Improving Drive-Through Efficiency with Digital Signage and AI-Powered Video Analytics

This article is written in partnership with i3 International, a leading provider of AI-powered camera and video analytics solutions, and a Coffman Media Partner.

The Coffman Media team has been deploying digital signage at quick service and drive-through restaurants for over a decade, helping owners streamline their operations, lower costs, and delight customers.

As technology in our industry continues to develop, the standards of service and speed that customers expect from their quick service restaurants (QSRs) have also increased rapidly. One of the most exciting frontiers that we’re seeing in the digital signage industry is how the integration of video cameras and AI-powered analytics is helping to further streamline drive-thru operations.

With some QSRs generating up to 70% of their revenue from the drive-thru, these solutions provide a rare opportunity to dramatically improve profitability over what was possible just a few years ago.

How AI is Improving Drive-Thru Efficiency and Profitability

Speed of service is critical for drive-through performance. People on their lunch breaks or otherwise in a rush won’t wait in a drive-through if they see that the line isn’t moving efficiently.

According to voice automation company Presto, 27% of customers feel waiting times have gotten longer at drive-thru windows, and despite efforts to optimize speed of service, 1 out of 5 customers still report receiving their orders later than expected.

Intelligent AI-assisted camera systems, when integrated into your digital signage, can be a powerful tool to ensure your drive-thru is reliable and fast. How do they help? The first way is by collecting high-quality data about your customers and how they interact with your locations. This includes metrics such as:

• Vehicle arrival times

• Cars per hour

• Window dwell time

• Transaction value for each vehicle

By tracking and centralizing that highly-granular information, AI-powered digital signage systems already give you a huge advantage over restaurants that aren’t tracking these metrics, allowing management to better understand bottlenecks and diagnose problems.

Once you’ve collected that data, there’s a nearly limitless number of valuable use cases.

Quickly Respond to Surges
AI powered video analytics can help forecast peak drive-thru times and notify staff so that they can adjust accordingly and to meet demand, while avoiding the pitfalls of overstaffing during slow periods. A dynamic, data-driven approach to scheduling helps streamline labor costs while ensuring that drive-thru customers receive fast, satisfying service.

Improve Order Accuracy
Surveys show that AI can handle up to 90% of customer inquiries accurately, compared to the typical accuracy rate of between 80% to 85% for humans. That doesn’t mean you need to replace your staff, but by augmenting your drive-thru with AI-powered listening devices, you can improve how efficiently you serve customers.

This automation eliminates the time management would normally spend doing things like reviewing camera footage, gathering feedback from staff, or strategizing about how to improve the drive-through experience at your store. That just gives you more time to focus on running your business.

Deep Customer Insights Lead to Better Experiences

Unlike traditional camera solutions that are mostly used as a theft deterrent, the kind that Coffman Media and i3 International are now deploying allow you to gather valuable insights about your business and customers in real time, with minimal input or effort from staff.

Here are some of the ways that integrating AI cameras into a digital signage solution can improve the experience at your drive-thru:

Ensure consistency across locations
There are many reasons why it’s difficult to ensure consistent service quality across each location as a QSR franchise expands. Sometimes, local managers may misinterpret or misunderstand initiatives from head offices, while other times, training programs might not meet the standards required to achieve a desired customer service outcome.

The insights gained from AI cameras can help you automatically identify ways that your drive-thru team is failing to meet quality control standards by flagging inappropriate behaviors or substandard interactions without the need for you to stand on the drive-thru line and observe workers yourself.  

Improve customer satisfaction
Traditionally, tracking customer satisfaction involved surveys, mystery shopper programs, online feedback forms, and similar time-intensive interventions.

Today, AI-powered systems can help QSR managers detect customer behaviors like browsing patterns, hesitation, or frustration when going through your drive-thru, at a far lower cost than legacy approaches.

Having easy access to this information can transform the way you understand your menu and operations, giving you a convenient means for consistent customer service improvements and helping to ensure repeat business.

Safety and Security

Drive-thru windows are unfortunately vulnerable to crime, with staff members working at drive-thru windows vulnerable to theft, robbery, and harassment, particularly when working at night.

Traditional CCTV cameras helped to increase drive-thru safety when they first came about decades ago, but today AI-powered CCTV cameras go far beyond basic monitoring of the drive-thru; they provide proactive, real-time insights that can keep staff safe and reduce liability.

Here are some examples:  

Employee Safety
‍Real-time monitoring of your CCTV cameras by an AI system will measure the amount of time each vehicle spends at the menu (or other areas), anyone blocking exits, or other suspicious behaviors.

Without the need for human intervention, the system can trigger an alarm to notify your staff when it’s identified red flag behavior, giving them time to plan a response or notify the police. This speed saves valuable moments that they simply wouldn’t have if they relied on traditional CCTV systems.

Soon, as facial recognition technology moves further into the mainstream, these systems will be able to tap into police databases to help identify repeat offenders or known criminals, deepening the proactive security that AI systems can provide.

Theft and Shrinkage
‍A common issue at drive-thru windows is employees providing unauthorized discounts or products to friends, often called “sweethearting.” While typical CCTV cameras would capture this, you’d still need to carefully monitor the video feeds to catch those behaviors.  

Integrating AI-powered analytics with your existing security cameras allows you to better understand each vehicle’s journey and helps identify abnormalities with exception-based reporting that automatically flags suspicious discounts or missed payments.

Coffman Media and i3 International – Digital Signage and AI-Powered CCTV

Both Coffman Media and i3 International are dedicated to keeping businesses in the quick-service restaurant and retail industries on the cutting edge of efficiency and customer satisfaction. If you’re interested in digital signage or how AI-powered video analytics can enhance your business, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@coffmanmedia.com.

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