Yes, they’re cold and might be
considered very refreshing by their avid fans, but the main thing they have in
common in industry is that they have the potential to be wasted. A spilled beer at a ballgame or a dropped
ice cream cone at the park isn’t the waste that concerns the beer and ice cream
industries. It’s the few ounces of
draft that’s spilled at the bar tap and the few extra teaspoons of chocolate
ice cream that gets mixed into your sundae that concerns industry leaders. Small, wasted, or overused amounts of product
add up to big money in the food and beverage industry. This is why corporations like The Miller
Brewing Company and The Cold Stone Creamery have developed employee training
programs that include video games that teach employees proper portion control
to limit waste of product.
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| Photo Provided By: Sonnett |
Concerned
that too much beer was missing the glass, the Miller Brewing Company developed
“Tips on Tap.” This is a simulated game,
for players 21 and older, designed to teach proper serving techniques, as well
as positive customer service. Along with teaching players how to interact
appropriately with all types of customers, it also contains a mini-game called
“Score Your Pour.” This game explains how to perfectly pour a glass of beer
without spilling. It also uses an algorithm to determine the amount of head on
the beer, depending on how the player situates the mug. Different techniques
can be used to create the perfect pour.
A score is given at the end based on the head and on the amount spilled
(Web Courseworks). This mini-game is also free to play online. The best I could do on my pour was a
67%. I don’t see bar work in my future!
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| Photo Provided By: crimsong19 |
The Cold
Stone Creamery was also having concerns about the amount of ice cream that its
workers were serving. Every time a worker
unthinkingly added a few teaspoons extra to an order the company lost
money. The company created an
interactive video game to train employees to focus on their portion sizes. In this game, players have to serve customers
in various scenarios. The game has an ice cream simulator that mimics the
viscosity of real ice cream. Players can
pay against one another on the company’s intranet. The game was so successful among employees
that “more than 30% of Cold Stone Creamery employees voluntarily downloaded it
the first week” (Bloomberg). This game is not free to the general public to
play online, but is available for free to employees.
In addition
to teaching employees not to waste their products, the use of video game
technology also saves money by alleviating the expense of having teachers and
trainers fly to a central training area to present information. Employees can train themselves in routine
tasks while playing video games. Also,
computer games for industry are much less expensive to make than those for the
military or home use because most don’t rely on high-tech graphics
(Bloomberg). Though game-based learning
isn’t the only tool needed to train employees it is a highly effective way to
help save waste in some corporations.
Sources
Bloomberg Business
Week Magazine. “On-The-Job Video Gaming.” March 26, 2006. Web.
Link to site to purchase Stone City
“How Did Miller Brewing Get Staff Excited About Serving?”
Web Courseworks, Milwaukee, http://www.webcourseworks.com/custom-learning/games-and-simulations/score-your-pour
(Link to Pour your Score)
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