McDonald's Outsourcing Drive-Thrus

Filed in archive Outsourcing News on March 16, 2005

McDonald's Corp, the world's largest fast-food chain, is planning to use call centers to improve drive-thru operations. They plan to use remote call centers to take customer orders.

McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner said, "If you're in L.A.... and you hear a person with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you'll know what we're up to." The company believes that call center professionals' "strong communication skills" could increase order accuracy and speed up the drive-thru service.

Drive-thru improvements are part of the changes the fast-food chain has introduced to boost sales. U.S. based chains have had increased sales through other changes such as healthier menu items, longer hours, and cashless payments.

In Europe, Mcdonald's chains are not doing well because of poor economy. Changes like new and lower-priced menu items and more Happy Meal choices are also being introduced to increase sales.

However, McDonald's Chief Financial Officer Matthew Paull said "It's unrealistic to expect that a turnaround in Europe will be as dramatic as in the U.S."