Restaurants
Three ways digital signage elevates drive-thru experiences
As the restaurant industry continues to rebound from the pandemic, enticing consumers with convenience, ordering ease and speed has become an indispensable recovery strategy. Here’s how to equip your franchise’s drive-thru with the latest digital signage innovations to revolutionize the experience and maximize its revenue-generating capability.
April 19, 2024 by Carl Udler — Sr. Director, Hughes
As the restaurant industry continues to rebound from the pandemic, enticing consumers with convenience, ordering ease and speed has become an indispensable recovery strategy.
In fact, drive-thru sales hit $133 billion in 2022, an increase of 30 percent from 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting firm. Some experts surmise that while the pandemic has abated, our desire for solitude has only solidified — further fueling drive-thru trends. But what if I were to tell you there are ways to make the already convenient drive-thru ordering process even more effortless, elevating the customer experience and fostering stronger brand loyalty?
The answer lies in embracing the power of digital signage technology and integrating it into all stages of the drive-thru experience — to not only simplify the ordering process but to also keep customers engaged and informed. Here's how to equip your franchise's drive-thru with the latest digital signage innovations to revolutionize the experience and maximize its revenue-generating capability.
1: Greet customers as they roll up
Speed and convenience start the moment the customer enters the drive-thru lane.
Utilizing digital signage to greet customers enables them a few moments to peruse the menu and consider their order before they arrive at the order window. It also provides you with an opportunity to promote seasonal menus and products. With digital signage, the process to update menus and showcase daily specials is effortless.
Through a Content Management System (CMS), updates can be scheduled in advance by time of day, audience and purpose. That makes it easy to promote lattes and muffins to morning commuters and soup and salad combos to the lunch rush crowd. Content can even be updated across multiple screens or restaurants. Such flexibility enables franchisees to respond to changing tastes and trends quickly.
2: Show customers you care
One of the best ways to demonstrate that you care about customers and their business is to recognize their preferences — including their language of choice. AI-driven systems have the remarkable ability to analyze vast amounts of data, including customers' previous orders. Voice-recognition AI technology also has the ability to respond in the moment to a customer's first words. Such information can be used to enhance interactions and offer personalized recommendations.
For example, if a loyal customer regularly orders a specific type of burger with particular toppings and sides, AI can use natural language processing and commands to identify the person from the franchise's customer database and suggest that exact combination when they pull up to the ordering window. Bilingual AI systems can also take the order in Spanish or English, depending on the customer's preferences. This creates a sense of anticipation and excitement for the customer, enabling them to feel truly understood and catered to.
AI integrated into digital signage can also optimize the ordering process by streamlining menu options and removing items that are unavailable or out of stock. This not only speeds up the ordering process but also reduces the risk of errors in fulfilling orders, again enhancing the overall customer experience.
3: Give them a reason to return
One of the most frustrating aspects of the drive-thru experience can be the uncertainty surrounding an order. Nothing ruins the convenience of the drive-thru quicker than digging into your food bag and realizing you didn't receive an item, or your special order was botched — only to calculate the hassle and time it would take to get back in line or fight the counter crowds to rectify the situation. It spoils the experience and dampens any desire to return in the future. Instead, digital signage can display order details and summaries, ensuring customers can easily verify their selections to reduce the chances of mistakes and the extra (and inconvenient) time it takes to get that order corrected.
While the benefits of digital signage in the drive-thru are evident, implementing and maintaining this technology requires a reliable partner. Turning to an experienced Managed Service Provider (MSP) reduces your risk, improves time to deployment, enhances your technical capabilities, and ensures success when delivering IT initiatives, like digital signage upgrades or deployments. For example, an MSP can provide the latest hardware and software solutions — like weather tested, high glare-resistant screens — to ensure that your franchise's drive-thru is equipped with the best technology available. An MSP can also keep your digital signage screens up and running without interruption through backup connectivity solutions. So, even in the event of network outages or technical issues, your screens will continue to operate seamlessly. Backup connectivity coupled with expert support and maintenance services are crucial for maximizing the benefits of digital signage.
The result of these digital enhancements? A drive-thru experience that not only satisfies customers but also leaves a lasting impression. This positive experience can lead to stronger brand loyalty, repeat business, increased revenue and word-of-mouth recommendations, all of which are invaluable for franchise restaurants.
Editor's note: a previous version of this article originally appeared in Franchising World.
About Carl Udler
Related Media
Subscribe
Get the latest news and resources from Digital Signage Today.
