Time equals money, and mistakes caused by poor audio quality have an exponential cost. Inaccurate orders take on average 15 seconds longer compared to accurate ones at the drive-thru. By improving accuracy and maximizing car throughput, a store can add up to $23 thousand per store each year, according to Intouch Insights 2023 Drive-Thru report.
To succeed, quick-service restaurants must invest in high-quality audio communication while keeping an eye on the future of technology. Subpar drive-thru audio quality leads to miscommunication and frustrated customers and employees, which can result in inaccuracies and less efficiency, and ultimately resulting in slower service and less sales.
To improve everything from friendliness to speed of service audio quality must be excellent. Order accuracy is 18 percent higher when the speaker is clear and understandable, and 15 percent higher when the customer does not have to repeat their order, according to Intouch Insights 2023 Drive-Thru report. As technology inside the restaurant continues to advance, you not only need best-in-class audio, but a platform that grows with your business and technology needs. With HME’s NEXEO | HDX communication platform, you get a solution that ensures the highest quality audio to any channel, whether you choose in-person order taking or voice AI ordering.
“HME-patented audio technology doubles the bandwidth to capture higher and lower voice frequencies, increasing intelligibility and clarity by 20 percent and dramatically reducing outbound noise by 88 percent compared to other systems,” says Scott Mullica, senior director of product management and innovation at HME. The audio quality of a drive-thru directly impacts nearly every aspect of service at a quick-service restaurant.
One way to assist in running a quick and efficient drive-thru is using voice AI ordering. NEXEO | HDX offers seamless integration to streamline drive-thru operations and keep your operation running even if staffing fluctuates. “NEXEO | HDX enables your crew to support key areas of your restaurant while AI automatically takes drive-thru orders and sends them to the POS to process,” Mullica says.
In addition to best-in-class audio for order taking, HME’s platform enhances your audio quality and accuracy while also streamlining operations to further accelerate your revenue opportunities by integrating ZOOM Nitro. “Our platform also delivers timer-to-headset performance alerts to select team members, stating exactly which metric needs immediate attention,” Mullica says. “For instance, if your drive-thru speed metric is not meeting your set goal, a store manager can get an alert immediately in their headset and take action.”
High-definition audio can transform a good operation into an excellent one, and HME customers will be the first to say how thoroughly NEXEO | HDX impacts operations. “Operators are impressed that while they now have a best-in-class audio system,” Mullica shares. “They also get new functionality on their system every quarter that allows them to operate their restaurant more efficiently.”
For more information on NEXEO | HDX visit hme.com/nexeo.
