The drive-thru guest experience is in the spotlight. Back when the concept of drive-thrus originated, the convenience of picking up dinner on-the-go was the biggest attraction for customers. But that was just the start. Consumers are now looking for speed, quicker service, customization and especially this year, safe to-go options with impeccable human hygiene.

How should you cater and deliver on the expectations of a drive-thru guest experience? Once you start thinking in terms of enhancing the customer perceived value, you’ll be adding what matters to your customers. Retaining loyal customers is key. In turn, it will also lead to winning over new ones.

Here are ten ways to transform the drive-thru guest experience:

1. Convenience Is Still A Top Priority

Who doesn’t like things to be convenient and readily available? Drive-thru restaurants are primarily all about convenience. Perhaps, the only food chain model that has not only survived but thrived during the pandemic are drive-thru restaurants.

It’s time to create differentiators that will set you apart. At least in part, going digital can be the right path to a better customer experience. Brands need to start using digital menus, upgrade communications, mobile apps, drive-thru timers, and kiosks to fit into the new ecosystem and keep customers happy with a seamless ordering process.

2. Safety Is Paramount

In a high-risk pandemic environment, drive-thru pickup is potentially the safest option for eating out. Today, it covers as much as 90 percent of sales of a quick-service restaurant chain. It also doesn’t change the fact that practicing safety protocols is a must for everyone in the industry. Drive-thrus provide a way for customers to place minimal contact orders.

At places like Chick-fil-A, they encourage customers to use their Chick-fil-A App to place a contactless mobile order and pay for the order in advance.

Provide essentials like masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Conduct internal training for employees; explain to them how to minimize interpersonal contact with the customers. Sterilize frequently used spaces such as counters, POS terminals, touch checkout screens, door handles on equipment, etc. Be sure to clean headset equipment properly to avoid damaging the device.

3. Amp Up Drive-Thru Service Speed

Data collected by NPG Group says that drive-thru visits increased by 26% in the second quarter of 2020. With the sudden influx of new visits, average drive-thru time had slowed down by nearly half a minute, according to an annual study conducted by SeeLevel HX. (Lucas, 2020) Every step, big or small, counts toward increasing the speed and efficiency of service.

A few brands like Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, and Starbucks focus on contactless drive-thru experience to accelerate faster service.

McDonald’s is looking to enhance the booming channel with an express drive-thru lane that allows diners to skip the line and get their orders delivered to them on a conveyor belt.

Some restaurants have increased their onsite staff. These employees walk to your car windows that arrive at peak hours to take orders. Using a tablet integrated with their in-house POS system, they take customers’ orders to expedite order preparation and delivery.

It may seem a small change, but it brings a marginal difference in the service speed. Customers leave drive-thrus lanes more quickly and ‘happily.’

4. Install Digital Menu/ Contactless Menu

Consumers’ preferences were changing long before 2020, compelling restaurant owners to act fast to cater to these changing needs. The pandemic certainly has accelerated the timeline for these drive-thru operators to go digital. Digital menu boards that are being used at 23% of locations across the US have brought down drive-thru times by approximately 12.3 seconds, as reflected in the study by SeeLevelHX. (Lucas, 2020)

The outdoor digital menu offers quick-service restaurants (QSRs) flexibility; and the ability to update menu items, promotions & discounts in real-time, thereby eliminating the extra labor cost and printing menu boards. It results in streamlining operations, boosting sales, and delivers a superlative customer experience through focused content.

Some of the advanced digital menus also have an option of remote contactless payment, allowing customers to order and pay alongside, which reduces the wait time at drive-thru lanes.

In a short period, many restaurant operators have asked our technical experts, “How do we get digital menus installed at our drive-thrus? Which model would be best suited for our outlet? They are looking for immediate assistance in establishing, managing, and updating their digital setup.

A wave of digital change has come about, how soon you adapt to these changes will decide the prospects of your business’ sales and operations.

5. Efficient Communication Systems

Brands like HME, Panasonic, and ParTech offer the most advanced headsets and communication systems available in the market today. These brands not only provide high-performance audio but are also reliable and user-friendly.

Pro-tip: Headsets, belt-pacs, and other audio equipment can wear out in the dynamic environment of a drive-thru kitchen. Even the most durable drive-thru-headsets can break if they are not maintained and serviced regularly. Improper cleaning techniques are also a big issue.

Click here for a download from our website on How To Clean HME Headsets. These methods will work on other equipment brands as well since the technology is similar from brand to brand.

6. Monitor Order Accuracy

Imagine a customer waiting at the order counter for their favorite juicy burger, by mistake gets a pack chicken sandwich instead. What do you think is going to happen? You try to fix the order while the customer continues to wait at the drive-thru lane.

Either way, you have got a customer leaving with a bad experience. Possibly, a bad word of mouth too and a drop in sales. No restaurant operators can tolerate that.

One of the ways to improve accuracy is by installing order confirmation boards and high-quality speaker systems. And if you are looking for more interactive ways to improve order accuracy, two-way video systems can be an option.

7. Install Drive-Thru Timers

Drive-thru timers are essential to the mix of serving customers quickly. They calculate and display service times from multiple points of the drive-thrus. You can also customize additional detection points such as preview boards and greet time.

These timers help identify the average time spent by customers at the drive-thru lane and which point has the longest wait time. HME’s Zoom Nitro provides actionable drive-thru performance insights in real-time. It also offers leader board technology to incite teams to perform at high levels.

8. Contactless Payment Systems

People are fully aware of potentially contaminated surfaces, and consumers swiping their credit cards at the counter are no exception. It’s best to give control of the transaction to consumers, like ParTech’s Extender. It has a plug and play, flexible design that accommodates multiple payment devices.

The setup only requires the extender and the corresponding adapter plate for your payment device. You can Download the Contactless Drive-Thru Payment Extender Datasheet to get more details.

The contactless drive-thru payment systems provide peace of mind to both restaurant operators and customers, encouraging everyone to practice social distancing

9. Adopt Smartphone Technology

Smartphones have significantly impacted all aspects of our lives, from working, socializing, shopping, or eating. Restaurant owners now need to start adding their apps for orders and payments. Capabilities like pre-order and prepay give consumers ample time to browse through the menu, customize their order, and pay without feeling rushed.

Customer loyalty apps allow customers to engage through personalized discounts and info on new menu items or outlet’s fun developments. These apps are a great data point for restaurant owners for future marketing planning, new menu creation, promotions, and expansion ideas.

10. Personalize the Experience!

Level up customer experience by personalizing each customer’s drive-thru experience. Brands using digital timers and other data management tools can leverage data analytics to drive personalized communications among individual loyalty program members.

Train your staff to greet customers by name when possible and be prompt in helping at every step of their order, from initial order until they depart.

The tried but true ‘customer is right’ attitude, with prompt service that gets a customer’s ‘right’ order into their hands swiftly, will always result in high customer satisfaction and higher brand recall value.

Are You Ready to Challenge Your Knowledge of Technology?

Digital technology is here to stay. Embracing it is to embrace the data needed to predict an amazing experience and delight customers. The key to the success of fast-food drive-thru and quick-serve restaurants is to invite change into your customer experience. Digital technology will affect every restaurant regardless of size. Business Sound & Communications is here to help you navigate through the digital landscape of communications and service the equipment needed to create customer experience excellence.

 

Works Cited

Lucas, A. (2020, October 01). Drive-thru times at fast-food chains slow by nearly 30 seconds as demand soars during pandemic, study finds. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/01/drive-thru-times-slow-by-nearly-30-seconds-as-demand-soars-study.html