cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43606758
The company compiled information from franchisees and guests on how to measure friendliness, resulting in the fast food chain training its AI system to recognize certain words and phrases, such as “welcome to Burger King,” “please,” and “thank you.” Managers can then ask the AI assistant how their location is performing on friendliness.
I seriously find ‘customer service smiles’ and mandated verbatim scripts to be so much worse than any alternative. It dives straight into the uncanny valley and harms my experience, no matter what the manglement thinks.
Don’t tell that to Chick-fil-A
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
KPI for friendliness! I get that customer service is a thing but at a fast food restaurant where people are working multiple jobs in addition to earning minimum wage, I’m just going to be satisfied if the food actually comes out and isn’t a hot mess. Forced pleasantries for tip paying jobs is bad enough but this is just begging for malicious compliance.
How about manufacturing friendliness by giving the employees a real reason to enjoy their job.
‘Peas’ and ‘fuck you’
Seriously. I try to go out of my way to be nice and understanding with food service workers. It sucks to be them and it doesn’t have to. If they got paid a living wage, had health care, child care, maternity/paternity leave, and a few other things. They’d have no problem having smiles most of the time. I wouldn’t smile working 80+ hours a week with no end in sight.
What for? They’re going to be replaced by robots and AI very soon.
I doubt it. The cost/benefit it seems is still not there yet.



