3 McDonald's restaurants in Hawaii are using a call center in California to take the drive-through meal order from the customer, and then relays the order back to the Hawaii restaurant.

The advantages of this system escapes me.

http://starbulletin.com/2006/04/12/b...s/story01.html

THREE Hawaii McDonald's restaurants are participating in a national McDonald's experiment that uses the services of a call center in Santa Maria CA, to handle drive-through meal orders.
<snip...>
"Normally the person who does take the orders is the cashier. The cashier is still there, so now with the order-taking function (being handled elsewhere), it gives us better opportunities for improving the customer experience at the restaurants," she said.

The New York Times reported that customers' voices often are faint, and it was particularly hard to hear orders during the recent rainstorms in Hawaii.

Douglas King, chief executive of Bronco Communications, which operates the call center, said the voice-volume issue happened because the reporter "was listening when a downpour was occurring -- and people aren't hanging out their windows" to place orders at such times.

Take note, Hawaii's McDonald's customers - when placing your order at the drive-through, be sure to lean out of your window, and speak clearly and loudly because the person taking your order is over 2400 miles away.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

The only benefit I can think of is that the person speaks English?

/me runs

 

That phone bill is going to get expensive quick.....

 

You haven't been to some of the MickieD's in the south area during the off-hours - the manager was barking orders in Spanish to both the kitchen crew and the guys mopping the floors. That's fine with me as long as my meal order is right.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I've often said that when I go to Taco Bell, the order taker need not speak English (or Spanish for that matter) very well, as long as they speak fluent TACO BELL. How hard is it to understand "number 7 and 2 bean burritos" the eleventy factorial time you hear it?

 

Not if you have VOIP with least call routing.

Then it's a free call.

 

haha, not after they outsource it to India like all the tech centers... :-P

 

They can save money and have 1 person handle all 3 restuarants' orders.

 

I'm shocked they are handling it in a CA call center. You could get it done in the South for 20% of the price...

 

you ever been to a CA drive-thru?

I think this just takes the blame off the cashier for screwing up

"I said a taco, not a double cheese burger!!"

"I can call the order center if you wish?"