QSR May 2022

S P ON S O R E D B Y HME HO S P I TA L I T Y AND S P E C I A LT Y C OMMUN I C AT I ON S

In the Drive Thru and Beyond, Communication Is Key Quick-service teams are looking for communication tech that can help meet higher-than-ever customer demand and expectations.

servicebrand inSanDiego, Calif. “Integrationbetweenmyheadset andmydrive-thru timer helps bring awareness tomobileorder wait times andenablesmy team tomakemobile customers ahigh priority so the customer doesn’t have towait onus.” Equally important,more restaurantswant drive-thrucom municationsystems that enable newer technologies likeorder ing via artificial intelligence (ai). “Manybrandshavebeensuccess fully testing automatedordering in thedrive thruandhave seen that it enables their teams tomulti-task,” Foley says. “While theAI takes orders, employees are freed from order taking andempowered to enhance the customer experience withpersonable, face-to-face in teractionswhen itmattersmost.”

A lthoughbrands have experimented for yearswith small tweaks to their traditional drive-thru service, theCOVID-19pan demic forced rapid innovation tobetter serve thehigher traffic volume.While drive thrusmadeup asmuchof 70percent of sales be foreCOVID, the drive thruquickly became a lifeline for quick-service restaurants. As a result, operators invested innewtechnologies tohelp meet higher-than-ever customer expectations. Today, crews serve more customers thanever before atmultiple touchpoints—dine-in, the drive thru,mobile orders, and curbside—and customers expect a fast, seamless experiencewitheachorder. “TheCOVIDpandemic forcedusall toreevaluateandadjustour businessoperations,”saysPaulFoley, presidentofHMEHospitalityand SpecialtyCommunications. “Drivethrushaveevolvedintooperations withmultipleorderandpickuppoints. It’sno longer justabout serving customers inthe lanequicklyandefficiently. It’salsoaboutmeetingser viceexpectationsateveryadditional channel likecurbsidepickupspots.” Tobetter serve customers, restaurantsneeda communication solution that seamlessly connects drive-thruandcrewcommunica tion, plus provides critical insights inreal time. “Wewantmobileorder customers tohave a fast andflawless experience just like theydo in the drive thru,” saysLupeCabrera, a generalmanager for amajor quick

TheNEXEO | HDXCrewCommunicationPlatform, createdby HME, delivers onall thesepoints. It features all-newhighdefinition HDXDigital Audio, optional systemintegrations that provide critical performance alerts to the right personat the right time, supports tight integration tohighly accurate automatedorder-taking (aot) systems, and is cloud-connected for platformupgrades tomeet the ever-chang ing restaurant needs. Teammembers canuse voice commands to performcertain tasks like immediately connecting toadrive-thrucus tomer, connectingprivately toa teammember viaheadset for coaching, andmore. NEXEOalsoallows one-on-one calls and segments crews intogroups formore efficient operations, allwithout disruptingdrive thrucommunicationwithcustomers. “Delivering a great customer experience startswithmakingkey communicationeasy and fun throughout the restaurantwhilemaxi mizing efficiency,”Foley says. “NEXEO|HDX is specifically created to be the total restaurant communicationsolution for todayand tomor row, elevating your operation toexceedyour customers’ expectations andenable future changes in the rapidlyevolvingquick-service restau rant industry.” Z

To learn more, visit hme.com/nexeo.

HME HOSPITALITY AND SPECIALTY COMMUNICATIONS

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MAY 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com