An Unexpected Lesson On Technology From Colonel Sanders.
The funny thing about Colonel Sanders is he did not teach me to fry chicken using his award-winning secret recipe. He guarded that secret. However, he was rather open divulging his inclinations towards technology this afternoon. I was impressed.
I walked past one Kentucky’s Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet this afternoon and decided to pause for a few minutes. Something tells me that they have changed. The bright neon light coming from my right visually assaulted the edge of my eye. What I saw amazed me.
That KFC outlet is an assemblage of technology applications designed to scale. It was a stark contrast to my childhood memory, where the operations were powered by human energy.
I became curious and decided to experience it myself by ordering a snack-box. You know, the one with popcorn chicken and fries. I was out for the customer experience, not for the fried chicken.
The first stop is the pre-value chain if there is such a word. A legacy from 2020 — It is mandatory for any patron to retrieve their smartphones to scan the Quick Read code (QR) for registration of presence. You know, contact tracing.
I don’t even remember seeing QR codes everywhere 5 years ago. Now, I don’t even think twice. I scanned and moved on.
The second stop to the outlet’s value chain was the self-service kiosk. There were 4 of them. I was trying to figure out the shortest queue, and I thought that was unnecessary.
The people in front are school students, experts with touchscreen technology.
So, I inserted myself at the end of one line and waited for my turn. I found myself interacting with a giant vertical screen of fried chicken thumbnails after 3 minutes. Mum would have been proud.
The self-service kiosk was dummy-proof. We don’t need to be iterate to place an order. All we need is to identify the chicken types we want to eat and place the order. That was it.
It reminded me of my younger self, where I had to wrestle with an elder auntie for my order.
Me: One Zinger Set Meal.
Auntie: Where got Zing Bur? Only oily chicken here.
Me: No, no. The chicken burger set. This one, this one (Pointing to the diagram in front of us).
Auntie: Don’t have. Only have oily chicken.
Me: Auntie, look behind you! That red and white box! That one! That one!
Auntie: Then you should say red and white box what. I thought KFC only sells fried chicken.
It was funny, but I guess those days are over.
The self-service kiosk did not challenge me for my order. It swiftly accepted and sent my order to the kitchen while I paid for my food using cashless devices.
Here, Local Area Network (LAN) takeover. Details captured by the self-service kiosks are passed to the kitchen at the speed of light through the conversion of ones and zeros. I heard the kitchen shouting my order as I paid for my food.
Even the cashless payment methods caught my attention. I used to get inaccurate change dealing with a human cashier. I might not realize it until I am home.
Now, a wave of my VISA card and a beep is all it takes to send eject me from the queue. It takes …. 5 seconds?
I believe the outlet is designed to add walking distance from the self-service kiosk to the collection booth. My food is ready for collection when I arrived.
KFC must have thought long and hard about hungry-turned-angry customers. After all, the longer hungry souls wait for our food, the angrier they become. Angry customers forsake Colonel Sanders for Ronald MacDonald’s.
I see the materialized value in terms of speed. However, I miss those days where the auntie could exchange the chicken breast for drumstick. A new business case, Colonel Sanders?
I sat and ate. The time I take to finish my food is the only variable that hasn’t been accelerated by digital transformation. Oh yeah, I am a human.
When I was done, I packed my food remnants into the tray and started looking for the rubbish bin. To my surprise, there was none within my line of sight.
And then I spotted a robot on the move. The robot was a tray collector on wheels with a pre-set route to cover. He would move along the aisles of the tables for patrons to slot in their trays and then make his way back to the kitchen.
Ah. A premature, full automated, driverless vehicle on the move.
I waited for the robot to come by and did what I have to before leaving the outlet. I remember taking one last look at the outlet before I exit.
I am amazed to see only 3 employees running the outlet. There might be more, though not visible to me. This is a technology-driven, fully scalable business model.
I wonder if employment numbers have reduced drastically for KFC Maybe.
At least the fried chicken tasted the same despite technology-driven changes.
Oh, I almost forgot to check out the Contact Tracing application on my phone. I will have to remember from now on.
Fingers Licking Good?
Aldric
Related Stories from the Author.
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
And with clarity — We grow.
Follow me for my stories on Medium!
This is more “About Me”.
