Recently I joined a long line up at Thai Express, a fast food outlet in a food court. As I was 15th or so in line, I texted the client I was meeting and offered to order for her, thinking it could be 10 minutes or more before I ordered. Within less than a minute, I was at 5 people closer to the checkout. A staff member was taking orders from those in line and passing information on to cashier and cooks. I have seen this at other fast food outlets but had not encountered such fast and efficient service. Within minutes I was standing in front of the cooks, who, in spite of hot steam, a rigorous pace and a never-ending stream of orders were calling out to waiting customers, creating laughter and overall good spirits.
My fresh, hot food was served so quickly that my client had no time to read and respond to my text. Each order was unique. Contrast this to a burger chain where a stack of burgers and packets of fries sit in anticipation of customer orders.
The principles applied at this fast food restaurant can be applied to any business.
- Every employee’s role is clearly defined – cashier, cook, order taker.
- Quality standards are well understood – fresh, hot, customized meals, delivered in a take-out box that can easily be re-sealed for ease of transport and storage.
- Customer expectations are known to all – don’t keep them waiting over their lunch hour; keep customers engaged so time passes quickly; create a positive customer experience; deliver the food while it is hot; make it easy for customer to store leftovers; use cardboard rather than Styrofoam for the environmentally conscious; value for $ – the portion size can serve as 2 meals.
- Metrics for customer satisfaction are visible –the mood of customers in line; waiting customers responding to the cooks’ joking; speed of order processing.
- Employee engagement is visible – the staff interaction with each other and customers is observable so immediate feedback can be provided.
How does your team, division or organization compare?
- Does everyone understand their own and others’ roles?
- Are quality measures clearly defined?
- Are metrics reported and visible?
- How do you measure and report on stakeholder satisfaction and employee engagement?
If you found this beneficial, click here for more ideas.