How Much Are Order Inaccuracies Costing You?

Based on data from the 2018 QSR Drive-Thru Study, order inaccuracies on average cost QSRs 21.9 daily lost transactions. That’s equivalent to almost 8,000 yearly lost transactions, resulting in over $51,000 annually.

From these statistics, it’s easy to see the importance of improving order accuracy in your QSR. Use the following tips to support your endeavors.

1. Teach employees to verify orders.

This tip seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy it can be to skip this step. Taking the time to repeat the order back to them – whether at the drive-thru or in the store – can reduce overall service times and save costs from inaccurate orders. Teach employees to verify every order, every time, and improve the order accuracy in your store.

2. Motivate employees with incentive programs.

Though this may feel like an additional step that adds to your costs, incentivizing your employees can motivate them to work harder and improve accuracy. Whether you choose to reward your staff as a whole or offer incentives to only the top-performing employees, the ROI your QSR receives from improved order accuracy and service times can far outweigh the costs to offering incentives such as bonuses, special events and extra PTO. Even simply recognizing hard-working employees can go a long way to seeing improvement in the quality of service they provide.

3. Fill service gaps with automation.

Improve order accuracy by filling gaps and reducing the number of steps an employee has to go through during the ordering process. This can encompass a number of technologies, including digital boards at the drive-thru so customers can verify their orders visually, self-serving kiosks that allow customers to input their own orders, and optimizing kitchen technology to assist employees as they prepare orders. Investing in technology advancements can reduce overall labor costs and service times while improving order accuracy and customer loyalty.

4. Implement ongoing training.

Technology and customer expectations are ever-evolving, so your customer service and business strategies should as well. Conduct regular employee training sessions (i.e., weekly, monthly or quarterly) to keep your QSR’s mission, vision and company policies top of mind. In addition, these sessions can support team building and open communication between the staff and leadership team to improve operational efficiency.

5. Gauge efficiency with mystery shopping services.

Any operational components slowing down your drive-thru amount to lost revenue. Discover gaps in your operations and learn what your QSR can do to improve order accuracy through a custom mystery shopping program with SeeLevel HX.

If you retain even just 1 customer at your location, you’ve already paid for the program in full. Now think of the hundreds of thousands of dollars you could save by implementing this program across all of your locations.

Stop letting $51,000 or more slip through your hands every year. Let’s discuss how your QSR can improve its order accuracy and generate more sales. Schedule a free 20-minute strategy session with our team to get started today.