Science Fiction Writers Predicted The Future Of Customer Engagement Decades Ago

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Amazon Go, McDonald's and KFC: Science Fiction Writers Predicted the Future of Customer Engagement Decades Ago

As any fan of sci-fi knows, the writers from the 1930s and 1940s often came surprisingly close to modern reality. They discussed a future in which robots replaced human labor, computers could learn and mobile devices could track the user's financial data. They wrote about customer interfaces that required no human interaction, a society that did not rely on physical currency and a world in which information could be accessed with a few keystrokes.

Technology has changed the way that people work, shop and interact with each other. Technology is available to let you deposit a check by just using your smartphone, work

Once their order is ready, the device identifies the customer's table so that a server can deliver the food. The move to technology is intended to remedy the dissatisfaction that customers feel when they must stand around the counter to await their food. The company believes that the wait will be less onerous if customers can take a seat and rely on a server to deliver their food. How quickly the system will be in place at every McDonald's depends largely on the ability of franchisees to pay for the new kiosks, which can run between $28,000 and

The store, located in Shanghai, is called Original+, and it is unlike any other KFC. After entering through a circular doorway, customers find an interior with jade accents, flowers and bamboo that reflects a traditional Chinese garden. The cashiers are small robots called Du Mi; they take orders, process payments and are the only interaction that customers have with staff. The Du Mi employ artificial intelligence to be engaging and cordial while they usher customers through the entire purchasing process.

Technology is also making significant inroads in many other businesses. For example, Emirates NBD has introduced an AI robot at one of its bank branches in the United Arabic Emirates. The robot, called Pepper, will tell customers about the bank's different services and products but will not participate in core banking functions. Instead, Pepper is capable of recognizing basic human emotions, adapting his behavior to match the mood of the customer and understanding the customer's reason for the visit to present alternatives and hopefully make their banking more