A recent CNBC article discussed the reason McDonald’s stock price hit an all-time high was based on speculation that sales were going to increase due to new digital ordering kiosks that will replace cashiers in 2,500 restaurants.
The fast-food pioneer knows a thing or two about efficiency and meeting the needs of their customers. In an environment where customers want a fast, familiar meal, the introduction of self-service kiosks promises to expedite the ordering and payment process.
My social media feed lamented the loss of cashiers and a reduction in the available jobs because of automation. McDonald’s CEO, Steve Easterbrook, disagrees. He has said the self-order kiosks are not a labor replacement. They provide an opportunity to transition back-of-the-house positions to more customer service roles such as concierges and table service where they can truly engage with guests and enhance the experience.
Similarly, industry analysts have predicted that chatbots are poised to replace most customer service jobs. Data in the Aspect Agent Survey indicates that simply is not the case. While 61% of consumers think chatbots will allow for faster resolutions and question answering, 42% said they still prefer to speak to a live agent for complex situations.
So, how do agents feel about digital co-workers? According to the same survey, 64% of agents said adding chatbots would enable them to provide more personalized service for customers. The result is more engaged agents providing better service and improving the overall customer experience – much in the same way the back-of-the-house McDonald’s employees will engage with customers delivering food to the table.
Visit the Aspect NLU Lab to learn more about engaging employees while improving the customer experience with chatbots.
The post Burgers + Bots = Engaged Employees appeared first on Aspect Blogs.