Case Study: Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain achieves faster service, improved guest satisfaction, and a 3% sales lift with Service Management Group (SMG)

Using text analytics to solve an issue with speed of service

Service Management Group (SMG) worked with Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain after the customer ranked dead last in SMG’s Benchmark Database for Speed of Service. SMG used text analytics on 2,000 open-ended guest satisfaction survey responses and found the biggest negative driver was the payment process (28% of comments), with loyalty scores 15 percentage points lower when guests mentioned payment speed.

Service Management Group (SMG) helped the chain test a new process—guests order and pay before receiving their meal—which led to measurable gains: time to receive order +15%, overall satisfaction +10%, likelihood to recommend +6%, likelihood to return +3% and taste +1%. Operationally, average order time dropped from four minutes to under one minute, sales rose 3% quarter-to-quarter, and the chain improved in SMG’s Benchmark Database from last to fifth.