July 25, 2008
By now you should have read the Drive-Thru Performance issue of QSR magazine and seen many examples of how technology is helping build the business in the areas of sales, speed of service, order accuracy, and profits. Taking that approach one step further, look into how technology can help you on the people side.
Personally, I think I’m a weak interviewer, since I seem to let first impressions have a bigger impact than how the prospect answers the actual questions. Therefore, we use a pre-employment survey for applicants to ensure we hire only the best people. Here’s a technology overview for the people side of the business:
Recruitment. Technology should include online recruiting sites such as Snagajob.com, Craigslist (if available in your city), and a number of diversity recruiting sites. Additionally, have a YouTube video and MySpace page to help add a cool factor to your recruiting buzz.
Pre-Employment Surveys. Having a survey allows you to help pre-screen applicants and provide guidance when interviewing. Leading ones are Sysdine, Kronos, and HRGems, amongst many others.
Training. Use a blended learning approach, starting with flash cards containing digital photos and minimal text all the way up to videos in portable devices for employee training and online “classes” for managers. Don’t forget to provide both ESL and SSL training, such as Sed de Saber, Daily Dose, or Language of Life. To help manage all your training, many tools such as Sysdine include a training tracking system and peer review system to help managers remember these critical items. Qtrac has also recently garnered some press in this area as well.
Guest/Employee Feedback. Using systems such as Mindshare or SMG, get feedback from your guests online or via phone surveys to not only find out how you are doing, but where you can improve. Often these surveys can be customized for employees to provide feedback.
WARNING: Technology does not replace people. It is simply an effective tool to assist in making better decisions and/or gathering information to help make better informed decisions. Use these tools to help leverage your time and energy ultimately to better serve the guests and make more money.
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