Product Design as an Act of Service: How One UX Designer Is Delivering Care at Chick-fil-A

Jay Ramirez had known for a long time that committed customer service was an essential part of Chick-fil-A’s brand.?

But it wasn’t until the product designer started working for the company’s corporate support operations that he saw that reputation was built on more than just words.?

“I realized, ‘This isn’t just a marketing gimmick. It’s more like a mantra,’” he says. “Everyone at Chick-fil-A, Inc. treats employees and coworkers the way that they treat customers who are in the restaurant.”?

While previous employers had treated any profitable customer solution like a good customer solution, Ramirez was impressed to see how Chick-fil-A focused above all else on understanding customers and serving their needs. It was an approach that fit perfectly with Ramirez’s passion for audience-centered UX design.?

Now, with the company’s growth booming, Ramirez is expanding Chick-fil-A’s product design team, recruiting service-minded professionals committed to delivering the company’s signature care through cutting-edge innovation.?

Ultimately the group’s goal is to create a digital experience that is both radically convenient and remarkably human Ramirez says. ?

“We really feel like we can make the lives of customers more convenient, more caring and easier,” he says. “We’re creating experiences that provide added value and more enjoyment.”?

Ramirez and his team have developed technology that reduces wait times by helping restaurants to start preparing a customer’s pick-up order at just the right time, taking into account the location of the customer, the complexity of the order and how busy the restaurant is. Another feature uses visual recognition technology to keep potential customers informed about how long they can expect to wait at a drive-thru.?

And the team is working on a personalization engine that offers users of the company’s app individualized service — recommending items based on customer preferences and offering customers thank you rewards selected to bring them the most joy.?

“We’re not a huge tech company. But once people dig under the surface a bit, they’re amazed,” Ramirez says. “We’re breaking new ground and innovating at the edge of technology.”??

Interested in joining our corporate Product Design team? Apply for an open position here.?