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Self-Service and the Customer Experience

Self-sourcing, or pushing process steps to the customer, can be a great solution that appeals to the customer and reduces your costs. However, that strategy must not result in a degradation of the customer experience. Online and mobile airline check-ins are a great example of self-service that improves the customer experience.

I recently experienced an example where self-service has gone awry. One of the few favorable attributes of going to McDonald’s is expedience. Place your order, pay for your order, receive your order. On a good day, this transaction can be completed in less than 2 minutes.

McDonald’s (and other fast food chains) has recently implemented kiosks where the customer places the order and makes non-cash payment and then they wait for their food to be served. The kiosk flow is not user friendly, the touch screens often do not recognize the touch the first time, variations are difficult to accommodate and staff are required to intervene in many, if not most, transactions. If paying with cash, you then have to go to the counter and pay, and then wait for the food. The transaction is frustrating, the time is at least double and there is absolutely no perceived benefit to the customer. Not only will I not go back to that store, I’ll write a blog and tell others about my experience!

To learn more about Orion’s perspective on customer experience design and transformation, go to our CX page.

Mandy Dietz


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