and let it do the rest.
Self-Service Kiosks Solutions for Restaurants at GRUBBRR
Whether you are a fine dining restaurant or a fast-food chain like McDonald’s, you can reap the benefits by adopting the McDonald’s self-service kiosk model. We at GRUBBRR offer a wide selection of fully customizable self-service kiosk solutions for restaurants. Speak to our team today!
