eegee’s and Panasonic Connect Elevated Customer Service with High Definition Drive-Thru Communication System

Ask anyone from Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona, and there’s a good chance they’ve had one of these famous frozen fruit drinks, known as an “eegee”. Since 1971, Tucsonans and Phoenicians have flocked to the popular eegee’s fast food to enjoy these frosty concoctions, along with their iconic submarine sandwiches. They take customer satisfaction very seriously and strive to be a community destination for fun and great food quality. In fact, part of their mission statement is to “…create vibrant shareable experiences that make normal days special and special days extraordinary for every guest.”

This philosophy drives eegee’s employees and team leaders like Dayne Thornton. Since 2014, Mr. Thornton has been the IT Support Supervisor at eegee’s, providing his IT expertise to 24 restaurants and the corporate office. He is committed to using and upgrading to the best technology to enhance the customer experience, explaining, “At eegee’s, our top priority is to focus on an excellent customer experience. This includes everything from providing impactful and effective marketing initiatives, to a quick and orderly drive-thru, and friendly customer service.”

Over the past several years it was obvious to Mr. Thornton that communication between eegee’s team members and customers was becoming more challenging due to background noise surrounding the drive-thru, such as heavy car traffic and even overhead planes. “We use technology to decrease service times and eliminate order errors, and even though we were using good quality audio, it was loud enough for the employees to hear clearly,” he said. That’s when he upgraded to the Attune HD drive-thru communication system part of the Panasonic Connect food services solution.

The Attune HD is a high definition, communication system featuring four levels of digital noise reduction technology that delivers the clearest, noise-free sound between customers and employees, so they hear each other – and nothing else. The advanced, durable and lightweight headset ensures that all outside background noise is eliminated, along with inside noise like ice makers, dishwashers and front of house chatter.

According to Mr. Thornton, using the right technology, as in Attune HD, has helped eegee’s maximize operational efficiency and minimize error. He said, “We need to ensure that we’re getting customers’ orders right the first time – every time. Good communication is imperative, and Panasonic’s Attune HD gives us better clarity among employees and customers and simplifies operations.” He continues, “There’s less stress on our customers and our employees that serve the customers. Customers aren’t repeating themselves so they’re less frustrated, so that in turn, makes our employees less stressed. The tone completely changes with good communication between all parties.”

Mr. Thornton implemented the Attune HD system in two phases and communication was substantially improved. “We first installed the Attune HD system with the analog setting. Everything sounded good, then we switched to the higher HD quality audio and it sounded great. The sound was much improved. It was very clear without the kitchen sounds heard in the background. We were especially pleased when we tested the system at one of our restaurants near an Air Force base and could actually hear each other over the roar of the plane engines,” he said. Installation was simple and straightforward, and the team received the right level of support to ensure the system was up and running quickly, with all equipment properly labeled and comprehensive instructions.

Attune HD is not limited to the drive-thru lanes and can be utilized in other areas of the restaurant. According to Mr. Thornton, “Not only is the outside of eegee’s busy, but the interior dining spaces are noisy as well. There are fryers beeping and toaster ovens chiming away. In addition, our customers in the dining area are talking, too. Yet, all that background noise is eliminated, and our team members are able to quickly take care of business.”

In addition, with Attune HD, there’s no frequency disruption because it operates on a unique frequency to avoid interfering with nearby devices and has individually controlled in-bound and out-bound digital noise reduction to reduce or eliminate environmental noises like traffic, planes, or trains, and background noises like employee chatter or kitchen equipment.

My philosophy is that if it's not going to work for the customer, it's not going to work.

Dayne ThorntonIT Support Supervisor, eegee's

Like all other restaurants, eegee’s had to pivot during the height of the Covid pandemic, utilizing different technology and equipment to serve their customers in new, effective ways. Mr. Thornton described how overwhelmingly busy the drivethru became when their dining rooms were forced to close, saying “Like everyone in the restaurant industry, we were trying to come up with new ways to provide great customer service, despite the long lines in the drive-thru.”

His first initiative was to try to streamline the equipment. “At first, our drive-thru team members were line busting using walkie talkies, along with their headsets, tablet and a payment device not attached to the tablet. When they had to communicate with the staff inside, they’d have to put down the payment device and fumble between using the walkie talkie and headset to take orders,” he said. The solution? The Attune HD wireless repeaters, which eliminated the need for the walkie-talkie. The repeater can double the distance of communications to the center module. He explains, “Now, our drive-thru team members can leave the talk lock on the headset and our interior team members can clearly hear when the customer is ordering, which is so much more efficient and accurate. No one must repeat themselves multiple times, so customers moved through the drive-thru much quicker. Plus, there’s no more fumbling around with all this equipment.”

DURABLE PRODUCTS AND A LASTING PARTNERSHIP