FreshAI is bringing artificial customer service to fast-food near you. What do you think?
FreshAI has handled more than 15 million drive-through orders, with about 100,000 each day.
What would make the fast food experience faster? More fun? Simpler? The Wendy’s Company believes the answer lies in artificial intelligence (AI).
At the inaugural AI Week in Nashville, Will Croushorn introduced Wendy’s groundbreaking FreshAI initiative, which is transforming the drive-through experience with artificial intelligence. He is the Product Owner of FreshAI.
FreshAI agents are deployed in four drive-throughs throughout Tennessee. It started in Franklin, then expanded to Clarksville, Oneida, and Murfreesboro. In fact, Croushorn shared that Tennessee was one of the first states to adopt the technology. Now, more than 200 Wendy’s stores across 27 states have incorporated FreshAI.
“The drive-through is not typically the place where you would consider putting AI,” Croushorn said. On a daily basis, Wendy’s handles about 100,000 orders at the drive-through, and every order is different.
As an example, AI agents have already identified about 200 billion possible ways to order a Dave’s Double sandwich.
A couple strengths behind the AI agents are the ability to communicate with customers in their native languages. Meaning, Wendy’s restaurants can cater to a broader non-English speaking population. It also helps open doors for a larger international market.
Additionally, once the order is placed, the items appear as photos on a digital screen. It gives customers a real-time ability to adjust, correct any potential mistakes, and approve their order.
Croushorn shared that he has spent a lot of time online on TikTik, Instagram reels, and in in-person drive throughs watching customers authentically experience and review FreshAI.
One of the unique insights Croushorn and The Wendy’s Company have gained so far from FreshAI is the ability to track instances where the AI agent says “sorry.”
“This indicates a friction point in the ordering process. It communicates to us that there is something that needs improvement within the model. Before deploying FreshAI, we had no tangible data for collecting friction points in the drive through,” he said.
Overall, the initiative focuses on three core objectives: delighting customers, impacting the business positively, and ensuring efficiency for the team.
“We don’t want to remove the human element, we want to focus in on it,” he said. “Our focus will shift toward enhancing the experience when a human smiles and hands you a frosty out of the window,” Croushorn said.
The technology is rolling out slowly to include more and more Wendy’s locations throughout the country.
“With AI, it is continuous improvement,” Croushorn emphasized. “If you go today, it’ll be better tomorrow, and the next day.”
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