Kimberly Brecko, the CEO of EcoDigital Media, and Rob Meiner, Technical Sales Engineer with Peerless-AV, talk about the future of digital menu boards and how the hardware can link with software to help a business meet its objectives.

There is a certain satisfaction to being a regular at a place of business.

While “the usual” may seem like the domain of a small-town diner or a neighborhood coffee shop, that experience may be coming to drive-thrus everywhere.

While drive-thrus have been largely impersonal experiences in the past, that feeling of familiarity may be coming to fast-food restaurants and other businesses sooner rather than later, according to Rob Meiner, Technical Sales Engineer with Peerless-AV.

“AI can create a smoother experience for the guest. It’s able to recognize cars and mobile devices. In use with cameras with the artificial intelligence technology, as well as with Bluetooth technology, you can come up to a menu board and the intelligence there maybe recognizes you as a loyalty customer or a frequent customer and it can then tell you or recommend, ‘Hey, you were here last time! Would you like that same order again?” – Meiner said.

That’s not the only way the drive-thru experience is becoming more personal, even during the coronavirus pandemic. Some Starbucks locations have cameras that allow not only for a face-to-face interaction but also for customers to order in American Sign Language.

Kimberly Brecko, CEO of EcoDigital Media, said working with companies like Peerless-AV to figure out what innovations are coming down the pipeline is crucial for her as she works with the end users who may be able to use some of those new technologies to meet their business objectives.

“Finding out in the beginning what a client’s goals are is so crucial. (You need to) inform them about things that are coming because your job as a company, if you want ongoing relationships with your clients, is to be their digital point of reference, and you’re going to keep them informed on cool new things that might come up that could be integrated in their current system or in their next upgrade,” – Brecko said.

If you happened to miss episode #1, click here to listen!