In this special episode of The QSR Experience Show at the National Restaurant Association Show, Michael Chachula, CIO & CTO of FAT Brands, Inc., discusses the intersection of technology and customer feedback. Michael talks about the importance of making strategic technology decisions that align with business goals, ensuring tech investments drive real value.
He also emphasizes the critical role of integrating customer feedback into technological deployments, allowing businesses to stay attuned to consumer needs. Michael also touches on innovative approaches to designing loyalty programs, moving beyond traditional discounts to offer personalized and engaging rewards that feel more like a game to customers.
Topics discussed:
- The importance of aligning tech choices with business goals to ensure investments drive tangible value and operational efficiency.
- How integrating customer feedback into technological deployments helps businesses stay attuned to consumer needs and enhances overall satisfaction.
- Creating flexible and engaging loyalty programs that go beyond simple discounts to offer personalized rewards, increasing customer retention and engagement.
- The importance of leveraging data to make informed decisions, optimize operations, and personalize the customer experience in the restaurant industry.
- How technology can support and enhance the ethos of a brand, ensuring it remains consistent with the company’s core values and mission.
- The significance of presenting clear choices to consumers, making it easier for them to engage with the brand and its offerings.
- Tools and strategies for delivering more personalized experiences to customers, increasing their loyalty and satisfaction.
Guest Quotes:
“Yeah, that’s actually a great question. So for me, actually, personally, and what I would say we probably have to get more infused into the industry is making it through the lens of the business, not just the technology decision of, hey, there’s great technology out there that we want to deploy for technical reasons. It really has to start with, you know, and I always say to my team and even to the company, there really are no technology projects unless it’s security or infrastructure.”
“If you’re a supplier or if you’re a technology partner, ensure that your roadmap is exposed as much as possible, because when I’m making technical decisions, I’m also looking for opportunities that come down the road.
“So when I look at it at the store level, and I normally start at the store level because it’s the grassroots level, and that tends to be your largest challenge, is you have to wrangle a bunch of folks in a common idea and training and thought process around the decision that’s been made. And I normally start with, here’s the benefits and the whiffle. Here’s what’s in it for you.”
“So now you’re showing them that, hey, here’s all the things that it’s going to give to you, outside of it just being the technology. And that’s when you’re talking in the business terms to the business people. And I also tell my folks and our partners, and especially our partners, this is someone’s livelihood.”
“You know, foolish is the man who built this house by the sand, because it moves. Right? It moves and it changes and it blows and it, you know, and it destroys, actually. So you have to protect your core, but at the same time, you have to attract.”
Get in touch with Michael Chachula:
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Get in touch with your host, Bobby Marhamat:
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