Drive-thru starts the moment you get into your car.
‘Call the Colonel’ is a new Voice AI ordering service prototype designed as an alternative to the conventional drive-thru experience. It was developed as part of an Innovation Sprint sponsored by KFC global to solve key drive-thru customer pain points around queueing, order comprehension and order confirmation. The brief, in layman’s terms, was what could we do to make drive-thru easier for people? Our job was to generate ideas, nut out the best solution, and create a working proof of concept at speed.
With Call the Colonel, there’s no app to download which is big plus from a UX point-of-view. Users are able to simply call a phone number to initiate the ordering process. We coded an SMS confirmation into the experience and also developed a ‘Park2Collect’ system with designated parking bays to bypass the conventional drive-thru process and the related pain points pointed out above.
“We’re always looking to make things better for our customers and our team members. We see voice ordering and AI as a real focus area for the next couple of years, given its potential to help us improve the experience, both inside and outside the restaurant. Plus, who doesn’t want to order their bucket from the Colonel himself?”
- Jack Foley, Senior Brand Manager, KFC UK & Ireland
I led the A.I. conversation design, basing it on Google A.I. design methodology. The prototype was tested with drivers en route to and at KFC's oldest drive-thru in the country: the Old Kent Road restaurant in London. Following two rounds of rigorous testing, Call the Colonel succeeded in its objective of making the ordering experience easier than ever for customers on the road. Feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive. They described the experience as a potential ‘game changer’, with participants expressing excitement at the futuristic, innovative yet practical element of the new service concept.
In-line with KFC values of “southern hospitality” and with the power of AI, the brand now extends their welcome to drive-thru customers from the time they get behind the wheel. With a positive proof of concept under our belt, we’ve now received the go-ahead to roll out the initiative in restaurants nationwide.