I was in the town centre this morning, when I got caught short and needed a bathroom rather urgently. I looked around briefly for a little café I could visit, but there weren’t any in the vicinity. I tried the nearest pub, but they weren’t open yet. I then looked up across the street and saw one of the well-known high street burger places; due to the urgency, I reluctantly went in.
I was greeted by large screens and an empty place; no staff in sight, just one customer sipping a coffee at a corner table. Admittedly, it was mid-morning, too late for breakfast trade and too early for lunch. I hadn’t visited this kind of restaurant in probably 20 years, but how things have changed! The decor seemed less plastic than it used to be, with an effort to bring a more traditional local café vibe, perhaps? I walked around a little, but felt uncomfortable; it obviously wasn’t my kind of place. I left.
I walked up the street for a few yards but it was then even more urgent I found a bathroom, so against my better judgement, I walked into another branded burger place on the corner. I was welcomed by similar large screens, but the place looked a little more alive. Now, I am not a screen phobist, I use my iPad or laptop daily. I am not ancient either, but call me old fashion, I like interaction, I like people and I like having some sort of a conversation with them, even a short basic one, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
Hello, how can I help you?
Good morning. Can I have a white coffee please?
Eat in or take away?
To have in please.
What size?
Normal size, medium please.
That’s 99p. (Yes, it’s that cheap there!) Here you are.
Thank you.
Thank you, have a good day.
Not forgetting a smile. A simple smile makes a world of difference in the customer experience. But this didn’t happen. Instead, I was faced with large screens; I only wanted a coffee; how complicated can this be?
Wanting to avoid those large screens, I walked to the unmanned counter with small touchscreens; none worked, so I went back to the
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screens at the entrance and started taping along to order my coffee. I was first confronted by a whole menu; I selected hot drinks. Half way through I realised that I had made the mistake of ordering a black coffee; I tap the back button to go back to the main menu and order the white coffee I wanted. Then came the choice of table service or collect; ‘table service?’ That sounds appealing – I selected that option. Then I was asked to take a tent and insert the three-digit number … what tent? What three-digit number? I looked around, nothing, I saw two young people waiting to collect their order and asked for help; they had no idea either. I then noticed a lady cleaning a table, so I walked to her, apologised for interrupting and asked. She pointed at a table and said to just put the table number – a single-digit number, how confusing – I went back to the screen; it had timed out. I was back to square one; keep in mind that by that time I was bursting. I went through the whole journey to place my coffee order. When met with the dilemma ‘eat in or take away’ I obviously choose take away to avoid further delay. ‘Insert card’, not contactless, how odd? But easy enough, payment over. ‘Please take your receipt with your order number to the counter and collect your order.’ Hooray, nearly there. Waiting … waiting … no receipt coming out of the machine.
I turned round and saw the same lady now cleaning a door. I walked to her, apologised again for interrupting and told her that no ticket had come out of the machine. She looked at me ‘Ah, but screens 2 and 4 don’t print receipts.’ With disbelief probably showing on my face ‘How am I supposed to know that? Can I get my order without a receipt?’ Before I got an answer, I heard someone calling out ‘White coffee, order number 90!’ That must be me. I collected my cup, said thank you and start looking for the bathroom. Walking pass the lady back on her cleaning duties, I asked her where it was located, and she nicely pointed me to the right direction. As soon as I got inside the below average facilities, my phone rang, but that’s another story.
When I came out of the bathroom, I picked a table and sat there for a few minutes, sipping on my coffee - a quite decent cup of coffee as it happens and rather cheap too - and started thinking about the experience.
I wouldn’t choose to go to this kind of place in normal circumstances, but can’t you still expect some sort of customer service in a fast-food outlet? Or am I just from a generation who expects too much from these places?
It’s like self-service tills in supermarkets; I cannot stand them, and not just because of the ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ messages and oft-unreadable barcodes – yes, I have tried them on a few occasions – but because of the total lack of interaction with other people, unless something goes wrong. Now, I am not entirely fearful of technology; I embrace self-service such as ATMs and online shopping, and I understand the convenience of payment terminals at petrol stations or ticketing machines in car parks like the next person, but I expect a minimum of customer service when I order a coffee. Am I peculiar? Am I the only one?
I recently read an article highlighting the fact that Millennials and Gen Z tend to prefer self-service, expect information to be immediately available and want to interact with as few people as possible. They are in and out in a matter of minutes, again unless the technology doesn’t work properly, and move on with their lives. This convenience must partly explain why fast-food places are packed with Millennials and Zoomers.
I am well aware that our society moved towards self-service a few years ago, in many aspects of our lives and that this technology is everywhere and expected, making our lives supposedly easier, but I can’t help but think that it may not always be for the better. The article I was reading also stated that a survey showed 70% of customers now expect companies to offer self-service as part of their customer flow.
I also understand that self-service has a place in the customer service offering, and that it will more and more for business to effectively cater to both demographics.
Is AI the future of customer service and customer experience?
Now, writing this, I realise that as a customer, I am part of a generation on its way out - Millennials and Zoomers will apparently soon become the largest consumer groups in the country - and that I probably sound like an old man moaning about how life was so much better in my days … well, call me old fashion, but I still like to be able to walk into a café, be welcomed by real people and served with a smile rather than deal with machines, which may or may not work.
If I walk into another fast-food place in another 20 years, it will be 20 years too soon.
PS. I also need to cut down my coffee consumption and try not get caught short again.
