The company compiled information from franchisees and guests on how to measure friendliness, resulting in the fast food chain training its AI system to recognize certain words and phrases, such as “welcome to Burger King,” “please,” and “thank you.” Managers can then ask the AI assistant how their location is performing on friendliness.
This is so fucking stupid. I’ve worked in hospitality, saying please and thank you just comes with the territory no one needs to be checking if you do it.
In a cafe that’s the whole service (in my country at least): being friendly to people, and providing a nice place to hang out and have a coffee, the actual beverage is secondary.
Saying please and thank you is such base politeness. You can easily be rude or cold even when you do use them, and conversely, be absolutely lovely without using them at all.
People don’t go to burger king for the pleasantries, the amount of politeness you should expect is the same as anyone else walking down the street.
Policing politeness with technology is stupid. People should ask each other how they’re going genuinely. Not from a place of corporate greed.
Fuck this capitalist dystopia.
Not like I was going to burger king anyway but this is a solid reason not to
I wish I could explain to companies how fucking awkward and horrible it feels to be on the receiving end of forced gratitude. Even if I liked the restaurant, I wouldn’t be able to go if they did this.
I guess it’s no surprise that rich people think the experience is still the same with or without the consent of the providing party.
They don’t care. They only care about like go up.
They’re hoping to phase out human employees ASAP.
Or to have someone to blame when the line goes down
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This is the worst timeline. 1984 was a warning not an instruction manual.
And Idiocracy was a comedy not a documentary
it was too optimistic
If only we lived in a world where the President of the United States went and recruited the smartest person in the world to solve the most difficult problems
In a way, that is what DOGE
attempted to bewas sold as…by people who don’t understand what smart is supposed to mean…andended up getting griftedwas really a grift, because that is as far as they all can imagine smart to be.DOGE was the grift, run by a grifter
They really did us a disservice being fucking hilarious the whole time
The more time goes on, the more I feel this.
I’m currently watching Handmaid’s Tale for the first time (the show, not the movie. I haven’t seen the movie). I’ve never read the book either so no spoilers please. Anyway, it’s eerie how many things are lining up. Like you said, supposed to be a warning, not a guidebook.
I feel like I’d have an existential crisis if I started watching that show these days. Good luck.
My SO works at a callcenter and they get dinged for the use of what they call “tragic phrases.” These include, but aren’t limited to:
- “Unfortunately”
- Words/phrases that imply uncertainty like “should”
- Words/phrases that imply non-commitment like “I can’t do that” or “that’s against policy” or “that’s not my dept”
- So-called sloppy words/phrases like “No problem” or “hold on just a sec”
Its fucking ridiculous. They pay some outside vendor for training and guidelines.
As a customer, I would feel much more comfortable talking to someone who doesn’t sound like they have a gun to their head.
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That sounds exactly the kind of ridiculous stuff companies would do. Let me guess, they did not check any recordings of your calls and how you actually handled customers. Just “you failed this pointless metric”.
God dam, that’s horrible. Unfortunately it’s not my department but I should let you know your not alone, now hold on a sec while I transfer you to purgatory
I’m so glad I can mouth off to customers in my line of work, not that I abuse the privilege but sometimes a customer needs to be told they are a fucking idiot and they could of flooded or burnt the place down.
non-commitment like “I can’t do that” or “that’s against policy” or “that’s not my dept”
Ok, I’m not a native English speaker but… I have the feeling that they don’t know what non-commitment means. Unless it’s commitment to fuck the customer, but then, why bother to offer a call center?
I’ve come to accept that “no problem” is just some people’s way to say “you’re welcome” but I still really dislike the sound of it right after I say thank you for something completely normal.
Cashier: “Here’s your change.”
Me: “Thank you.”
Cashier: “No problem.”
My brain: “Oh… I didn’t even think it could have been a problem to hand me my change, but I guess I’m glad to hear that it was not in fact any problem.”
You aren’t speaking the same language, apparently:
I love to see that kind of intercultural reading being made. In good faith, I respect it and disagree with its internal logic. If you think help is expected of you, you will not offer any mention of whether or not it’s a problem for you, period.
What about people who say “my pleasure” or “I just came”
They tried to implement that at an old job of mine, nobody did that shit. Luckily we didn’t have AI listening to every word we say.
I went to Wendy’s the other day, and they have this automatic pre-recorded English-fluent woman cheerfully ask for your order. While an actual person didn’t indicate that they were ready, I know they won’t do a second intro message either way, so I started to order. A heavy spanish accent comes over the speaker “Fucking wait, god.” My only thought was “Fair enough” and I waited.
Whoever implements these systems is crazy. We don’t pay people enough to be policed that heavily.
That’s a very generous reaction to being cussed at for following instructions. I have no problem being asked to wait. I actually appreciate having someone acknowledge that I’m there by telling me to wait. But damn. Keep it classy.
Clutch those pearls harder m8
Taco Bell does that now. Every single drive thru I’ve gone to have a intro message
“Welcome to Taco Bell are you checking in with your app or reward points??”
And each version is clearly recorded locally because they always sound like a manager or something.
I almost want to drive to a bunch and record them for a dystopian compilation.
And I usually say “I have an order for <name>” and I get silence or a long pause and someone saying hold on.
It’s pointless. Especially when I can see the window operator handing food to a car ahead of me, I know they’re not ready but I’ve already been autoprompted by the recording.
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Yea but this way uses 1000x more electricity so its a win-win
Jesus Christ. I don’t trust any syrupy cheerful, fake happy, overly polite, “I’m sooo sooorry you had the slightest inconvenience” type customer service. No, I’ve done that job. You know you don’t give a shit. I know you don’t give a shit. You know I know you don’t give a shit. We both know you can barely afford to live. The world is spiraling. Pretending otherwise is insufferable. Just be honest and give it to me jaded, bitter, and cynical like we both deserve.
Is this why I can’t buy a steam machine?
why don’t they focus on fixing their cold soggy fries and shit-tier “burgers” first
Can’t speak to the burgers as I only ever order chicken fries from BK, but I will argue that their French fries have a more forgiving edible temperature range than McD or Wendy’s. Still wouldn’t eat 'em room temperature.
Costs a looot less money to order a wage slave around and tell shareholders everything’s gonna be better now.
As if that were the reason people don’t go to Burger King
The last time I had BK that wasn’t trash was at the Honolulu airport, that was October 2024 and I think I’ve stopped at BK once since and it was horrible. Not to mention Canadian sizes are much much smaller it seems. Like fuck I used to buy the chicken sandwichs and now they are like half the size and the chickens shit
They’re not supposed to put chicken shit on the sandwich unless you specifically request it.
It’s a part of the paty now, it comes from the chicken so it’s considered chicken according to the FDA
I learn something new every day, thanks bud.
Does “thanks, mother fucker, have shit ass day, and please go fuck yourself” bring up my numbers?
The AI says you have a 120% compliance rate.
Damn, beat me to it. As a former cook, I support this message.
No Kings!
I love you
Do you love me?
FORCING Minimum Wage workers to say Please and Thank You will ENSURE that their FOOD QUALITY will go UP while Prices go Affordable!
Cargo cult happiness.
Pro tip to BK: I probably wouldn’t even notice the lack of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. I would, however, be significantly happier if you stopped making them say “You Rule”. Seems like they have to say it as both greeting and a “your order is finished”. It’s just unpleasantly cringey.
If they want to lean more into the branding, they should do something like make the BK uniforms more regal. I’m thinking flowing robes, little plastic crowns, that sort of thing.
plastic crowns, I’ll settle for nothing short of genuine gold and gems, thank you very much.
