Revolutionizing Efficiency & Innovation
Challenge
“In 2024, cold drinks accounted for approximately 75% of the company’s U.S. beverage sales, a substantial increase from ~40% in 2013”
Over the past decade, a leading retail food & beverage company saw substantial growth in cold beverage sales. They responded to this shift by expanding cold beverage offerings, increasing the ability to customize drinks to meet customer demand but also adding more steps for their behind-the-counter workforce. Unexpected cost increases and customer wait times became persistent challenges. To address these issues, the company needed to roll out new equipment in to enhance beverage preparation efficiency and improve customer experience. Implementation of cold beverage and food equipment across the U.S. required cross-functional orchestration and new ways of working together to meet accelerated timelines and to address the increased complexity of simultaneously launching multiple pieces of equipment.
Approach
Planning and execution of equipment roll-outs was aligned to the goal of supporting innovation in the physical store environment while reducing total cost of ownership and improved customer experience. Forum established a cross-functional program structure, clarifying workstream objectives, roles & responsibilities, and ways of working. Establishing a cross-functional program structure was essential for aligning the team, identifying gaps, and setting expectations on how the work would get done. The approach involved several key steps:
Defining Program Goals: Clearly outlining the goals of the program, including efficiency improvements, cost savings, and enhanced customer experiences.
Establishing Roles and Responsibilities: Assigning specific duties to team members from different functions to ensure collaboration and accountability.
Developing Workstream Objectives: Creating detailed workstream objectives that addressed the integration of new equipment within existing workflows, infrastructure standards, and operational processes.
Creating a Communication Plan: Developing a robust communication plan to ensure all team members were informed about progress, challenges, and milestones.
Conducting Training and Development: Implementing training sessions to equip staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle the new equipment efficiently.
Providing Continuous Monitoring: Setting up mechanisms for continuous monitoring and reporting to track the impact of new equipment on maintenance costs, serviceability, and customer service speed.
An Ongoing Feedback Loop: Establishing a feedback loop to gather insights from frontline staff and customers, helping refine processes and drive continuous improvement.
Making Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing data analytics to identify trends, measure impacts, and prioritize improvement initiatives.
This structured approach enabled the team to not only implement new equipment successfully but also to continuously improve and adapt to changing needs, ensuring long-term benefits for both the facilities management team and the customers they serve.
Results
The established program structure enabled the identification of equipment performance, installation, and infrastructure trends, driving continuous improvement efforts within the facilities management team and upstream cross-functional teams. These insights highlighted gaps in installation and infrastructure standards, manufacturing, operations, and end-to-end processes spurring further solutions to drive efficiencies and cost savings.
The team was able to outline quantifiable impacts the new equipment had on reactive & preventative maintenance costs, serviceability, and speed to service. Visibility into trends, impacts, and solution hypotheses gave leadership the necessary perspective to prioritize continuous improvement efforts.
Positive outcomes were reflected in both efficiency and customer experience measures. Stores with new equipment saw a consistent decrease in equipment service requests, along with reduced customer wait times and improved drive-thru experiences.