Our retail team just returned from a leading QSR’s Worldwide Convention, an invite-only event where we had the opportunity to demo our kiosks for more than 12,000 attendees from around the globe. As VP of Retail Sales for Diebold Nixdorf, I found the convention an incredible opportunity to connect with a wide range of restaurant owners and hear about their desire to provide a compelling dining experience for their customers. On a personal level, as a consumer and a mom, it was very cool to be swept up in the excitement and evolution of a brand that my family has grown up with.
This particular QSR has a brand with the scale, infrastructure and positioning to truly be a vanguard for the entire restaurant industry. I came away from the convention with new insights and plenty of inspiration. Here are just a few:
- Consumer experience is the true differentiator.
We were completely wowed by the enthusiasm of this QSR’s employees who worked at the various cafes within the event. Periodically we would hear the Latin America staff burst into song, and witnessed jazz musicians, Indian dancers and a Chinese dragon performance. They really celebrated the diversity of their organization, employees, and the communities they serve. We had many conversations with attendees about how they’re excited to also see diversity reflected in their menu offerings as well as wonderful enhancements in the restaurant experience.
They are beginning to roll out table service and are focusing on creating a welcoming environment where families want to stop and eat dinner together. Automation and self-service solutions enable staff to provide a better dining experience through relationship building and personalization, rather than order-taking.
- Kiosks are at an inflection point.
It was really interesting to see how the convention attendees and the event staff engaged and interacted as the kiosk technology facilitated the dining experience. The enticement of the speed and responsiveness of service, the compelling interaction due to the clarity and vibrant screen colors and sense of empowerment to view and order exactly what I wanted was amazing. Diebold Nixdorf’s kiosks were used in two café locations at the event—six kiosks were installed in the U.S. café and six at the Latin America café—and we tracked around 8,000 transactions per day. I watched smiling employees helping delighted customers use and engage with the kiosks on the first and second days, and by the third day of the event, I was thrilled to see that people were interacting with the technology easily and intuitively. It leads to some exciting, broader conversations about the opportunities for in-store technology …
- The future is high-tech AND high-touch.
Today’s consumers are completely comfortable interacting with a touch-screen—they do it all day long on their smartphones and tablets. This event made me think about many other ways our kiosks and self-service solutions can help shape the future of QSR experiences. With technology, we have the opportunity to know each customer, to remember their preferences, and offer them a more personalized experience that blends technology and human interaction in a more optimized and efficient manner.
It was inspiring to collaborate with this leading QSR to explore their future. One where mobile phones play a role in driving personalized experiences, where kiosks act as concierges, and where restaurant staff are empowered to engage in new ways with customers. It’s a unique moment in history and an exciting opportunity to partner with restaurants and retailers to drive connected commerce experiences around the world.
Interested in learning more about how our self-service systems, software and services could transform your restaurant for the future? Let’s start a conversation.
HANDEL
