Information Technology bringing it to you hot at Dominos
Information Technology has reshaped how successful business
is done in America even our precious fast food Industry. In an Industry where profit
margins are slim and competition is fierce, service based industries must be innovative
and use technology to gain any competitive advantage that they can. I got the
idea to write this article the last time my wife ordered pizza. I personally
like Dominos when I want good takeout pizza for a low cost and convenience. I noticed the internet web page up that looked similar to
this it was the first time I had seen anything like this.
Another time I ordered pizza to pick up from dominos I went
in after work and when I went in to the Dominos to pick up I saw a ticket
machine printing away. It was nothing new for me to see orders being recorded
or entered into some sort of system at a fast food place but what struck me as
this machine was printing away is that it was just internet orders from peoples
home computers or smartphones. It was
completely automated and didn’t take any labor or man hours to take the order
or record the information aside from the pizza maker tearing off the order and
preparing the pizza. As each order from the internet or someone’s cell phone
came in it was routed to the nearest dominos location. I couldn’t help but
think as I was watching each of these orders come in it was like a cost savings
to the company as each order streamlined the process and automatically recorded
all data just as the customers put it in without error. This system could
provide senior leadership with tons of useful information from peak order
times, what promotions work best, where best to target advertising dollars or
any information leadership would like to extract with remarkable accuracy. Many
times in a lot of classes we talk about how things could possibly affect
business but I thought this was an interesting one that I could see in my life
with something as simple as a streamlined fast food order giving a pizza shop a
competitive edge.
Posted by: Jeremy Squires
I have always been a Dominos fan. This type of tech that was shown on your blog is absolutely helpful. It gives consumers the assurance that their pizza is being made and such and what stage its in. It's genius. I don't know much, but I do believe that they do have a spot to where customers can leave feedback comments for other viewers to see and that attracts more customers. This is an excellent way to do business, especially the pizza being all crafted and delicious, with better prices than most out there. If anything, they are the best.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I basis all my views of ordering food online on what Dominos has done. If I try ordering food online from a restaurant and their system is more difficult or less feature filled than Dominos ordering system I will not order food. It is simple, direct and easy to customize your pizza. I think the point here is that Dominos made the right decisions on how to help the consumer order a pizza quick and easy. It would be interesting to know how much input they had from consumers in developing their ordering service.
ReplyDeleteDominos is a great example, and most fast food places are starting to incorporate the online style. I actually work at Jimmy Johns, and the online ordering system is the best thing ever invented. It not only requires no labor, but it cuts out a ton of headaches! Countless people from outside our delivery zone call every day and ask if we deliver to their location, and if we don't which location does. Most of the time, we can help point them in the right direction, but for newly hired employees, this is easier said than done. The online ordering system not only makes sure that everything you order is EXACTLY how you say it should be, but it also lets you know if you are in that store's delivery radius or not. It is the best thing to happen to fast food restaurants!
ReplyDeleteOnline ordering is an awesome example of a business process redesign. This is so much easier compared to looking up your local Dominos phone number, calling, and waiting in queue to speak to the next order taker; meanwhile your pizza could be cooking and being prepared for delivery. Online ordering also will negate the opportunity for mistakes regarding, for instance, the style of pizza and the toppings each customer prefers. I also agree with you about management receiving massive amounts of customer preference information from these online orders. This is an awesome idea for firms and for their customers.
ReplyDeleteI've used the domino pizza check a few times and really liked it. It benefits both the consumer and the company. I know how long i have and can time it while they benefit from all the information
ReplyDeleteDominos online order system is the first and only time I have ever used this technology to order food. I see all the advantages it has for both the customer and the business. The customer can quickly and accurately order what they want without being put on hold or disconnected. The business reduces its overhead and gathers a lot of data about types, time, and locations. The only down side I can see is if the customer wants to deviate from the menu selections in some way. If these options are not available online then they would have to call in the order. I do hope other companies follow this pattern and give the customer more options.
ReplyDeleteAs a Dominos employee I have a mixed opinion on Pizza Tracker. It tells you who made your pizza (cool), how far along he process it is (also cool). But it, just like the Dominos model itself, attempts to control factors it cannot control. It lets you know who is delivering your pizza and when, to the minute, when it should be there. The system take no account for traffic, business flow and volume. It can sometimes lead the customer to get on the driver as to why it took 37 minutes instead of 30 to get there.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of tracker that is potential, but which my store at least is not using, is it can automatically sent a value coupon to a customer who has not ordered in a while. The technology is not only valuable as an information tool for the customer, but an invaluable database for managers willing to utilize it.
I also really like the Domino's online ordering system. I have used it many times and it is an extremely convenient tool. I am concerned with the employment prospects technology threatens for some people however. Now that I can order online, I rarely if ever call the store to place an order. Did this just take away someone's job? Probably, and that is the way things will continue to evolve. There is no way to avoid this, but I am curious as to what that individual will do for a job in the future. I also wonder how far up the chain is replaceable by technology. A lot of clerical and human resource questions, information, and functions are now performed by online systems where I work. It sucks when the system is offline or in maintenance, but what can you do?
ReplyDeleteUsing the internet to order online is very attractive. I have used this to order pizza many times but not from Domino's but Pizza Hut. I don't believe they have a pizza tracker. But, still a good website to pick and choose and personalize and find coupons!
ReplyDelete