Many fast-food operators focus their employee training programs on technical skills such as processing orders and product knowledge, assuming new hires will have the common sense to treat customers well. New research on customer service suggests that this may be a mistake.
Why Customer Service Matters More in Fast Food
Fast-food operators are more vulnerable than any other industry to losing customers because of poor customer treatment, according to Qualtrics, a customer experience research platform. A staggering 60% of fast-food diners who are annoyed by poor service react by cutting spending or abandoning the brand altogether, compared with only 22% for auto dealers and 6% for supermarkets, according to Qualtrics research. “In 2024, companies need to be more careful than ever not to mistreat customers, or they will dig themselves a long-term hole,” says a Qualtrics research executive.
Challenges Faced by Frontline Workers
Frontline workers, including restaurant servers, have the lowest morale among employees studied, and complain that they lack support to do their jobs, the research shows. Front-line fast- food workers often must deal with rude or unfair treatment by customers, one fast-food restaurant shift manager wrote on Quora. “For anybody, it’s taxing. My burger is wrong, I’m missing my fries, etc.,” the manager wrote.
The Importance of Soft Skills in Customer Service
Training and supporting employees in exercising soft skills is essential, says John R. DiJulius, a consultant on customer service to Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and other companies. While many managers believe they can hire people who already have the “soft skills” and “common sense” required to please customers, most recruits actually have to be trained in those skills, DiJulius says. Critical abilities include showing compassion and empathy, reacting to customers with enthusiasm and warmth, assuming customers have good intentions, finding solutions to their problems, and building relationships and rapport, he says.
High-quality training pays off
An effective training program requires figuring out what types of interactions your employees need to handle well and developing descriptions and simulations to demonstrate desirable employee behavior. Beyond that, operators need to expand training beyond onboarding to include frequent refresher courses, gamification of skills to engage employees, and tracking staff progress through customer feedback forms and reviews.
High-quality training pays off. Chick-fil-A consistently ranks high in industry surveys on quality of customer service, and the chain retains 81% of customers who dined there in the previous 12 months, according to Inmarket. And that percentage is continuing to rise.
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