As QSRs scale, delivering consistent, memorable customer experiences becomes non-negotiable. Brand standards act as the blueprint, ensuring every team member knows exactly how to bring the brand to life.
A couple of weeks back, I headed to one of my favourite ‘grab-and-go’ places in North London to get some breakfast before work. I ordered my bacon sandwich, only to find that my order was wrong.
I was given a discount on the replacement order.
A few days later, I went to a different branch, and the same thing happened again. My order wasn’t quite right. But in this instance, they handled it completely differently. I got the replacement for free and the customer service made me feel seen, heard and understood.
The same business. Two very different experiences.
And that got me thinking. How can these brands create consistency so they can maintain their standards as they keep growing?
The answer seems simple, right? If you want consistent brand standards, you need to be training all staff in a consistent way. But historically, this has been pretty difficult to pull off.
If your branches are spread out nationally, even internationally, in-person training is going to be difficult to deliver in the same way. Different trainers, different environments, different teams – there are always going to be subtle (and not-so-subtle differences).
I think the key elements can be broken down into three things here:
1. Process
Running a tight ship operationally is going to make a big difference as a QSR scales and grows. Clearly documented, consistent processes behind the scenes that can be ‘copy and paste’ to your new site will make scaling a hell of a lot easier.
I’m also going to throw compliance into the mix here. Health and safety and food hygiene should be a high priority for any scaling QSR. One bad experience in that area is enough to risk a customer ever coming back to you, regardless of the branch. In the worst-case scenario, your brand reputation could be ruined by one bad review.
Processes training might include:
If processes training is back-of-house, your customer service training is everything front-of-house – those vital people skills that will leave your customers wanting to come back for more (even if things don’t always go to plan). High-quality customer service can be a powerful driver of customer loyalty.
Customer service training might include:
Especially when you’re a growing business, providing training on your brand standards can help you create a culture on an international level. If I go into a Burger King or a McDonald’s anywhere in the world, the brand and experience are immediately recognizable.
After all, ‘brand’ is really just about expectations. The ultimate goal should be that your customer can walk into a branch anywhere in the world and receive the same quality and experience – in other words, meeting those brand expectations.
Your brand standards training might include:
By now, we know that everyone learns differently. What someone might gain from in-person training might go over the head of someone else completely. But 100% online learning isn’t going to be for everyone either.
For any QSR hoping to scale, a well-rounded approach to training is now a blend of in-person workshops and online learning.
Take your brand standards, for example. An in-person brand standards workshop is a great way to introduce everyone to their colleagues and to get an idea of your working culture. Following up that session with some online material to consolidate that knowledge will help you cement that information into long-term memory and, hopefully, behavior change.
Catering to multiple styles of learning will hopefully mean nothing gets missed – meaning your team will be ready to deliver a consistent brand experience no matter who walks through the door.
To find out how to cover process, customer service and brand training using Attensi solutions, book a demo now.
Author James Shannon Business Development Director | Attensi
