McDonald's To Outsource... Drive-Through Order-Takers?

They're considering setting up central order-taking centers and diverting orders, via phone, to them.

McDonald's Corp., the world's largest restaurant chain, is testing the use of remote call centers to handle drive-thru orders in an effort to improve service.

Company officials said the idea, being tested at a small number of restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, is aimed at reducing the number of mistakes at the drive-thru window.

"If you're in L.A. and you hear a person ... with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you'll know what we're up to," McDonald's Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner said during a presentation to analysts Thursday in New York.

CBS News Radio Correspondent Lou Miliano reports the strategy is based on the theory that mistakes come from the order-taker, not the cook line. Sending orders directly to a call center and back to the grill could also allow McDonald's employees to focus on delivering better customer service, the company said.

"You have a professional order taker with strong communications skills whose job is to do nothing but take down orders," said Matthew Paull, the chief financial officer.

First of all, half of the problem is with the poor quality of the speakers and receivers.

Second -- this plan will be scrapped because it's racist.

Trading LA order-takers for North Dakota ones "with strong communication skills"... what do you think they're saying there? Doesn't matter really if they mean to be racist or not; Oliver Willis will threaten to boycott McDonald's, and trust me, when Oliver Willis boycots McDonald's, they're going to notice that on their bottom line.

I'm not sure why most orders can't be completed by just pushing buttons anyhow. A bunch of buttons and a computer screen to view your order and confirm-- no mistakes.

You'll need someone to take orders for older folks that can't comprehend this crazy new cheeseburger computer system, but most orders can be taken that way.

posted by Ace at 01:55 PM

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