The aim of the report is to describe the service culture of the organisation; how servicescape and technologies impact customer experiences and company’s operations. This report will also discuss how the organisation and customers would benefit from listening and gathering of information.
INTRODUCTION
McDonald, a highly popular America hamburger and fast food chain, is now one of the world’s largest fast food conglomerate with presence spanning across 100 countries. In 1979, McDonald’s restaurant first arrived in Singapore and is well received for providing affordable food and beverages with efficient and quality services in a fast food chain setting.
Today, the chain has expanded rapidly to 133 restaurants across the tiny island, 12 Drive-Thrus, 30 dessert kiosks and 50 McCafé outlets. McDonald’s Singapore employed more than 9,000 staffs, serving more than 1.2 million customers per week. Monthly, they serve more than 6 million customers via various platforms 24 hours around the clock, from online ordering available at HYPERLINK “http://www.mcdelivery.com.sg” www.mcdelivery.com.sg, 24hrs Drive-Thru to 24 hours dining restaurants at majority of the outlets.
McDonald’s Singapore is one of the most successful fast food corporation, they priorities on customers’ taste, lifestyle and choices.
SERVICE CULTURE
McDonald’s Singapore is expected to face high demands and expectations from its customers. Today, McDonald Singapore is built by its vision and mission statement.
VISION AND MISSION
McDonald’s vision statement, Quote: Our overall vision is for McDonald’s to become a modern, progressive burger company delivering a contemporary customer experience. Modern is about getting the brand to where we need to be today and progressive is about doing what it takes to be McDonald’s our customers will expect tomorrow. To realize this commitment, we are focused on delivering great taste, high-quality food to our customers and providing a world-class experience that makes them feel welcome and valued.”
McDonald’s mission statement, Quote: “Our mission is to be our customers’ favourite place and way to eat & drink. We’re dedicated to being a great place for people to work; to being a strong, positive presence in your community; and to delivering the quality, service, cleanliness and value our customers have come to expect from the Golden Arches – a symbol that’s trusted around the world.”
A service role model, Christina Ong, general manager of McDonald’s Singapore. Received a prestigious award in 2012, an article on her view on service culture was published in McDonald’s website.
Pictorial illustration of the Super Star Award winner
The Super Star Awardee inspires to lead by example and influence positive service through her actions. Her aim is to create a strong service culture in her restaurant, where staffs strive to encourage one another to deliver excellent service every day.
A vital service culture demonstrates and displays from a higher position crew to the lowest ranking crew, motivates happy employees to focus on their services to every individual customer. In return of the exemplary service by the team, they would attract many loyal customers back to the same restaurant because of the excellent service contributed by the team. It will enhance the overall experience of the customers, staffs and adds profits to the organisation.
At one of my favourite outlet at West Coast Park which I frequent, I observed that all their frontline staffs are professional, well trained, polite and well groomed. The liveliness greetings were well received through the cashiers and drive-thru are consistent and efficient in taking orders and delivering the food to their self-service customers, even during peaks hours.
SERVICESCAPES
The attractive bright red and yellow colour have stand out to attract many patrons, especially children. When I was a kid, the word McDonald never fails to catch my attention, since then I am a great fan of McDonald and a regular customer. The aroma from burger and fries never fails to trigger my hunger hormones. Every visit to McDonald is always a pleasant experience where I received good customer service from the staff.
Pictorial illustration of the McDonald’s outlet at Marina Cove
Interior view
Exterior view
AMBIENT CONDITIONS
The ambient of the restaurant is modern and the vibrant atmosphere with soft background music lighten up the happy mood of all the patrons. The settings of the restaurants cater to various diners from single to small and big group or family. There are different types of seats catering to different types of customers and some are more conducive for a longer stay, where customer tends to spend more as well, while others are meant for customers to eat and leave the restaurant. The restaurants are well design and decorations are based on the latest theme of the meal or season. The design of each restaurant is unique, spacious with comfortable furniture. The premises are also well maintained and cleaned.
SPACE & FUNCIONALITY
McDonald at West Coast Park have 4 different areas from the main restaurant, to Mc Café, an open concept eatery without air condition and large function room with air-condition for their all-time children’s favourite birthday party celebration or an informal meeting/ discussion for team retreat. The function room is free of charge. However advance booking is required for customer who wants to use the facility.
Pictorial illustration of the McDonald’s at West Coast Park
Being the famous and reputable fast food restaurant, they are always the first organisation to add new services to customise and target the diverse customers in creating greater diners’ experience. Some of these includes, McCafés and Dessert Kiosks at the restaurants as to follow the current trend as the industry growth. With these implemented, it has shortened the queue, speed up the counter process and adds convenience to all the customers.
Another value added service and complimentary service offered by McDonald is Free Wi-Fi. An offering that attract youngsters and students to patronise McDonalds. The Wi-Fi hotspot devices are implemented at all McDonald’s restaurants providing unlimited data usage for all their value customers, creating an excellence experience for media consumption.
McDonald’s is the first fast food restaurant to launch the Salad Bar concept. Located at Marine Cove, East Coast Park, it offers a wide range of healthy food choices and activities for the public. The outlet also offers customise dessert bar (new), signature burgers, additional new range of soups and sandwiches at McCafé.
Pictorial illustration of McDonald’s new menu
Salad Bar
Dessert Bar
The outlet, fully utilised, maximised every corner and grabs every opportunity to create various self-entertainments for their valuable customers. Some of these fabulous innovative ideas are Shadow Wall, Google Cardboard and Wireless Charging Station. McDonald is extremely capable and highly creative to impress every customer of all ages; giving customers a variety of choices; with their continuous effort and successful innovation are the key attribute to customers experiences.
< p> SERVICE TECHNOLOGIES
With the advancement in technology and increase competition, many fast food chains are leveraging on technology to deliver excellent service for its customers. To stay ahead of its competitors, McDonalds has evolved and modernized their operation to enhance customer experience at the restaurants with the implementation of the self-service kiosks over at 33% of the outlets island wide.
Pictorial illustration of Touch Screen Self-Service Kiosk
The touch-screen e-kiosks are designed for easy browsing and navigating. In the early stage, a staff was appointed to demonstrate and aid its’ first time users. The e-kiosks are easy to pick up, give customers more control over customising their food at their convenience. To strike a balance especially for those who still prefer the usual and traditional way of ordering are also available at the counter to facilitate the customers.
In additional the technology also allows customers to make payment via cards which many companies have adopted since 2015. McDonald’s have also since conducted many reviews before introducing the cashless payment for its customers.
The implementation of the e-kiosk, has shorten the queue at the counter and speed up the ordering process. This also allows customers to order and pay at their convenience without joining the queue.
With the added e-services, McDonald’s have also gained more customers and more effectively in redeploying their employees to a more productively job scope in the customers service and food preparation. With the technology, it also reduces the number of wrong orders as well as negative feedback by upset customers.
McDonalds’ Singapore is the first fast food restaurant to launch the 24-hours McDelivery in 2005 and they had enhanced their McDelivery by introducing VISA card payment via the mobile app which is available on both Apple and Android smartphones. The new feature of the mobile app, enable first time user to create a one-time user account and securely register their VISA card. Every order made via the mobile app, the pre-registered user can make payment with a single click on the app.
Pictorial illustration of McDelivery App
Recently, McDonald’s and UberEATS proudly announced their partnership which allow customers to order McDonald’s meals via the UberEATS app. This additional platform complements the existing 24 hours McDelivery and provide customers another accessibility to McDonald’s food. Customers are also able to track their deliveries and contact their delivery partner. With such convenience, there is plans to expand this service to every McDonald’s outlets.
Pictorial illustration of McDonald’s and UberEATS partnership
With the added collaborations and leveraging on technologies, McDonald strives to improve and upgrade customer experience in a new level which also provides super convenience for both customers and the company.
UNDERSTANDING & LISTENING POST
To better understand and meet customers’ expectation, it is essential for organisation to listen to its customer. McDonald’s Singapore have several platforms that allow customers to express their valuable feedback via various channels.
These days smartphones have successfully penetrated throughout Singapore and practically everyone is owning at least a pocketable personal computer. As such McDonald’s is also leveraging on mobile app to hear from their customers. The mobile app called “McDonald’s My Feedback” was introduced and made available in both Apple and Android phones.
There are also other avenues which are available for customers to provide their feedback to McDonald’s such as via McDonald’s website, email, hotline, social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Line Friend) and at the restaurants.
One of the most successful and influential platforms will be Facebook. McDonald’s Singapore is actively disseminating the latest news, videos and pictures of McDonald. The organisation can read all the comments and inputs provided by customers. This will allow them to continue their good practices and re-reviews the flaws of the company.
McDonald’s Singapore Facebook page have the largest audience with over 444 thousand fans and clinched the first position among the food retail category.
Pictorial illustration of Facebook page statistic in Singapore
RECOMMENDATION
In my opinions all the communication channels carry a unique value in soliciting feedbacks. However, McDonald’s still need to improve greatly on the mobile app “McDonald’s My Feedback” as lately the app does not seem to be accessible. I felt that the app was a good innovation to improve and meet customer’s expectation; increase McDonald’s operation level of competency; by upgrading the software into customer orient would benefits the organisation. McDonald’s Singapore will reap the continuous efforts by applying the methodology. For customers to be proactive in giving feedbacks and compliments, the mobile app should be friendly user and ultimately convenience will encourage more customers to take some time to submit their most valuable feedback for the future of McDonald’s.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, customer experience is vital and importance for organisation to keep up to the high standard of excellent service in today business. The first impression and images of the overall encounter will lead to the successful future of the organisation. The staffs are the greatest asset of the company to deliver service excellent framework and boosted the profit of the company.
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