By presenting an unfamiliar problem to an organization, I can gain insight on the strengths and weakness of an organization. In the course of this assignment Macdonald’s and I both faced a problem – I needed ten points on my test, but would have to go out of my comfort zone to get them. Macdonald’s, on the other hand, would have to fight an outdated Point Of Sales (POS) machine that it does not fully understand to meet the customers needs. The observation was to ask Macdonald’s for above and beyond and to see the management process and its breakdowns. While putting Macdonald’s to the test I discovered its limitations and its strengths of dealing with the unexpected.
Late on a Friday night, I decide to visit the staff of a MacDonald’s and challenge there service for my own benefit. My first attempt was the Macdonald’s on West 4th street . The moment I entered, however, I could see that events in the store were insane. Two giant lines surrounded by panhandlers, drunks screaming, and boom boxes playing were being serviced by one frantic sales clerk. It was immediately apparent that this store could barely handle normal orders, much less my special one – I would have felt horrible even making the request. Moreover, the line was long and the people waiting were being pestered by drunks the entire time. Finding the idea completely unappealing, I decided to try a different store.
I traveled uptown to 8th avenue and 34th to see if every Macdonald’s was a nut house at on a Friday. I found a store being staffed by four sales clerks, with a busy but moving line. This suggest some organizational problems in consistency to me. Geographically, thirty blocks should not make that big of a difference. The MacDonald’s on West 4th was about as welcoming as a hive of angry bees – I could hardly stand just being inside, let alone eating there. 34th street MacDonald’s contrasted this by being welcoming, clean, and approachable.
The line moved quickly, and I found a very helpful sales woman waiting for me at the end. It turned out that she was a team leader, and through the ordering process was helpful and encouraging. When I gave her my special order she did not flinch and did not treat me any differently. It was obvious she had been taught that every customer request was do able, and not to question even a peculiar order. In this case, she took my order, but I did notice she avoided using the POS machine. In fact, she put as much as she could into the machine, then hollered at the kitchen to make the special request. This hollering was not very professional, and showed that communicating through the POS was difficult, confusing, and generally not done. I received my order within five minutes perfectly done – she even took the time to make a top for my cup of special sauce using an upside-down water cup lid. The over all process of customer satisfaction much better than I expected. When it came time to get the receipt, however, there was a problem.
My order was initially impossible to put into the POS machine. My sales clerk printed a receipt that was incorrect, then told me that the POS lacked the buttons to complete my order. While I discussed with her how I could get a correct receipt, a manger walked up and asked if there was a problem. I was surprised and impressed how quickly the manager noticed there was problem and moved to offer assistance, even while under the pressure of a busy restaurant. Once again, this MacDonald’s impressed me in customer care.
However, although the manager had better knowledge of the POS and could make the necessary alterations, it turned out that she could not print out a second receipt without another sale. I was desperate at this point and pressed for time, so I decide to go ahead and order a second round of the special items. The process of receiving the order was similarly fast and effective, but without the order being verbally hollered to the kitchen. Unfortunately, my second special hamburger came with about fifteen pickles on it instead of the requested ten. Also, the receipt still did not print out correctly, placing me in a pickle. I was not about to pay for a third set of food and had to demand a new receipt without paying. At this, the manager stepped away for a moment, then came back was able to print me a new receipt with all of my requirements.
The whole process took less than twenty minutes. Although I have waited longer for fast food, twenty minutes is still not acceptable.. The organization worked well at the MacDonald’s on 34th street – there was a nice greeting, a short wait, friendly sales persons, and quick service. The only problem in the exchange was the non-human element in the form of the POS machine. From what I could see, the employees often navigated around the POS – either because the POS is ineffective, or because there is a lack of training on the POS. The manager of the store was efficient and clearly capable of offering support to her employees and the customers, but also lacked training in use of the POS. This seemed to show that although training had been given to meet customer needs, little attention had been paid to how to communicate those needs. A reevaluation of the POS should be done. A simpler machine or enough training to give employees faith in the machine would help the quickness and efficiency of the process.
The fact that the manager had to step away from the floor to consult with a higher manager still was also a problem. It showed that the manager on the floor did not have full autonomy in running her store and had to go through a bureaucracy to be efficient. Her consulting higher management was the longest part of the process. While I would encourage the management to give more freedom to the floor workers and training it clearly had some good leaders for its ability to keep employees for a longer times and there overall customer service.
The analysis showed that 34th street MacDonald’s did care about keeping the atmosphere of the store and its customer care friendly and positive. It also indicated, however, that Macdonald’s has poor communication and lacks proper training in important areas. Yet, I question the reluctance of upper management to dole out more responsibility to the floor manager. That the real power was tucked away in a back room or over a phone seems to indicate a lack of trust in employees, which hampers this ability to service their customers. Overall, however, the experience was positive and my friend and I enjoyed our extra pickles.
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