McDonald's Testing Automated Drive-Thru Ordering at 10 Chicago Restaurants
CNBC.com reports that at 10 McDonald's locations in Chicago, workers aren't taking down customers' drive-thru orders for McNuggets and french fries — a computer is, CEO Chris Kempczinski said Wednesday.
Kempczinski said the restaurants using the voice-ordering technology are seeing about 85% order accuracy. Only about a fifth of orders need to be a taken by a human at those locations, he said, speaking at Alliance Bernstein's Strategic Decisions conference.
"The level of investment that would be required, the cost of investment, we're nowhere near to what the breakeven would need to be from the labor cost standpoint to make that a good business decision for franchisees to do," Kempczinski said.
Instagram Opens Up to Help Businesses Handle Customer Service
The Wall Street Journal says that Instagram is now allowing developers and businesses to begin integrating messages they get from consumers on its platform into the outside tools many companies use to manage customer communications. To enable this function, developers and businesses use an API, which enables two applications to communicate with one another.
The inability for the third-party tools that help manage such contacts to connect with direct messages on Instagram left companies grasping for details such as order history when customers contacted them on the platform.
PetSmart Launches New Brand Platform Celebrating The Pet Lover In Us All
PetSmart is celebrating our pet-obsessed culture by unveiling a new brand platform called, "Anything for Pets." It embodies the love customers have for their pets and the lengths PetSmart will go to support those pets.
"It's no secret we're obsessed with our pets – the love and care, the joy, the spoiling and bonding – and there's nothing we wouldn't do for them because, quite simply, there's nothing they wouldn't do for us," Will Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at PetSmart said. "Anything for Pets is more than a new tagline or marketing campaign. For us, it's a way of life and the fabric of our company, inspired by the associates who continue to go above and beyond to serve our customers and their pets. They are living proof that at PetSmart, we'll do anything for pets."
BJ’s Wholesale Club Adds New Buy-Now-Pay-Later Payment Option with Citizens Pay
BJ’s Wholesale Club announced that it now offers Citizens Pay, a flexible, buy-now-pay-later payment option that allows members to finance purchases over $99. The new payment option is available for purchases made on BJs.com for delivery and with buy online, pick up in-club and curbside pickup.
“We offer members unbeatable value and convenience on everything they need in a one-stop shop. We’re thrilled to offer Citizens Pay to provide our members with a simple, affordable way to pay for large purchases alongside everyday items,” said Chris DeSantis, senior vice president, GMM, sundries and services, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “We’re committed to delivering outstanding service to our members and Citizens Pay will help create more flexibility for them to purchase what they need, when they need it.”