1. DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
MEANS BUSINESS
An Acrelec
e-Book
Digital
technologies
are
helping
leading
QSR
and
fast
casual
brands
engage
their
customers
in
new
and
innovative
ways
–
improving
the
customer
experience
while
gaining
productivity
and
efficiency.
acrelec.com

2. isit any
restaurant
brand’s
corporate
boardroom
following
a
strategic
planning
session
and
there
is
a
good
chance
you
will
find
two
words
written
on
the
whiteboard:
digital
transformation.
Forbes
Magazine
reported
that
67%
of
Global
2000
enterprises
will
have
digital
transformation
at
the
center
of
their
corporate
strategy
by
2018,
and
according
to
Gartner’s
research,
CEOs
expect
their
digital
revenue
to
increase
by
more
than
80%
by
2020.
In
the
restaurant
industry,
almost
all
of
the
major
chains
have
implemented
digital
strategies
and
solutions
over
the
last
decade.
Some,
like
Subway,
have
even
created
entire
divisions
tasked
with
the
assignment.
Other
brands
have
large
innovation
centers
and
labs
that
are
testing
products
and
refining
their
plans.
acrelec.com
CEOs expect their digital
revenue to increase by
more than 80% by 2020.
Forrester
DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
DEFINED
While
numerous
definitions
of
digital
transformation
can
be
found
on
the
Web,
its
meaning
never
strays
very
far
from
a
core
concept:
“to
utilize
digital
technology
to
create
a
better
customer
experience,
improve
products
and
services
and
streamline
business
processes.”
The
field
is
abuzz
with
buzzwords
like
customer
journey,
omnichannel,
digital
disruption
and
the
Internet
of
things.
So-­‐lo-­‐mo (social
–
location
– mobile)
is
how
companies
provide
“a
digital
experience
at
every
touchpoint”
and
“phygital”
combines
physical
devices
with
digital
software.
Regardless
of
where
a
brand
may
be
along
their
own
journey
to
enhance
“customer
engagement,”
digital
transformation
is
business
transformation
and
business
transformation
IS
digital
transformation.
Digital
transformation
is
about
finding
new
ways
to
provide
speed
of
service,
convenience
and
exceptional
customer
care.
If
there’s
a
problem
-­‐-­‐ let’s
call
it
a
“pothole”
on
the
road
to
customer
satisfaction
-­‐-­‐ it
is
now
referred
to
as
“friction.”
Friction
is
anything
that
happens
during
a
customer
interaction
that
might
cause
dissatisfaction,
and
becoming
frictionless
is
at
the
top
of
the
digital
transformation
checklist.
V

3. CONNECTING
WITH
CUSTOMERS
The
Internet,
smart
phones
and
mobile
apps,
social
media
and
digital
signage
have
created
a
highly
informed,
empowered,
connected
and
confident
customer
and
innovative
restaurant
brands
are
responding
with
solutions
that
resonate
with
customers
while
increasing
revenue
and
lowering
costs
for
the
chain
and/or
franchisee.
Digital
solutions
were
first
used
to
help
put
more
“quick”
in
the
quick
service
drive-­‐thru,
smoothing
out
many
of
the
bumps
that
were
slowing
down
outdoor
service.
Drive-­‐thrus have
come
a
long
way
since
a
muffled
voice
crackled
through
a
speaker
asking
a
frustrated
customer
to
repeat
their
order.
With
the
advent
of
digital
order
confirmation
screens,
customers
can
view
their
menu
selections
on
the
display
as
each
item
is
added
to
their
tab.
The
result
is
less
customer
angst
and
less
time
spent
at
both
the
menu
and
payment
window
as
customers
have
the
confidence
to
drive
away
without
checking
inside
the
bag.
Everyone
in
the
drive-­‐thru,
brand
and
buyer,
benefits
as
more
cars
move
productively
through
the
line.
acrelec.com

4. NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S DRIVE-THRU
The
outdoor
menu
board
of
a
leader
in
QSR
innovation
is
no
longer
a
hodge-­‐podge
of
old
posters
and
flyers
taped
to
a
glare-­‐
filled
glass
enclosure.
Well-­‐designed
outdoor
digital
menus
with
high
resolution
moving
images
are
helping
brands
to
highlight
high
ticket
items,
promote
the
sale
of
add-­‐ons
and
entice
customers
to
upsize.
The
technology
is
delivering
a
powerful
ROI.
Reports
indicate
that
sales
can
be
as
much
as
20
percent
higher
when
a
digital
menu
is
employed.
Today,
digital
drive-­‐thru
enclosures
can
stream
live
video
so
customers
can
see
the
inside
order-­‐taker,
creating
a
more
personal
connection
between
the
brand
and
its
customers.
Innovative
brands
aren’t
waiting
until
customers
reach
the
menu
to
grab
their
attention.
New
digital
presell
and
promotional
displays
greet
QSR
patrons
as
they
arrive
on
the
property
presenting
full-­‐motion
promotions
and
reducing
perceived
wait
time
as
a
captive
audience
is
captivated
with
brand
messaging.
Promotional
displays
can
conceal
beacon
technology
that
can
identify
the
customer.
Once
the
science
fiction
only
imagined
in
the
film,
“Minority
Report,”
this
technology
would
have
been
considered
an
invasion
of
privacy
just
a
few
years
ago.
acrelec.com
Sales can be as much as
20% higher with digital
displays. FEDEX

5. NO DRIVE-THRU? NO PROBLEM
Integrating
beacon
and
Bluetooth
with
digital
technology
also
affords
brands
without
the
real
estate
for
a
drive-­‐thru
window
the
ability
to
offer
customers
curbside
convenience.
That
means
fast
casual
concepts
can
enhance
their
business
model
to
compete
with
their
neighborhood
QSRs
where
70%
of
fast
food
revenue
comes
through
the
drive-­‐thru.
Using
curbside
displays,
fast
casual
customers
arriving
to
pick
up
a
mobile
order
can
be
directed
to
a
digitally-­‐monitored
parking
space
that
alerts
the
kitchen
crew
to
deliver
the
meal
outside.
Already
popular
in
the
U.K.,
digital
click-­‐and-­‐collect
outdoor
technology
can
handle
cash,
credit
or
mobile-­‐pay
functions
and
even
suggest
that
the
guest
add
additional
items
to
their
order
before
it’s
delivered.
acrelec.com
Now
consumers,
from
millions
of
millennials
to
tech-­‐savvy
seniors,
expect
companies
to
know
who
they
are.
Digital
technology
can
display
previous
order
history,
customer
loyalty
information
and
deliver
marketing
content
targeted
to
their
dietary
preferences.

6. First
introduced
in
France
by
McDonald’s,
self-­‐service
kiosks
and
tabletop
touchscreen
displays
allow
customers
to
avoid
the
service
counter.
They
can
view
the
menu,
order
their
meal
and
pay
with
cash
or
credit
cards.
In
Paris,
90
percent
of
a
Paris
location’s
indoor
patrons
choose
to
use
the
kiosks.
acrelec.com
THE INSIDE SCOOP
With
fast
casuals
now
offering
outdoor
service,
QSRs
are
stepping
up
their
inside
game
by
enhancing
their
interiors
with
more
comfortable
seating,
music,
WIFI
and
even
table
service
delivery.
But
it’s
new
interactive
digital
kiosks
that
are
making
the
biggest
difference
to
limited
service
restaurants
hoping
to
deliver
faster
indoor
service.
By
offering
kiosk
self-­‐service
that’s
as
fast
as
the
drive-­‐thru,
many
customers
will
choose
to
go
inside
rather
than
sit
in
the
parking
lot,
bring
their
food
to
another
location
or
eat
behind
the
wheel.
Bringing
customers
inside
allows
the
brand
to
build
a
deeper
and
richer
brand
experience
– and
indoor
kiosk
orders
tend
to
be
25%
higher
than
the
drive-­‐
thru.

7. THE
SECRET
TO
HIGHER
SALES
Many
brands
initially
thought
that
kiosks
would
lower
customer
satisfaction
by
eliminating
the
personal
touch
of
counter
service.
They
feared
that
kiosks
would
reduce
the
opportunity
for
well-­‐trained
employees
to
suggest
combos,
side
dishes
and
desserts.
Early
adopters
quickly
found
that
an
increasingly
digitally-­‐savvy
society
preferred
to
interact
with
touch
screens
rather
than
people,
particularly
true
among
the
Snapchat
crowd.
Left
to
their
own
(digital)
devices,
guests
found
themselves
less
inhibited
about
upsizing
their
drink
or
fry
size
or
adding
sweets.
And
all
those
privately-­‐ordered
pies
and
shakes
are
adding
up
to
sales
that
are
double,
triple
and
even
four
times
what
they
were
at
the
counter.
According
to
research
by
MIT
and
Capgemini,
early
adopters
of
digital
solutions
are
seeing
a
9%
increase
in
top
line
revenue
and
are
26
%
more
profitable
than
their
competitors.
What’s
more,
self-­‐service
kiosks
have
the
unique
advantage
of
being
able
to
offer
service
in
multiple
languages,
a
benefit
to
many
multi-­‐cultural
neighborhoods.
Multiple
language
menus
also
make
it
easier
for
brands
to
deploy
menus
across
an
international
acrelec.com
enterprise.
In
the
last
few
years,
McDonald’s
has
deployed
kiosks
in
half
of
their
7,900
restaurants
in
Europe
and
based
on
their
reported
success,
roll-­‐
outs
around
the
globe
are
inevitable.
Early adopters of digital solutions are
seeing a 9% increase in top line
revenue and are 26 % more profitable
than their competitors. Cap Gemini

8. SERVING
UP
BETTER
SERVICES
Kiosks
are
also
making
it
easier
for
QSR
and
fast
casual
brands
to
deliver
food
to
dine-­‐in
patrons.
Table
location
systems
connect
a
dispenser
to
the
kiosk
that
provides
the
customer
with
a
locator/tracking
token
that
they
can
take
with
them
to
any
seat
in
the
restaurant.
When
the
order
is
ready,
there
is
no
buzzer
or
light-­‐up
pager
calling
customers
back
to
the
crowded
counter
to
hunt
for
their
tray.
The
order
number
and
the
location
of
the
token
are
relayed
to
the
kitchen
and
displayed
on
a
digital
restaurant
map.
Team
members
can
quickly
find
the
guest
and
deliver
their
(happy)
meal.
acrelec.com
THINGS
ARE
LOOKING
UP
Digital
drive-­‐thrus and
cutting-­‐edge
kiosks
are
a
great
idea,
but
a
brand
that
is
planning
to
deploy
new
digital
technology
must
not
overlook
the
opportunity
to
enhance
the
experience
of
those
customers
who
wish
to
stay
with
traditional
counter
service.
More
and
more
brands
are
replacing
static
overhead
menus
with
an
impressive
wall
of
digital
menu
displays
that
present
cuisine
in
a
vivid
display
of
mouthwatering
moving
imagery.

9. These
displays
deliver
plenty
of
benefits
to
the
brand,
like
the
ability
to
change
the
menu
based
on
day-­‐part,
to
promote
a
seasonal
item,
or
create
a
special
promotion
for
a
surplus
entrée
that
might
otherwise
end
up
as
waste.
Guests
are
finding
that
digital
displays
make
it
easier
to
see
and
understand
menu
options,
ingredients
and
calorie
counts.
NUMBER
23?
NUMBER
23???
Digital
technology
is
also
eliminating
the
need
for
counter
staff
to
repeatedly
call
out
customer
order
numbers
or
names
when
meals
arrive
from
the
kitchen.
A
prominently
placed
digital
order
ready
display
integrates
with
the
kitchen
management
system
to
light
up
and
identify
that
a
customer’s
order
has
reached
the
counter.
By
using
digital
order
ready
boards,
counter
service
staff
can
focus
on
taking
orders
and
customers
don’t
have
to
try
and
hear
their
name
over
the
noisy
lunchtime
or
dinner
crowd.
When
you
combine
digital
overhead
menus
and
order
ready
displays,
it’s
easy
to
see
why
things
are
looking
up
for
counter
customers.
acrelec.com
DO
IT
RIGHT
THE
FIRST
TIME
There
are
more
opportunities
than
ever
for
brands
to
turn
to
digital
technology
to
transform
their
business
and
reap
huge
financial
benefits.
But
proceed
with
caution.
It
might
be
a
worn-­‐out
cliché,
but
when
it
comes
to
introducing
digital
solutions,
you
never
get
a
second
chance
to
make
a
first
impression.
Introduce
a
video
drive-­‐thru
that
goes
dark
in
the
middle
of
a
conversation
and
that
customer
is
on
a
one-­‐way
trip
to
another
brand.
Promise
table
service
and
then
not
deliver
on
the
promise
of
a
hot,
happy
meal,
and
there’s
another
burger
place
on
the
corner
that’s
ready
to
take
your
place.
With
the
right
solutions
in
the
right
place,
supported
by
the
right
technology
platform,
content
management
tools,
training
and
support,
brands
will
discover
that
true
transformation
is
possible
through
digital
technology.
For more information:
Visit us at
AcrelecAmerica.com
or call 877.334.9737