Allowing fast food lovers to check the latest McDonald’s offers, find information on their closest restaurant, ask a question, and even start an order via voice. Intuitive, touchless, and putting customers first, this is a great addition to McDonald’s track record of customer service excellence.
VOICE: A NEW WAY TO ENJOY MCDONALD’S
Our partnership with one of the most popular brands in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry started in 2020.
McDonald’s saw voice as an opportunity to advance their brand mission: to be their customers’ favourite place and way to eat and drink. Vixen Labs possessed the expertise and skills to make that happen.
Together, we created a new way for customers to enjoy their McDonald’s experience via voice, during and post-pandemic.
Fast. Frictionless. Free-flowing.
CONSUMERS USE VOICE TODAY AND EXPECT IT TOMORROW
Existing McDonald’s market segments revealed a significant business opportunity and common thread across consumer needs: speed and convenience.
Our research at Vixen Labs into voice user patterns in the food industry also highlighted a huge potential for voice, especially following the global lockdown. But where exactly?
2 in 5 consumers said they had used voice search to ask for directions, an address, or business hours for a nearby location. They were also interested in reassurance and safety, dietary information, offers, and a straightforward ordering process, with 56% showing an interest in ordering through the skill.
56% OF CONSUMERS ARE READY TO ORDER FOOD USING THEIR VOICE DEVICES. VOICE ORDERING MAY BE THE NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.
Despite high customer expectations and research in the US confirming that voice was about to emerge with a force on the UK market, voice adoption in the QSR industry had been slow.
This was our opportunity to help McDonald’s become a pioneer in the field of voice, with a view to increasing value for its customers.
putting the focus on family
McDonald’s brings people together through ‘delicious feel-good moments’ everywhere. Our strategic vision focuses on enabling these moments. We also like longevity, so we employ in-skill user pattern analysis to recognise emerging audience needs and provide long-term satisfaction.
HOW IT STARTED
During the first release of the Amazon Alexa McDonald’s Skill in the UK, hosted on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) and executed through an AWS Lambda function, we introduced the restaurant finder, a feature that satisfied customers’ top priorities: to check their nearest restaurant, its opening hours and services with ease. The skill also provided answers to the most common questions about McDonald’s through a guided conversation. And, since the target audience was budget-conscious, we wanted to keep users updated on promotions right from the moment they opened the skill.
HOW IT’S GOING
Thanks to our partnership with Amazon Alexa, we were recently among the first agencies to implement the new Send to Phone feature, enabling a fast ordering experience across devices. Nowadays, on top of finding their nearest restaurant and answers to common questions about McDonald’s, users can check offers and initiate orders in the skill by asking Alexa to send a link straight to their phone. For those who have the My McDonald’s app already installed on their phone, the skill will open the app directly.
Today, we continue to grow. Together with McDonald’s. Guided by customers.
“VOICE HAS GROWN SO MUCH OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND IT’S REALLY EXCITING FOR US TO EXPLORE THIS AVENUE WITH THE TALENTED TEAM AT VIXEN LABS.”
“We see it as an opportunity to better engage with our audience and provide them with excellent customer service right now, while looking at the roadmap for the future, too.” — David Jewell, Digital Product Manager
ENHANCED VALUE. REDUCED COSTS. OUR RESULTS.
- Increased awareness of the My McDonald’s mobile app, a boost in downloads and app usage.
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Reduced customer service pressure and costs on other channels.
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Safe, easy, frictionless ordering processes via voice.
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Quick access to dietary information and delivery options.
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Cross-device user journeys for an effortless voice experience.
We enhanced value. Rewarded loyalty. All while reducing costs.
The journey continues! We’re looking forward to our next steps with McDonald’s while awaiting new exciting features on Alexa and planning for a new release.
HAVE WE WHETTED YOUR APPETITE?
If you live in the UK, try the skill yourself. Why not check this week’s offers and ask Alexa to start an order? Your Big Mac could be a notification away.
