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Speed of service

Speed of service is the amount of time that it takes to serve a customer, and it is especially important for quick service restaurant (QRS) businesses.

What is speed of service?

Simply put, speed of service is the amount of time that it takes for the employees of a business to serve a customer. This metric is very commonly used in QSR businesses, which measure the amount of time that it takes for a customer to be served their order. In QSRs, drive-thru speed of service is an especially critical metric.

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Why is speed of service important?

Speed of service is an important metric for a number of reasons. If your business is predicated on serving your customers quickly, being able to track that data is important. It is also important to know if customers are receiving the service that they expect.

Some businesses break down their speed of service into components. For example, they may measure how long it takes to move through the line to the counter, how long ordering takes, and the time a customer waits between paying for their meal and receiving it. This last component especially affects customer experience and should be minimized.

In particular, drive-thru analytics are very important for some companies. Since it can be harder to increase the size of a drive-thru, the speed of service generally defines the drive-thru throughput and therefore profitability of a quick service restaurant (QSR) during their peak periods.

Speed of service can be determined using a number of ways, the most common of which is a drive-thru timer. Because drive-thru revenue depends on how many cars are served in a given amount of time, a timer helps to give valuable information to decision-makers. Solink can also provide this information using security cameras.

With accurate information about speed of service, management can better determine if there are ways to optimize the sales process or the drive-thru experience. If too many complaints are being issued at the drive-thru or if the sale process is taking too long, changes can be made to maximize profit for the company.

By pairing video with speed of service information, it is easier to understand why your business is moving slowly. It could be a new employee, a broken machine, or inclement weather. Without paired video, you only know that speed of service is down and not why.

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Find suspicious cash handling within your business

Learn how easy it is to uncover suspicious cash handling in our self-guided tour.