Not long ago, the only self-serve kiosk that Americans used regularly was their bank’s ATM. Now, we use kiosks for everything from video rentals to blood pressure checks. As the general public becomes more comfortable with kiosks, so do QSR brands; Burger King, McDonalds, Panera, Taco Bell, and many other industry leaders are now actively (and in some cases aggressively) increasing the number of locations that offer self-ordering kiosks.
For QSR operators, the benefits of kiosks are clear: they increase ticket size, keep in-store traffic moving during busy times, and reduce employee workloads. Customers themselves have shown a strong preference for visiting restaurants with self-service kiosks. So where’s the downside?
The downside echoes the familiar cries surrounding AI: how do we maintain humanity and personal contact in an age of machines? In this article, we’ll discuss how QSR brands can use kiosks and still offer human-centered experiences and connections to their customers.
The Power of Human Connection in QSRs
Human connection is central to the dining experience, and this holds true for fast casual and quick serve restaurants]. Brands that understand the importance of personal interactions ensure that staff are knowledgeable and friendly; whatever location customers visit, they expect and receive the same welcoming treatment. This adds up to a connection to the brand that can grow into attachment and loyalty.
Does implementing self-service kiosks mean the end of personalized, human-centric attention? That’s a reasonable concern, but it overlooks two important factors:
Many customers value the personalized yet efficient (and private) nature of kiosk interactions, and
There will still be employees for those customers who don’t want to interact with kiosks.
For customers that are hesitant to use kiosks, having an employee help them navigate the process can eliminate many concerns. And it can give them the option to use kiosks when the restaurant is busy and the customer is pressed for time. It’s all about providing options for various needs.
Strategies for Maintaining the Human Touch with Kiosks
A well-designed kiosk can improve the customer experience, but only when it uses design principles that put the humans – i.e. the customers – at the center of the decision-making process. How can we do that?
Prioritize Transparent Communication
It starts with clear communication about what the kiosk does and how it works. This can be accomplished by digital signage (such as showing a tutorial on an inactive kiosk screen), physical signage and labeling, or (as mentioned above) by posting an employee to help newcomers.
In design, a good rule of thumb is that the function of an element or object should be obvious. For example, it’s obvious that we work scissors by putting our thumb in one loop and two fingers in the other. As far as possible, use the shape, size, color, and placement of kiosk elements (whether onscreen or on the housing) to ‘tell’ users what they need to do.
Of course, not everything can be communicated strictly by design. In this case, concise but friendly instructions are essential to the user experience. And this communication doesn’t end once the guest starts entering their order; it should include confirmations, on-screen help options, and followup instructions if necessary.
Empower Choice and Customization
If you think about it, we can actually turn kiosks into agents of personalized experiences. How? By using customers’ individual account information and order history to create a unique experience for each guest.
Some brands do this by asking guests to use their mobile phones to log into their account as they approach a kiosk. Given that tech-forward QSRs use geofencing to notify them when a customer is near the drive-thru, it’s reasonable to expect that similar technology (most notably, Bluetooth and beacons) will soon become more widely used with kiosks. This would allow customers who have downloaded the app and opted into location-based analytics to see personalized screens and menus from the moment they approach the kiosk. Another potential option is facial recognition, but this technology’s widespread adoption is probably a few years into the future due to ethical and privacy concerns.
We can also look for ways to provide more choices for the customer’s interaction with the kiosk itself. Accessibility standards often require alternative communication methods (such as voice ordering, trackballs, or braille labeling) to be available on kiosks, but these features are also appreciated by other guests as well. Whatever we can do to make the user experience easier and more intuitive should be considered.
Pair Digital Assistants with Human Interactions
Another way to incorporate a human element to kiosks is to have an employee help guests who are unfamiliar with kiosk use. This not only trains the guest on how to use the kiosk most efficiently, it also reassures them that help will be there if they need it. Panera, for example, uses employees as “kiosk ambassadors” to help new customers get the hang of the machine.
This speaks to the fact that kiosks are not meant to replace human employees, particularly the human employees at the counter. What kiosks can do is alleviate some of the burden on employees during peak hours, shortening lines and reducing waits. In an industry that’s persistently plagued with personnel shortages, this is welcome relief.
Deliver Personalized Recommendations
Some customers know what they want; others want suggestions from knowledgeable employees. What suggestion-seeking customers may not realize is that they can get expert recommendations from the self-service kiosk, all thanks to AI.
As we’ve explored before in this blog, AI is amazing at finding trends and patterns in data. It can offer suggestions to customers who order a particular item that include:
Pairing ideas based on other customers’ aggregated orders (i.e. “Other customers who ordered a BLT also enjoyed …”).
Customizations based on that guest’s order history (i.e. “Did you want to add cheese to your BLT?”. This, of course, assumes the customer has logged into their account before starting the order.)
Additional items based on the guest’s order history (i.e. offering Dr. Pepper and fries to guests who often order that combo.)
AI can also offer targeted upsell and cross-sell suggestions based on the location, weather, and time of day.
Deploy Interactive Feedback Loops
Finally, kiosks can also become feedback machines. As guests finish their order, they can be prompted to complete a brief survey on their experience using the kiosk. Their replies can be aggregated and analyzed – possibly in combination with other kiosk data – and used to continuously improve kiosk design and performance.
Practical Tips for Implementing User-Friendly QSR Kiosks
So, how can your QSR or fast casual restaurant get the most out of a kiosk deployment? Here are some proven tips:
Choose the right size and location for your kiosk.
Understand and prepare for common kiosk challenges.
Provide employees with training on how to assist customers with kiosks – and make them available to do so.
Collect and review customer sentiment about kiosks and, specifically, their experience with your kiosks.
Use data analytics to monitor kiosk performance, design, and user experience. Make adjustments as needed and regularly revisit the results.
Future Outlook: Integrating QSR Kiosk Technology with Heart
It’s an exciting time to work with QSR technologies like kiosks. As machine learning and other AI disciplines continue to mature, they will open up multiple opportunities for improved personalization and customer experiences. But it bears repeating that kiosks are meant to work with employees, not to completely replace them. Finding the balance between machine efficiency and human interaction will mean keeping the human touch alive and well in our customer experiences.
Many leading QSRs and fast casual companies have already deployed self-service kiosks and are reaping the benefits. If you’d like to learn more about how kiosks can help your restaurant chain, Tillster would be glad to help. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to share our expertise with you!
