They’re lov’in it

When it comes to delivering on customer experience McDonald’s Restaurants certainly like to stay at the forefront of technology, with the company always looking to the future.

As part of their flagship “Experience of the Future” programme, McDonald’s have embarked on a massive digital transformation of its stores UK wide.

The challenge

A focus on utilising new technology to improve customer engagement and communication.

This has involved a complete shift in operational platforms to facilitate the move from counter service to single/dual collection points with the introduction of innovative technology throughout their restaurants.

With a history of successful project delivery for McDonald’s and as a trusted IT delivery partner, Jade Solutions were delighted to be selected for this flagship project. The programme scope includes the installation and commissioning of new technology across hundreds of UK sites, with both technical expertise and programme management of paramount importance.

How we helped

With a focus on customer experience, the project includes a stream-lining of all kitchen operations, this includes the installation of two blade servers, that are imaged off site, and then the data is migrated across from existing servers on-site.

The full technology transformation itself is a big challenge and includes the installation of digital menus, POS units, self-order kiosks, upgrades to call order displays and installation of Aircharge mobile charging stations.

The technical input however is only part of the challenge. The extensive restaurant programme had been planned to minimise restaurant closure periods, with jade needing to schedule their work into the main contractor programme. The priority being to deliver the EOF vision with minimal disruption and loss of revenue to each restaurant.

Large scale roll out experience is key

Having been described as “exemplary, professional and diligent” by McDonald’s on previous projects, Jade Solutions experience of large scale technology roll-outs would be essential on this project. With each site having it’s own unique installation challenges, Jade are currently working to specific project detail on each restaurant upgrade, with careful planning being key to success.

With 400 sites delivered in total and a contract value of around £5M, Jade’s dedicated management team not only managed the installations but also ensured minimal disruption occurred by providing a maintenance service during the actual roll-out, making sure key technology remains live.

Account Manager Damien Livingstone commented

“Although we have a history of delivering fast-paced, multi-site roll outs, we felt it important to build a specialist team that understands McDonald’s, their infrastructure and culture. It is essential that key services remain operational across all restaurants. We are pleased with the project in 2016 and are confident of maintaining the momentum we have with during 2017”

Self Order Kiosks aid customer experience.

A key consideration within the EOF project was to improve operations for both staff and customers alike.

Self-Order Kiosks have been installed in every restaurant. This involves configuring each kiosk off-site and then coordinating delivery directly to each relevant site.

From this point, onwards Jade’s field engineers cable and complete any live requirements whilst on site. With a commitment to reducing disruption, all installations are completed to a coordinated programme during closure. Menu Boards have also been configured and are being installed to deliver
real-time promotions and notifications for customers.
With customer experience paramount, Jade are also installing and configuring new in-store encased Samsung tablets, which allow customers to catch up with news, play games or browse, all whilst enjoying a bite to eat. To add to this, McDonald’s also recognise a need for customers to be able to charge their mobile devices whilst in the restaurant.
As such Jade are also responsible for the installation of new Aircharge Wireless charging stations, a task which involves cabling and dedicated testing to ensure charging pad functionality.

Operational improvements a priority

The EOF project plan was originally focused on kitchen operations with Jade installing an updated Kitchen Video System bespoke to McDonald’s.

This included the setup of 22” screens across stations in the kitchens, allowing McDonald’s to streamline their back of house activities.

As already mentioned, each restaurant also had a requirement for a complete server migration allowing for a capability upgrade of the server to facilitate the new Kitchen Video Systems and Digital Media.

The server migration also guarantees the connection to the McDonald’s global network further improving internal communication and operational decision making. With a commitment to minimising disruption, Jade’s field engineers are also able to remotely configure and setup the systems with little disruption to the actual restaurant sites.