By Jessy Bains, Editor at LinkedIn News
Chatbots are taking orders at White Castle, McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Dunkin’ drive-thrus, The Wall Street Journal reports, and the experience is getting mixed reviews. While fast-food chains say chatbots free up workers to do other tasks, some customers complain that service has taken a hit. They gripe that these AIs occasionally mess up orders or simply lack the interpersonal skills of a human attendant. Still, some customers say they prefer talking to chatbots at drive-thrus rather than testy humans who often struggle to hear orders through defective speakers.
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Have you ever ordered through a chatbot? Share your experience in the comments below.
BY
I applied to McDonald’s and 4 other fast food jobs, but the chatbots and automated process made it impossible for me to get hired
businessinsider.com
Businesses are struggling to attract talent and wages are a part of the problem. But pay isn’t the only reason employers are finding it hard to retain workers. Artificial intelligence may be another factor.
Over the past few months, I’ve applied to five fast food jobs: Crumbl Cookies, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Hardee’s, and Waffle House. I successfully landed a part-time job as a server at Waffle House and it was the only one with a human point of contact during the application process.
Courtesy of Amanda ClaypoolAlmost immediately after I applied for a job, using the Waffle House website, I got a call from a hiring manager to schedule an in-person interview. Forty-eight hours after I reported to that interview I was starting my first training shift.
Unfortunately, the jobs that made me apply with AI chatbots left me annoyed and uncertain.
McDonald’s hiring process
McDonald’s uses AI chatbots to automate its hiring process, but it made things more complicated.
I applied to McDonald’s and answered the questions the chatbot named Olivia asked me. Most of them were screening questions: “what is your name,” “are you legally allowed to work in the United States,” and “when are you available to work.” Once the chatbot deemed I was qualified it was supposed to schedule me for an interview, but it didn’t.
Instead of setting up an interview, the chatbot asked how it could further assist me. This left me confused. I asked it again how to apply for a job at McDonald’s and it responded by providing me with a generic corporate email address.
AI chatbots are still in their infancy. Even though they should guide applicants through the process, they’re still prone to problems and not everyone understands how to use AI. I can only imagine how an applicant who isn’t tech savvy or may not speak English as a first language might feel in a similar situation.
Wendy’s hiring process
The Wendy’s chatbot had no problem scheduling me for an interview.
When I arrived at my Wendy’s interview, I discovered the chatbot hadn’t communicated my availability to the hiring manager. At this particular location, they were only hiring for the breakfast shift on the weekends. I was looking for a shift in the evenings.
The interview was scheduled for 30 minutes. It lasted five. The hiring manager asked me several times if I was sure I couldn’t work on Saturday mornings. I was sure. Before I left, he jotted down my number and told me he’d give me a call if anything opened up. He never called.
Crumbl Cookies’ hiring process
The automated application process at Crumbl Cookies seems short, but it wasn’t easy.
I applied to be a baker at Crumbl Cookies. Of all the places I applied to, this application was the shortest. It only had three sections and the application portal only asked for my availability and contact information.
Many online job applications are complex, but this was a relief.
Crumbl CookiesEven though it was short it wasn’t as simple as I had initially hoped. After I completed the form, I received an email instructing me to text a phone number. When I did that, I was sent a link to fill out another application.
Crumbl, like a lot of the places I applied to, uses a third-party platform for recruiting. The second application asked me to create a general profile and fill out other fields, including a video cover letter for the recruiting platform.
I applied to be a baker at Crumbl Cookies. Of all the places I applied to, this application was the shortest. It only had three sections and the application portal only asked for my availability and contact information.
Many online job applications are complex, but this was a relief.
Adding more human contact, rather than less, could be one way to solve the problem. Or at the very least, make it easier for applicants to apply for a job.
Key points: Amanda Claypool applied for a job at Waffle House, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Crumbl Cookies, and Hardee’s.
She said Waffle House was the only one with a human point of contact for scheduling an interview.
The other jobs required her to correspond with chatbots and automated emails that left her annoyed.