http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/11/technology/mcdonalds/index.htm
I do not know how this is ever ever ever ever going to work????
I do not know how this is ever ever ever ever going to work????
Call centers may make fast food faster
- Thread starter kleenex
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
jkath
Hospitality Queen
..."The centers not only allow fast-food chains to cut labor costs, but to focus more on customer service by creating specially trained centralized staffs to take drive-through orders, the newspaper said."
For heaven's sake! All they need is a human who can actually speak well, push buttons on their register, and make change properly and there's no need for this!
For heaven's sake! All they need is a human who can actually speak well, push buttons on their register, and make change properly and there's no need for this!
jkath
Hospitality Queen
Pretty soon, we'll no doubt have a do-it-yourself Mickey-D's.
Let's see...you go online, place your order, making sure you designate your estimated time of arrival. Then, you use your cell phone to confirm your order, making sure to press the # sign after each command. And, of course, making sure you enter your confirmation number.
Then, upon arrival to the McD's, you'll first go to the drive-up automated station, where you'll input your confirmation number, your pin number, followed by the # sign. You'll press "1" if it is correct, "2" if it is not. If it is "2", you'll need to go home and try again.
If it is indeed "1", a printed receipt will be available. You then can then pull up to the second automated window, where you will self-scan your UPC code on your receipt. You will be asked to swipe your ATM card, along with your ATM's pin number for payment. There will be a $2 processing fee, as the automated window is not in service with your regular bank. The order will then be transferred to a small screen, where the 5 employees who are working can read your order and process it to their liking.
You will go home, wishing you were back in the "old times".
Let's see...you go online, place your order, making sure you designate your estimated time of arrival. Then, you use your cell phone to confirm your order, making sure to press the # sign after each command. And, of course, making sure you enter your confirmation number.
Then, upon arrival to the McD's, you'll first go to the drive-up automated station, where you'll input your confirmation number, your pin number, followed by the # sign. You'll press "1" if it is correct, "2" if it is not. If it is "2", you'll need to go home and try again.
If it is indeed "1", a printed receipt will be available. You then can then pull up to the second automated window, where you will self-scan your UPC code on your receipt. You will be asked to swipe your ATM card, along with your ATM's pin number for payment. There will be a $2 processing fee, as the automated window is not in service with your regular bank. The order will then be transferred to a small screen, where the 5 employees who are working can read your order and process it to their liking.
You will go home, wishing you were back in the "old times".
auntdot
Head Chef
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 2,418
Thanks for the directions JKath, but I am so confused.
Don't have an ATM card.
Or I suppose we do, I think a credit card has one, but have no idea what the PIN is.
Anyway, ya mean I gotta do all that to get a stinking Big Mac?
But then again, calm down Auntdot, you never eat one of those.
Do make a run for the border every year or so, and buy about $40 worth of burritos and whatever else sounds good.
But that is our fast food experience anymore. And the stuff lasts for a couple of weeks and sates us until the next year.
But we just always walk in to order because we never know what they have from year to year.
Usually cook at home, or eat in sit down places, and we don't need a PIN number there.
Yet.
Thank goodness.
Don't have an ATM card.
Or I suppose we do, I think a credit card has one, but have no idea what the PIN is.
Anyway, ya mean I gotta do all that to get a stinking Big Mac?
But then again, calm down Auntdot, you never eat one of those.
Do make a run for the border every year or so, and buy about $40 worth of burritos and whatever else sounds good.
But that is our fast food experience anymore. And the stuff lasts for a couple of weeks and sates us until the next year.
But we just always walk in to order because we never know what they have from year to year.
Usually cook at home, or eat in sit down places, and we don't need a PIN number there.
Yet.
Thank goodness.
corazon
Executive Chef
You would still have to wait in line, that takes longer than actually getting your food. And cutting labor costs? It's all about profit.
I hate talking to computers! Who else does?
I hate talking to computers! Who else does?
-DEADLY SUSHI-
Washing Up
Salary reduction from $7.50 an hour to $4.00 is huge. Multiply that by 20000 locations! 
Thats a savings of $70,000 an hour!!! 
Yup. its going to happen folks. Im just guessing that it will cost $4/hr for folks in India to perform the same job.
Thats a savings of $70,000 an hour!!! Yup. its going to happen folks. Im just guessing that it will cost $4/hr for folks in India to perform the same job.
middie
Chef Extraordinaire
If I have to go through all of that hassle for a hashbrown then they BETTER get my order right the first time everytime.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
This is a very complex way to buy a burger. I guess I'd be out of luck of there's a computer breakdown in the middle of an order.
...and paying cash would be out of the question????
...and paying cash would be out of the question????
BigDog
Head Chef
-DEADLY SUSHI- said:Salary reduction from $7.50 an hour to $4.00 is huge. Multiply that by 20000 locations!
This is harsh, and likely politically incorrect, but since when have I been PC?
This is great, soon we'll be having Apu retiring from the Qwik E Mart and taking our orders for Mac and Dons.
"Tank you and please come again!"
That is a huge pet peeve of mine, not being able to understand the person on the other end of the line. Doesn't matter what type of business. I'd better stop there before I go ranting.
One thing that cracks me up though is when the line is answered by someone obviously not of American decent and is quite likely in a foreign country (usually India or something like that) and they say their name is Pete, or Joe, or Paul, or something like that. I just laugh and think "yeah, and I'm jolly old Saint Nicholas!"
BigDog
Head Chef
Andy M. said:
Doesn't matter. Who needs cash any more? Besides, the USD takes such a thumping by other currencies I wonder how long it will take before we're converting to Euros or whatever.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
BigDog:
The payment method is secondary to the original point.
I'm more concerned about having a centralized call center located 'who knows where' trying to take my order. Based on my previous call center experience, I'm not sure I could make myself understood.
Also, if phone lines or computers go down, I miss a meal. I would expect some backlash if this is implemented.
The payment method is secondary to the original point.
I'm more concerned about having a centralized call center located 'who knows where' trying to take my order. Based on my previous call center experience, I'm not sure I could make myself understood.
Also, if phone lines or computers go down, I miss a meal. I would expect some backlash if this is implemented.
tancowgirl2000
Head Chef
Pizza Hut or Panago...cant remember but one of them is thru the call center and it really ticks a person off when you want to know details that "they" cant give you because they arent at "that" location so please try this number and talk to someone that KNOWS what they are doing...errrr!!! Why bother....they still have to pay cooks and cleaners. Dont they all just stand around staring at the walls like the next one?
-DEADLY SUSHI-
Washing Up
For the record....... I dont like it. But when a company sees such savings, I dont see what we can do. 
Grrrrrrrr......
Grrrrrrrr......
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
-DEADLY SUSHI- said:For the record....... I dont like it. But when a company sees such savings, I dont see what we can do.
What we can do is go somewhere else for our food.
jkath
Hospitality Queen
BigDog said:
My favorite was one of the outsourced workers from MCI (that's when they wouldn't give me phone service of any sort for weeks). "hey-lo, it ees my playsure to be of asseestance doo you. Dees ees Brittany."
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
BigDog said:
hiiiiiiya nick!
don't blame the little guy on the phone. he's just working to put naan on his table, same as you and me.
Last edited:
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
kleenex said:
I doubt that will happen any time soon. Of course, we could all park our cars, get off our fat butts and go into the restaurants.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
sacriledge!!!!
you heathen you, andy. i want my food five seconds ago, and i want it fresh, tasty, and i want it brought to me where i sit. in fact, maybe someone could chew it for me first and just regurgitate it into my mouth...
i don't hit fast food places often, and if it became a hassle, i wouldn't go at all.
i've never been able to figure out the allure of fast food and chain restaurants, especially dominoes and pizza hut. their pizzas suck imo, and in most metropolitan areas local mom and pop joints have much better food. as far as burgers go, diners blow away fast food places.
about the only advantage i can see is saving a minute or two. if you can't rearrange your daily schedule to afford those extra few minutes, you have a lot more problems than worrying about food. (you can always make up that time speeding home on a highway
)
you could say, paraphrasing a famous quote, you're being a second wise, but a minute foolish.
you heathen you, andy. i want my food five seconds ago, and i want it fresh, tasty, and i want it brought to me where i sit. in fact, maybe someone could chew it for me first and just regurgitate it into my mouth...
i don't hit fast food places often, and if it became a hassle, i wouldn't go at all.
i've never been able to figure out the allure of fast food and chain restaurants, especially dominoes and pizza hut. their pizzas suck imo, and in most metropolitan areas local mom and pop joints have much better food. as far as burgers go, diners blow away fast food places.
about the only advantage i can see is saving a minute or two. if you can't rearrange your daily schedule to afford those extra few minutes, you have a lot more problems than worrying about food. (you can always make up that time speeding home on a highway
)you could say, paraphrasing a famous quote, you're being a second wise, but a minute foolish.
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