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Gamification – Good For the Blend?

November 25th, 2014

Paul Westlake - Solutions Consultant

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What is a ‘Game’

“an activity that one engages in

for amusement”

“a form of competitive activity played according to rules”

“A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for

enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool”

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What Components Does a Game Need?

• Something you are trying to achieve, the anticipated outcome

Goals

• A method you should follow – a guideline

Rules

• A bid to overcome something, to achieve something ‘better’

Challenge

• An action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another

Interaction

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Who Are McDonald's?

The world’s largest restaurant chain – more than 34,000 restaurants across 119 countries

In the UK employ 91,000 staff across 1230 restaurants, serving 2.5 million customers on a daily basis

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Why Look at Gaming?

The challenge

Provide training to over 91,000 employees on a new till system as quickly and efficiently and for it to be as engaging and effective as possible. Retain high customer satisfaction.

The solution

For the first time ever McDonald’s opted for a game based approach, as part of a blended solution to get their staff up to speed

The results

On another level…

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The Challenge

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Highly competitive market

• Operating within a low margin/high volume,

maintaining and increasing market share is vital

• Need to enable restaurants to enhance customer experience and maximise sales

• No honeymoon period to practice in

Utilising latest technology

In 2011 McDonald’s introduced a new till system into

the UK restaurants called NP6 with two key

objectives:

• Improved order accuracy

• Reduced service times

Setting the Scene

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Training

• The key challenge faced was how to train 91,000 UK crew members as quickly

and effectively as possible

• Training must not to impact customer service and reputation

• Till training – technical and dry – how can it be brought alive, made exciting?

Options

• Shoulder-to-shoulder training - too slow, expensive, would impact the business

and customer service

• Elearning was a possibility, but that only delivered the theory - McDonald’s

wanted something more than that and something different

The solution

• Very short initial elearning module – covering why the change and basic till

function

• Online game

Challenge

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Embedded in BAU

Introduction PDF

Elearning and Game

On floor practice

Feedback with coach

Verification

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Why Choose a Gaming Approach?

• Key objective was to provide learning that people want to do

• Fun, engaging, memorable, tap into people’s competitive nature

• Employees predominantly from the ‘Net Generation’ (85% under 29 years old)

• Provides a safe practice environment – multiple attempts encouraged

• Allows a realistic, scenario based approach

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The Solution

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Business Objectives:

• Increase speed of service

• Improve order accuracy

• Enhance customer experience

• Increase order spend

• Increase employee engagement

• Reduce cost of existing training

Success Metrics:

• Reduced average service times

• Reduced customer complaints

• Improved mystery shopper scores

• Increased average cheque

• Significant completions

• Positive employee feedback

• Reduced training costs

Objectives and Measurement Metrics

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Game Components

Main aimCrew member to enter as many customer orders as accurately as possible into the new system within 20 mins

Levels4 levels each with 5 customers – orders get increasingly more complex

ScoringBased upon speed and accuracy – each user gets a completely unique score

Life linesUsers can choose to use throughout the game to help them complete orders

BonusesUsers can win throughout the game if they meet certain game criteria

Customer satisfactionCustomer satisfaction thermometer and facial expressions of customers, spot check challenge screens

Audio effectsCustomer giving order, slurping noises, booing/cheering crowd

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Game Interface

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Game Interface

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Life lines and Bonuses

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Learning From Mistakes

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Hospitality Spot Checks

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Customer Satisfaction and Audio Effects

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Score Updates

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Going to the Next Level

Final ScoreOverall unique score is calculated using:

• how long it has taken them to complete all orders

• accuracy of entering the orders

• their customer service responses

• life lines used

• bonuses awarded

Keep them coming backAt the end of all four levels they are encourage to try again to improve their score and

beat their colleagues

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Competitive Spirit

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McDonald's Till Game Components

• Serve 20 customers within the time limit

Goals

• Work within hospitality guidelines, entering order in the optimum way to reduce service times

Rules

• Customers changing orders, adding in times, becoming frustrated

Challenge

• Feedback from customers based on how you are greeting them, and how efficiently you are taking their order

Interaction

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The Results

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Caught by Surprise

Mark ReillyCorporate Training Managerand the project sponsor

“This tool was placed quietly on our crew website

with no advertising or direction to the restaurants.

The crew found it, played it, re-played it and shared

it. Its power was in the fact that it challenged people

to try-out and experiment to succeed and improve,

which is what the most effective learning is all

about”

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Business Highlights

1,300 daily hits since launch in June 2012

24,000 hours of trainingequivalent delivery via the game

80%Said it helped them understand

new till system and to perform

£23.4MIncrease in cheque across UK

restaurants, £18K av. per

restaurant

205,216 hitsby June 2014

£125,000+savings in direct

training costs

“The learning was really fun – it felt more like a game than

actual learning”

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Longer Term Impact

Mark ReillyCorporate Training Managerand the project sponsor

“As a business, we have seen significant

improvements in customer service, sales and profit

results. The success of the project has led to a

wider cascade of the till game across European

markets, and to the development of further game-

based learning to support the introduction of new

initiatives across the business.”

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In Summary, Game Success …

• McDonald’s needed quick and efficient way to let staff practice

on a new till system

• Online game approach taken

• Little shoulder-to-shoulder training been needed

• Most successful online tool McDonald’s UK have ever

launched despite no marketing or launch campaign

• Excellent results been achieved for business and game

continues to be big hit

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Improving performance through

learning and technology