Consumer Edge Insight conducted a survey of consumer perceptions about 20 different fast food restaurants. Specifically, how are they ranked by consumer perceptions on different attributes, such as:
- Good value
- Convenience
- Low prices
- Fast service
- Great tasting food
- More…
The customers were asked to rank order the different attributes, and “great tasting food” actually ranked 8th. The first four above were the top ranked attributes.
Which explains this unusual finding when it comes to McDonald’s:
McDonald’s scored very low in “satisfaction with last visit”. Only 22% of respondents were extremely satisfied with their last McDonald’s experience. Highest satisfaction scores went to Chick-fil-A (66%), Long John Silver (56%), and Whataburger (54%).
McDonald’s scored very high in “extremely likely to visit again”. McDonald’s 64% score on that measure was third behind Subway (68%) and Chick-fil-A (67%).
Wha…? Yeah, low satisfaction combined with high intent to visit again. Strange isn’t it? Are consumers masochists? Well, no. The key here is recognizing that customers have a number of jobs-to-be-done when it comes to eating. Translating the four attributes into jobs-to-be-done (using the previously defined structure):
| Attribute | Context | Job | Success Metric |
| Good value | When I purchase food… | I want to spend the same or less than what I would for preparing the same food myself. | Perception that the food quantity and quality is commensurate with the price paid. |
| Convenience | When I need to eat with limited time… | I want to find food to eat quickly | Decreased time to get to the food that I will eat. |
| Low prices | When I need to feed myself and others… | I want food costs that fits within my budget. | Food that costs less than [X]% of my daily income. |
| Fast service | When I need to eat with limited time.. | I want food that is served quickly after I’ve ordered. | Food is served within [2 minutes] after I order it. |
On the highest ranked jobs-to-be-done (remember, jobs should be ranked ordered), McDonald’s is at or near the top. What’s interesting is that the “satisfaction with last visit” score was low for McDonald’s. But it turns out that’s not the most important question. Rather, the question should be, “how satisfied are you with the jobs-to-be-done that matter?”
I’m @bhc3 on Twitter.
Hutch, thanks for sharing this very interesting study.
In this case it seems convenience (compared to other alternatives) trumps other factors. How else to explain low satisfaction vs. high intent to visit again?
I wonder, though, what McDonalds customers would say to the NPS question. My guess — they wouldn’t recommend McDonalds highly due to other factors besides convenience.
Improving food quality sounds like an obvious thing to boost satisfaction scores, but not if it would hurt other repeat-visit drivers like value, convenience, price and fast service.
Goes to show that a simplistic measure of customer loyalty could miss the mark, be it CSAT, NPS or whatever. Companies need to understand clearly the ‘jobs’ they are are trying to help their customers do, and not get distracted from that mission!