Sometimes when you're working with the messaging features to your drive-thru headset system, you'll need need to make a quick adjusment, but you aren't sure how. What if you found out it was something so easy, you could do it yourself? That's why CE provides DIY messaging maintenance videos with quick access and easy-to-follow instructions. Like they say, if you want something done right, you have to..

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Are you looking for a new repair vendor for your drive-thru headsets and other equipment? Look no further than Commercial Electronics, the leader in quality drive-thru equipment repair and replacement parts. We’ve got everything you want from a full-service drive-thru repair vendor, including:

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Have you ever ordered a drive-thru equipment product or accessory from a vendor and then wondered why it took so long to receive it? You told them it was a rush order, and you explained why it was so important to get the part right away. Yet three or four days go by and you’re still waiting for the UPS driver to deliver. With CE let us show you how we can help with your drive-thru headset system.

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Did you know that even the most well-built headsets will wear down over-time? Do you know what to do if that happens, or who to call? At time like these, CE can lend a hand. As an example provided in this article, you will find a list of HME's ION IQ replacement parts including...

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Are your drive-thru crewmembers complaining about unwanted background noise in their headsets when taking customer orders? If so, it may be slowing down service times and reducing order accuracy. Most of today’s leading drive-thru headset systems include sophisticated noise cancellation technology. But if those pesky background noises are making orders hard to hear, it may be time to clean or even repair your equipment.

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Do you know how long it takes to process an average drive-thru order from start to finish? How about peak hours when your drive-thru is experiencing the most traffic? Do you know what causes bottlenecks at peak hours? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, how can you expect to have great drive-thru efficiency?

Drive-thru timers are a necessity for efficiency. In depth reporting provides insight on trends and pinpoints problem areas so managers can tweak schedules or shift employees around to different positions to compensate for bottlenecks. Drive-thru timers aren’t only great for reporting, most of them have an in-store dashboard display that provides employees with a real-time picture of what is happening in their drive-thru. Here are some features you should look for in a great drive-thru timer.

Intuitive Color Display—Most timers can be configured to your stores’ specific goals. The best timers have an intuitive color display that changes from green to yellow and red when your goal times have been exceeded.

Real-Time Comparisons—With the ability to compare current cars to previous car averages in a given time period, your employees can estimate about how long an order should take to execute and work to beat that time.

Multiple Check-Points—By timing individual events, managers can tell where processes are backed up and can quickly rearrange staff to fill in trouble areas. If a car has been sitting at the pick-up window for a long period of time it’s a good indication that the kitchen is behind on the order. Managers can task an idle counter employee to help in the kitchen until the congestion clears. If there’s a long pause at the menu, this could indicate an indecisive customer or a preoccupied employee. If this is the case, put someone with more experience in charge of drive-thru orders until the bottleneck is cleared.

Optional Alerts—Some managers prefer audible alerts to sound when employees exceed their goal. This puts a little more haste into the process of getting orders out as quickly as possible. Other managers and employees prefer color-changing displays or blinking lights to notify them when an order time has been exceeded. Great drive-thru timers will allow the incorporation of both of these options.

Reporting—In-store and Cloud-based reporting are also important in a drive-thru timer. The best timers will provide both so managers and owners can view real-time data in the store or on the go.

Has the aroma of barbecue ever made your mouth water? How about the sight of a big, juicy burger on TV or the sound of crackling bacon in a frying pan? The role these senses play in your food consumption doesn’t only have an impact on the specific food you choose to eat, but where you choose to purchase it. By exercising the five senses you’ll be sure to attract more customers to your drive-thru.
 

Sight—You only have one chance to make a lasting first impression. Since the first sense customers use when they pull into your restaurant is sight, you’ll want to make sure the perimeter of your building, including your drive-thru, is clean and spotless. Also focus on your drive-thru menu board. Ensure it’s brightly lit and clutter free. Use authentic, sharp-quality photos sparingly to entice customers to try new or higher-priced products on your menu.

Sound—Because communication is necessary in the ordering process, drive-thru sound quality plays a really important role in winning over your customers. If you haven’t upgraded to an HD Audio or digital drive-thru system, and aren’t maintaining your drive-thru headsets on a weekly basis, you could end up with detrimental sound-quality issues. To ensure customers are able to communicate their order without difficulty, test your headsets with other employees regularly before you open for the day, or during slow periods.

Smell—Nothing will turn a person away from hunger quicker than the smell of something foul. This is yet another reason to keep the parking lot and perimeter of your restaurant clean. If you currently store dumpsters next to the menu board or drive-thru lane, think about relocating them. If that isn’t an option, seal garbage bags as best as possible before placing (not throwing) them in the dumpster, and keep the lid closed to help reduce the escape of bad odors.

On the other hand, smells can also work for you. Try upselling dessert at the window if you’ve just pulled a fresh batch of cookies from the oven. With the aroma of freshly baked pastries filling their car, how could your customer say no?

“Touch”—Drive-thru efficiency doesn’t include cutting corners. The way an order is presented to the customer has more of an impact than you may think. If food isn’t wrapped properly or has spilled over in the bag when the customer receives it, it leaves  the lasting impression that your establishment is messy and unorganized. It also suggests that your employees don’t take pride in their job. A neatly packed order and courteous staff will earn you big points.

Another way to set your store apart from other restaurants is by adding a special touch to each order. Whether it’s an after-dinner mint, affirmation, trinket or board game on the packaging itself, an extra little take-away for the customer will be appreciated and remembered.
   

Taste—The number one element people rely on with their favorite quick-service restaurants is the taste of the food. Each menu item was designed to taste a specific way, and it should taste that same way every time. In order to achieve this, the ingredients need to be precise. Not only is it important to use the same and only the same ingredients each time, but the measurement of each ingredient should be the same every time as well.

Now that you’ve learned how to use all five senses to attract drive-thru customers, put them into practice and watch your sales soar. For more information on drive-thru maintenance, how to improve drive-thru efficiency, increase customer counts, or questions regarding any other drive-thru-related topic please call 877-731-0334, or check back next week to learn more.

Motivating your quick-service employees during the summer months can be quite an undertaking. While everyone else seems to be having fun in the sun, the last place your crewmembers want to be is working indoors. One way to keep your employees engaged is by hosting a friendly competition between shifts using the store’s drive-thru equipment. This will not only boost morale, but also increase your speed of service which will ultimately improve your drive-thru sales. Here are a few games you can introduce to your employees:

Speed Game

Everyone knows the quicker you move cars, the more cars you’ll be able to service, and the more money you’ll make. Because speed is such an important part of the quick-service industry, this game is sure to have a great impact on your sales.

To start, access your reports from the previous week for each shift. If you have an HME ZOOM® drive-thru timer, use the report for multi-day comparison. You’ll fill in three fields. In field one select shift, in field two select the time period, and in field three select the start and end dates for your report. Once you’ve filled in all three sections, click the button to generate your report. Choose which event you would like to time and give that average to each shift leader as the starting point. At the end of the week, run the report again to see which shift improved the most. Some stores offer prizes or incentives for the winning shift, though bragging rights aren’t too bad either.

30-Day Disaster Challenge

No matter how quick your crew is, there will ultimately be times in the day or certain orders that take longer simply due to the complexity of the order or a mistake in the kitchen. Disastrous orders are practically unavoidable, but should be as minimal as possible.

Set a difficult, yet fair and achievable goal for the number of disastrous orders your store must stay below in a given month and entice your team with a prize or bonus once they achieve that goal. If you are using a ZOOM drive-thru timer, you can set this goal as one of the events that shows up on the dashboard screen so your team can keep track at all times.

Line Buster

When customers see a long line in the drive-thru lane, they’re likely to go elsewhere if they aren’t in the mood to wait. Long lines are turn-offs and ultimately lead to missed opportunities, which will in turn hurt your sales.

If you have a complex order that is causing a bottleneck, have the customer pull into a parking space or waiting area so other customers can breeze on through. You can also create a game out of this by setting a “max car in lane” goal. Every time the shift goes over the maximum number of cars you want to allow in the lane at one time they will have a point deducted. The team with the fewest points deducted at the end of your designated time frame will win.

Because most drive-thru timers allow you to record several different events at a time, you can modify all of these games to suit whichever goals you are looking to achieve. By creating an entertaining competition, your employees are likely to be more engaged and have fun with their shift. This will ultimately create a better customer experience and improve your bottom line.

During the summer months quick-service restaurants tend to receive a heavier flow of traffic through their drive-thrus. With the increase of customers, drive-thru headsets are usually pulling double duty and have a higher likelihood of malfunctioning or breaking down due to constant usage. To minimize the amount of drive-thru repairs this summer make sure you are doing drive-thru maintenance checks on a regular basis. One of the easiest ways to save on drive-thru headset repairs is by following these simple steps below:

1. Clean Exterior of Drive-Thru Headsets

Use a damp cloth to remove particles and grease from your headset. If you use a mild soap, apply it to the cloth rather than the headset to ensure excess moisture doesn’t get into the electronic components. Stay away from spray cleaners and solvents as they can cause corrosion.

2. Clean Crevices

Use a small, soft bristled brush between the buttons and in the crevices of your drive-thru headset to remove small crumbs. This will prolong the durability of your headset and decrease the chances of component failure.

3. Check Condition of Earmuffs

The earmuffs on drive-thru headsets should be replaced every 60-90 days or more frequently if needed. This will provide better drive-thru sound quality, improve comfort, and promote better hygiene. If you have several employees, give them the option to have their own set.

4. Avoid Water

If liquid gets in to a headset or belt-pac it can cause significant electrical damage. If this happens to your drive-thru equipment, power it off, take out the battery and let all components completely dry before turning the equipment back on. If you are still experiencing issues with your communicator contact Technical Support at 877-731-0334.

5. Clean Batteries

To help prevent static, use a cotton swab moistened with alcohol to clean the contacts on each drive-thru battery, headset and charger port (make sure the battery charger is unplugged before cleaning). Not only will this reduce static, but it will also keep your batteries and drive-thru headsets functioning at peak performance.

6. Test Drive-Thru Headsets

Listen for static while adjusting the mic boom. If you hear static, try using a different drive-thru battery. If you are still experiencing static, call Technical Support.

Next, grab a partner to listen on a separate headset. Push the “B” button on yours and count from one to five. If they are able to hear each of the numbers clearly have them repeat the last step back to you. Switch out headsets and repeat. If at any point you are unable to hear all of the numbers there could be a problem with your headset. Contact Technical Support to troubleshoot further.

7. Keep Equipment Cool

To ensure you’re getting the best from your drive-thru equipment, store in a cool, dry place. This will help prevent from overheating, strengthen the life of your drive-thru batteries, and keep moisture from getting into electrical components.  

By following these seven steps you will experience less drive-thru equipment failures, better drive-thru sound quality, and happier employees and customers. What this means for you is reduced number of drive-thru repairs, better order accuracy, and improved overall customer experience.   All of these combined are sure to result in a wealthier bottom line.

For more tips or questions on how to improve your drive-thru efficiency give CE a call at 877-731-0334.

Now that schools are on break and the weather is warming up, everyone is spending more time out and about with their family and friends. With this busy season getting underway, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for the increase of orders coming in from the drive-thru. Here are a few tips that will help you manage your work flow and set up your store for success.   

Keep Tabs on Popular Menu Items - When there are several eateries to choose from, you need to stand out for the right reasons. Whether it’s a seasonal special or the most popular item on your menu, you’ll want to take regular inventory to ensure you have enough in stock at all times to keep your customers satisfied. A happy customer is a returning customer.

Clean up your Drive-Thru Menu Board - Make sure your menu board places emphasis on the most popular foods and beverages for the season. This is a great time to check pricing and update any outdated items. Also check the lighting on your menu board. Because people are staying out later during the summer months, they tend to eat dinner later in the evening. If there are areas that look dim, or sections that are completely dark, get in touch with your drive-thru menu board provider to have a technician come out and replace the bulbs.   

Inventory Your Drive-Thru Equipment - Working at a fast pace provides more opportunity for equipment failure, so you’ll want to have as many working back-up components as possible. If you have any broken drive-thru headsets or a non-operating drive-thru timer, send them in for repair before it gets too far in to summer. That way, if one headset goes down you’ll have replacements to back you up.

Purchase New Drive-Thru Batteries - When using a fresh, new drive-thru battery your headset will allow you to communicate for longer periods of time, thus reducing the need to switch it out as often. You’ll also experience an improvement in drive-thru sound quality, which will aid in order accuracy and help increase your overall speed of service.

The first day of summer is right around the corner. Now is the time to take advantage of these tips to ensure your drive-thru is working at peak performance. For additional ways to boost your drive-thru efficiency and overall customer experience, check back next week or call CE at 877-731-0334.