Fast-food restaurants globally have been moving towards automated ordering systems, which give customers different ordering options that don’t require them to order from a cashier in-store. A few local fast-food restaurants have been following suit, to great success.
Brandon Mitchell, director of Datasmith
Brandon Mitchell, director of Datasmith, which has developed software to allow this automation in South African fast-food restaurants, says the results have been astonishing. “We developed an integrated, digital sales channel solution for local brand, Pedros, that has improved their order accuracy, operational efficiencies and speed of service by a factor of ten,” he says. “The solution is three-pronged with a call centre, in-store kiosks and integrated third-party sales. We were surprised to find that although all three have been successful, the call centre has outperformed our expectations.”
The call centre, which has seen substantial sales numbers, allows agents to guide callers through the online ordering journey. It is unique in that the telephony integration provides caller line ID which automatically populates the name and number to make the order a simple and seamless experience. The digital map integration has also been a useful solution feature for the delivery service offered by the stores. “The call centre has been inundated with orders and we are very impressed with the efficiency and speed they can process,” says Mitchell.
In-store self-ordering kiosks are increasingly playing a role, and the global trend shows that this will just continue to grow. The kiosks allow customers to complete the order transaction quickly and efficiently themselves, without speaking to the cashier. Their order is immediately loaded into the store’s POS. Mitchell says, “We have seen that implementing these striking-looking kiosks has improved order accuracy and allowed staff to focus on preparing the food, fast. They are modernising the stores’ look and improving the all-round customer experience. I would not be at all surprised if some customers begin actively avoiding restaurants where they are forced to order with cashiers,” he says.
The international trend also shows that globally restaurants are increasingly investing in kiosks and statistics show that on average customers* order more food from a kiosk than from a human cashier. A **report in January last year by the international data and business advisor Datos, concurs:
Self-ordering is crucial to the future of major restaurant chains. With rising food prices and labour costs as well as supply chain fragility, restaurant chains are seeing a clear business case for kiosk technology as an effective means of cost-cutting. Frequently, fast-food operators also report an increase in average transaction values as a direct result of installing self-ordering kiosks.Finally, integrating third-party sales directly into the store’s POS makes the process quick and faultless. “The hand’s free order integration between third-party sales platforms, like Uber Eats and Mr D, and the store’s POS is efficient and means there are far fewer ordering errors,” explains Mitchell. "This integration has also provided a substantial increase in sales.”
“Fast food restaurants that are not embracing this new technology to increase their sales, improve their order accuracy and reduce customers’ waiting time, are risking getting left behind as local customers adapt to automated ordering. This solution ensures a better all-round service and more appealing experience,” he says.
