Turning Tension Into Trust Smart Strategies for Handling Tough Customers
AI Takes Your Order
Where Bots and Fast-Food Customers Meet
Rude customers are a growing problem for businesses.
Fast-food operators are paddling hard to stay atop a rising tide of customer data. Growing use of digital tools has left many struggling to integrate a mishmash of apps and hardware from different vendors. Only 35% of restaurant operators in a recent industry survey say they use the customer data they collect in a targeted way to increase sales. Many say they need more support from third- party vendors to integrate AI into their operations and marketing. Yum! Brands has taken a different tack. In what Restaurant Business calls a landmark moment in the industry’s AI era, Yum! recently announced a major scaling-up of its in-house AI development. The big restaurant operator is partnering with the world’s largest maker of AI chips, Nvidia, to use AI-powered voice ordering at drive-thrus and by phone at 500 Taco Bell and Pizza Hut stores. Yum! also plans to use computer vision to identify botched orders and labor hang-ups and report problems to managers. About half of Yum!’s orders now come through digital channels, up from 19% in 2019, according to The Wall Street Journal. Yum!, which has long kept development of AI applications in-house, believes digital ordering increases sales by making it easier to upsell, entice eaters through notifications, and personalize their interactions. Eventually, Yum! intends to move 100% of orders to digital channels. Of course, many other operators have embraced AI, too. Wendy’s uses it to offer gamified promotions and deals to loyalty customers. Domino’s tracks customers’ preferences and suggests what to order. In operations, Dillas Quesadillas, a quick-service restaurant, uses PreciTaste technology to predict
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 70% of workers experienced or witnessed acts of incivility daily for three months in 2024, damaging employee productivity and morale.
Is it ever okay to “fire” a customer? Or is there a hidden upside to investing the time and energy required to win them over?
Challenging customers allow you and your employees to practice active listening and show empathy for the customer’s anger or frustration. Consider the possibility that the customer is having trouble understanding what to expect from your product or how to interpret the instructions. In some cases, the customer’s problems may have nothing to do with your company. They could be looking for attention or venting to ease their own anxiety over other issues. To understand the problem in depth, allow the customer to voice their complaints completely — don’t interrupt them. Practice active listening by making eye contact, avoiding distractions, and signaling your interest by verbally confirming you hear their concerns.
Repeat a description of the customer’s complaint to show that you understand. For example, you might say, “If I understand you correctly, you’re upset because the product you received arrived too late for you to use.” This shows the customer you’re paying attention and validates their emotions. Figuring out the underlying issue can help you respond most effectively. Even if your business is not to blame, never descend to the level of an irate customer by abandoning your professionalism, politeness, or respect. Instead, apologize for their distress and work with them to find a solution. With luck and a little skill, you can turn that stressful encounter into an opportunity to show you are committed to excellent service — and transform that irate customer into a loyal, trusting fan.
order flow and streamline preparation of ingredients.
Third-party delivery companies are joining the fray. DoorDash recently crunched its vast database of restaurant customers to promote
its own list of the 50 most-loved eateries on its platform. Clearly, wherever fast-food diners choose to eat in the months to come, AI will be a growing presence.
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