What does a humble McDonald can teach you about CX & agile?

A fast food joint caters to fast-paced city life

I believe McDonald's perfected customer experience design and agile before they became buzzwords. Please visit a busy McDonald's and observe everything from the front to the kitchen in the back.

You will learn the concepts of experience design and agile. It is a common-sense approach to working together and problem-solving.

You will become a believer without a book, without the dogma.

Lesson # 1: Lure the customer but act swiftly

Say John is a customer who walks into a busy McDonald's. He has to pick one of the queues to order. This is his first decision point. After a moment of mentally calculating the time it may take in different queues, he finally decides and picks a line.

The aroma in the atmosphere is increasing his hunger, and the longer he stays, the worse it gets. He is in the restaurant because he wants to eat. However, he can change his mind and move out until he commits himself.

But is John ready to wait forever? Provide the customer with an experience that makes him want your product. However, do not push your luck beyond a point.

Lesson # 2: Make the sales experience easy and friendly

The wait is finally over. John is at the counter. He was sure what he wanted to buy until that point. Now, he is in two minds. He has seen the order of the person before him. He tries to enquire. However, he does the mental math of the price of the new meal. This seems of lesser value than his usual preference.

He feels pressure to decide. He looks at the glum face in front and is too scared to look at the person behind him. He is intimidated.

There could be many scenarios.

• The helpful salesperson senses John’s dilemma. With a beaming smile, he puts him at ease and provides some choices that feel good. John makes a decision!

• The salesperson is a rookie. He is waiting for John’s response in stunned silence. John feels trapped. He can leave, but that means he needs to find another place to eat. So, he takes his usual choice and kicks himself for missing a chance to try something different.

• The salesperson is unhappy today. He was up late the previous night and needs rest after standing for 2 hours. He gets annoyed at John and asks him to stand aside until he decides. John feels humiliated and decides to leave.

These scenarios are not exclusive to John as a customer. All customers will go through these emotions over and over again.

Think about scenarios that can occur at the point of sale. Design solutions so that customers find it easy to decide. Personas are important for documentation and storytelling but have a limited role in solution design.

Lesson #3: Remove anxiety between payment and delivery

John is waiting for his meal. He can see his token number on the display. He is now sure that he has not been forgotten. He notices that others who ordered after him have been served.

John ordered a less popular item from the menu. It needs a few extra steps to prepare, adding to the delay.

Make the process transparent. Customers are willing to wait once you tell them why!

Lesson #4: Organise your teams around workflows that deliver tangible business outcomes.

The order number is flashed in the kitchen. Everyone in the kitchen now knows that an order is to be delivered and knows the items to be prepared for John.

Someone picks up a patty to cook, pours a medium Coke, assembles the burger, prepares the salad, and puts a fresh batch of fries on the table.

All hands are on deck, and no one is distracted. There is only one goal—to deliver the order as quickly as possible.

John gets his food within minutes of ordering.

All team members have the same goal. Everyone is skilled in his/her job. The instruction is precise, and everyone understands it clearly. This is agile in action. There are no coaches, no ceremonies, just 100% pure execution.

Lesson 5# Develop clarity on the organization’s mission before designing customer experience.

MacDonald's mission statement is to make delicious, feel-good moments easy for everyone.

It is not Michelin-star quality food for the customer.

It is not the best food in town.

Easy is the operative word here.

It took only minutes for John to arrange his food neatly on a tray alongside ketchup sachets, tissue paper, and a straw. John had everything he needed to enjoy a delicious meal. He did not need to run around. All he needed to do was walk to a table and enjoy his meal!

Product selection: Offer clear and simple choices. Build trust so that customer feels confident while exercising them.

Ordering and payment: Make it stress-free for the customer. No glitches, No emotional drama.

Delivery: Measure the time for each order and improve over time. Be consistent.

Ease of use: Ensure the customer has support for the product or service. Refrain from making the customer run around.

The above principles are valid for any company, whether it is a financial services company, an e-commerce company, a fintech company, or a brick-and-mortar supermarket.

Understand the physical and emotional needs of customers. Organize your teams in a manner that delivers customer outcomes.

PS: I have no financial interest in MacDonald. These views are based on my experience. I am an ardent believer in eating sensibly and responsibly.