Business Communication Skills - Fast Food Industry

Business communication skills

Business Communication Skills 1
Executive summary
The companies under the fast-food industries operate the restaurant in which clients order and
pay at a counter. Such companies comply with quality and hygiene regulations, costs and
wage regulations in the different nations. The household brands in the fast-food industry such
as McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are showing no sign of
slowing the growth. The taste is considered the most significant factor in restaurant
experiences. On the other hand, quality is less deliberated as the nutrition quality of the meals
offered by fast-food restaurants. This report focuses on KFC and its excellence in the form of
customer service and brand strategy. The criticized aspect of KFC has been also described in
the form of an extended market share. Further recommendations have been also given
concerning criticism.
In the end, it can be concluded that KFC can make use of a turnaround strategy to overcome
criticism by sustaining current customers, regaining, recruiting lost customers and appealing
to new customers.

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Contents
Executive summary....................................................................................................................1
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2.KFC.........................................................................................................................................3
2.1Customer service...............................................................................................................3
2.2Brand strategy....................................................................................................................4
2.3Larger market share...........................................................................................................4
3.Conclusion and recommendations..........................................................................................5
4.References...............................................................................................................................7

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1. Introduction
The fast-food industry worldwide generates revenue more than $570 billion which is larger
than the economic value of utmost nations. The fast-food industry is anticipated to have a
yearly growth of 2.5% for the coming years. The fast-food restaurant with fast-casual
restaurants makes the section of the restaurant industry identified as Quick Service
Restaurants (QSR). Such a segment is liable for over 50% of the sales in the whole restaurant
sector. The fast-food industry comprises prepared food usually from the store, restaurant,
street vendor, served hurriedly and reasonable to the customers. Most of the companies in the
fast-food industry work with low diffusion time and warmed constituents to lessen operation
time and cost for each acquisition. The fast-food market was initiated in the 1920s and is
speedily mounting with the major fast-food chains like Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King,
KFC, White Castle, Jack in the Box and more (Statista, 2019). These companies have started
restraining artificial preservatives in their food. The franchises are attaining popularity in the
fast-food industry. The regionalized menu options are offered by the franchisees. The
franchisees are enabled with efficient operations, know the niche and offer innovative menus.
These franchises make use of the same model of limited service.
2.KFC
KFC is an international chicken restaurant brand. It is a subsidiary of Yum brands and is
specialized in the original recipe. KFC was established in 1930 and has 18,875 restaurants in
118 nations. KFC has attained popularity in offering a mouth-watering taste of fried chicken.
KFC is having a mission to be a globally well-known fast food industry in the globe along
with growing and sustaining quality in the fast-food industry worldwide (Wu and Cheng,
2018).
2.1Customer service
KFC has enabled new payment systems in which customers can pay with Android Pay, Apple
Pay and Samsung Pay in stores and at the drive-thru. This change aims at improving the
speed of customer service majorly as more locations switch to a little more time-consuming
EMV chip card payment (Harrington, Ottenbacher and Fauser, 2017). The speedier service
provider by KFC is key in the fast-food industry across several chains. It has simplified the
menus to adopt innovative technology to make sure that the customers can get their food as
fast as possible. The mobile pay seems to have a time-saving move but it has sped up the
service (Mahmoud and Hamid, 2019).

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KFC has been able to find and sort technology-related issues through employee-centric tech
initiatives. The issues solved through the employee-centric tech initiative are inventory and
scheduling shifts to 20-30 locating in the coming period of time. It has sped up the service.
Now KFC is rolling on the new app which enables customers to evade waiting in line as they
can pay in advance and pick up at a counter elected for the digital orders. The company has
come to the conclusion that technology is the only solution that can speed up customer
service (Chang, 2016).
2.2Brand strategy
The brand strategy of KFC has two parts, the way it does and the way it says. No company
makes chicken the way KFC does. It is the core of KFC’s brand proposition. KFC has made
its brand on the requirement to be unique and innovative to stay pertinent in the customer’s
life. The innovations made by KFC made food crave-able like ‘double down burger’,
‘Kentucky Flying Object Drone’ provided on delivery and becoming part of the consumer
moments such as ‘Finger Inkin’ campaign to assist first-time voters in every nation (Graham
and Cascio, 2018).
KFC even makes sure that the brand is increasingly easy to access by customers, new
channels such as ‘delivery’ and offers affordable range along with the various buckets. KFC
communicates above the brand through distinguishing assets such as Bucket, Colonel, and
tagline ‘finger inkin’ good with the amazing and funny ton. It has assisted KFC in standing
out from other brands. Moreover, the company pursues to grow by working on the core
business through innovations and intensifying access by the online and offline mediums
(Nguyen, et al. 2018). The customers nowadays are advance and the association is not just
with the product but with the brand. The customers are anticipated to engage with the brand
in innovative and exciting ways. The company draws perceptions from constant engagement
with the customers mainly by social media channels. The most recent merchandise of KFC is
an allowance to bond more with the chicken lovers and KFC fans. For the purpose of
business communication, KFC enables integrated campaigns with a fair mix and allocates to
traditional media like print, TV, OOH and occasionally radio (Renton, Daellenbach and
Davenport, 2016).
2.3Larger market share
KFC faced criticism when it comes to the larger market share. The company faces an issue of
identification in the progressively crowded market. Although a few brands have built brand

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loyalty and frequent customers through efficient business skills. In order to widen the appeal,
KFC has to regularly fine-tune its food menu, provide add-ons and keep a check on the
quality. KFC has to struggle on a regular basis to advance strategy in the dynamic market.
Intensifying competition has a great role in bothering the company to increase market share
worldwide (Nyadzayo, Matanda, and Rajaguru, 2018).
On the other side, business demography also creates a threat to the expansion of the market
share of KFC. It is because the company needs to create differentiated products as per the
different characteristics of the population. The company faces problems in discovering its
own business demographics as it has a role in appealing customers in several ways (Wu,
Chen, and Dou, 2017). The location of the shops also defines the market share of the
company. The company uses the demographics of the local populace and families to locate
stores in the optimal place possible. In some regions, the entire building is being run as a
KFC restaurant whereas some KFC stores are located within the bigger markets (Swenson,
2016). The entire building of KFC is likely to cover a larger market share.
3.Conclusion and recommendations
The food industry has made significant growth in recent years. Being a part of the fast-food
industry KFC has been offering quality products and services worldwide. KFC has
enlightened the swiftness of customer service. The customer service is enabled by the
innovative technology to ensure that the customers can get their food as fast as possible. The
new app-enabled by KFC has enabled customers to escape waiting in line as they can pay in
advance and pick orders from the store. On the other side, brand strategy has been an
effective skill in business communication. It has assisted KFC in differentiating brands like
Bucket, Colonel, and tagline ‘finger inkin’ good with the amazing and fun voice. KFC stands
out from other brands by making use of integrated campaigns and traditional media such as
print, TV, OOH, and radio. KFC faces a struggle in extending its market share due to the
availability of several brands in the international market.
KFC has been recommended to increase the market share by making use of differentiated
strategies. KFC should make use of innovative technology that has not been introduced by
competitors. KFC can make use of turnaround strategy on the basis of keeping current
customers, regaining and recruiting lost customers and appealing new customers. The
company also needs to dedicate more resources to focus on its core competencies. KFC is
also recommended to increase market share by acquiring a competitor in the market. This

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way KFC will be able to tap into the acquired company’s prevalent customer base along with
reducing several firms fighting for the customers. Add on, customer engagement can assist
KFC in enlarging market share. Therefore, the company is recommended to make customer
engagement a core business practice.

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4.References
Chang, K.C., 2016. Effect of servicescape on customer behavioral intentions: Moderating
roles of service climate and employee engagement. International Journal of Hospitality
Management, 53, pp.116-128.
Graham, B.Z. and Cascio, W.F., 2018. The employer-branding journey: its relationship with
cross-cultural branding, brand reputation, and brand repair. Management Research: Journal
of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 16(4), pp.363-379.
Harrington, R.J., Ottenbacher, M.C. and Fauser, S., 2017. QSR brand value: Marketing mix
dimensions among McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Subway and Starbucks. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), pp.551-570.
Mahmoud, B.H. and Hamid, M.M., 2019. The Contribution of Marketing dimensions for
service excellence in mental status, building strategies and their impact on customer
satisfaction A case study in a fast food restaurant KFC branches in Erbil. Tikrit Journal Of
Administrative and Economic Sciences, 4(44), p.60.
Nguyen, Q., Nisar, T.M., Knox, D. and Prabhakar, G.P., 2018. Understanding customer
satisfaction in the UK quick service restaurant industry: The influence of the tangible
attributes of perceived service quality. British Food Journal, 120(6), pp.1207-1222.
Nyadzayo, M.W., Matanda, M.J. and Rajaguru, R., 2018. The determinants of franchise
brand loyalty in B2B markets: An emerging market perspective. Journal of Business
Research, 86, pp.435-445.
Renton, M., Daellenbach, U. and Davenport, S., 2016. Finding fit: An exploratory look at
SME brand orientation and brand management in the New Zealand food and beverage
sector. Journal of Brand Management, 23(3), pp.289-305.
Statista, 2019. Revenue of the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry in the United States
from 2002 to 2019. Available from https://www.statista.com/statistics/196614/revenue-of-
the-us-fast-food-restaurant-industry-since-2002/ [Accessed on 5/01/2020].
Swenson, R., 2016. Building Betty Crocker’s brand community: conversations with
consumers, 1940-1950. Journal of Communication Management, 20(2), pp.148-161.

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Wu, H.C. and Cheng, C.C., 2018. What drives experiential loyalty toward smart restaurants?
The case study of KFC in Beijing. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 27(2),
pp.151-177.
Wu, J., Chen, J. and Dou, W., 2017. The Internet of Things and interaction style: the effect of
smart interaction on brand attachment. Journal of Marketing Management, 33(1-2), pp.61-75.