Prime employer for women, McDonald's is well known for its focus on innovation and thinking to the future. Further building on this, the company has agreed to acquire Apprente, a conversational voice-based tech start-up.
"With this move, we’re investing in the talent and technology that will ultimately make our customer and restaurant employee experience better," says McDonald's.
"As we all know, technology can change by the day. And with that, so do our customers’ expectations. We are committed to delivering the best possible experience for restaurant crew and our customers. And this is only the beginning."
Introducing Apprente in a nutshell
McDonald's offers the following overview of its aqcuisition of Apprente and the benefits it will bring the company, its employees and its customers.
- Apprente’s technology will allow for faster, simpler and more accurate ordering at the Drive Thru: McDonald's is committed to developing high quality, positive and personalized experiences to meet rising expectations – both for customers and restaurant employees
- Apprente employees will become part of McDonald’s Global Technology team: the addition of the Apprente team will further strengthen McDonald’s in-house technology team, bringing world-class talent to the table. Their staff includes employees with PhDs in machine learning and computational linguistics, with a dedicated focus on voice technology
- the Apprente team will be the founding members of the McD Tech Labs as it expands its presence in Silicon Valley: the Apprente team will complement and provide synergies with the work being done at McDonald's newly renovated Innovation Center just outside of Chicago
- the new voice tech will initially focus on Drive Thru: however, McDonald's believes that the broader voice-based technology also has the potential to reach customers when, where and how they want through incorporation into mobile ordering or kiosks
- it is McDonald's mission to embody a Culture of Innovation: this latest investment in advanced technology capabilities and talent builds on several key initiatives the company has introduced over the last three years to improve both the restaurant employee and customer experience, from the acquisition of Dynamic Yield, to the expansion of McDelivery, as well as the development of McDonald’s Global Mobile App, Mobile Order and Pay, indoor and outdoor digital menu boards, and self-order kiosks.
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