麻豆影视

Business

    • Virtual cashiers? How a Toronto company is addressing a staffing shortage from a distance

    Share

    With so many restaurant owners desperate to find workers, could virtual cashiers taking orders via video chat from places like Bolivia or Nicaragua be a solution?

    Toronto-based startup Percy believes the time for such an idea has come and hopes to rapidly expand into the U.S., with one of its virtual cashiers set to begin work in Las Vegas this week.

    Percy鈥檚 virtual cashiers were already spotted at some Toronto Freshii restaurants in November.

    The service sees restaurants place a screen at the order desk. Customers talk to a live person who is thousands of kilometres away at a call center. They take the order, pleasantly suggest options or add-ons and plug it all into a system that tells on-site workers in the kitchen what meals need to be prepared.  

    There are currently around 100 Percy workers at call centres in Pakistan, Nicaragua and Bolivia.

    "We have franchise owners message us and say it鈥檚 an absolute life saver," said Angela Argo, who is a co-founder of Percy.

    The latest data from Statistics Canada shows the food and hospitality sectors have lost roughly 171,000 workers since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

    Restaurants have been hit particularly hard and have had trouble finding and retaining staff.  

    鈥淲e were having restaurant owners call us and say, I need a Percy tomorrow, or I can't open my doors. My staff quit, or three of them got COVID and they can't come in for two weeks,鈥 Argo said.

    A Percy virtual cashier is seen working remotely at a Freshii restaurant.

    Rajesh Patel is a Freshii franchise owner who has been using Percy for several months.

     鈥淚f someone calls in sick or we have team member on holiday we can use Percy for this.鈥 Patel said.

    Some have been outraged by the outsourcing of such jobs, however. They have also pointed out that the workers do not make anywhere near the minimum wage they would be guaranteed in Canada.

    Argo says the workers do make at least two to three times their local minimum wage. In Bolivia minimum wage is around $5,000 a year. In Pakistan it鈥檚 closer to $2,000.

    鈥淔or someone living in Pakistan, it's much higher than a wage they鈥檙e used to seeing and they're able to have a really incredible quality of life,鈥 says Argo.

    麻豆影视 arranged with the company to speak with one of the workers in Bolivia who said she really loves her job.

    鈥淚 love to do customer service and the people in Canada have been so nice,鈥 she said.

    鈥淭heir first reaction is this is weird,鈥 she said, but added customers quickly get used to it.

     鈥淚 get to interact with people that are out of my country. I also can practice my English.鈥

    A Percy virtual cashier is seen working remotely at a Freshii restaurant.

    Asked what they thought of the service, most customers seemed supportive.

    鈥淚 think it will take time to get accustomed to, but it鈥檚 great,鈥 said one.

    鈥淚n this day and age nothing seems weird anymore,鈥 said another customer with a laugh.

    Though one person said he thought the human element was still missing and that you expect to see someone in-person taking your order.

    Many companies, particularly retailers, have been replacing cashiers with self-checkout machines. Argo says his company is creating job for humans.

    鈥淭hese are people working. You see their smiling faces. It鈥檚 a net benefit.鈥

    Ian Lee, an associate professor with Carleton University鈥檚 Sprott School of Business, says this all the result of a massive labour shortage that could last the next 50 years.

    "We have the lowest unemployment in the history ever of Canada and it's going to get worse, not better,鈥 he said. Lee notes the birth rate in Canada is far below the replacement level and older Canadians have been leaving the workforce.

    鈥淭here's a desperate shortage of workers and these technologies are not taking jobs away from anybody. We do not have enough workers. We are short, almost a million workers right now as we speak in Canada alone. And that's what's driving this.鈥

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

    Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

    The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

    A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

    Canada

    World

    Politics

    • Murray Sinclair鈥檚 family members say the late justice and senator has been laid to rest according to his wishes.

    • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale鈥擫angley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

    Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

    A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

    As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

    A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

    A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

    Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

    A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

    • Weather watchers were treated to an exceptionally rare display on Friday evening as rare cloud formations filled Vancouver skies.

    • For some shoppers it was Nov. 1, but for others the first hints of Christmas - saccharine treats, festive-fragranced candles and gaudily wrapped gift sets - were being noticed in stores long before the final Halloween decor had been cleared.

    • Thousands of people are expected to gather in downtown Vancouver on Monday to observe the city鈥檚 100th Remembrance Day ceremony.

    • Toronto is expected to see an economic boost to the tune of nearly $300 million thanks to Taylor Swift鈥檚 upcoming Eras Tour, which will be making a stop in Canada鈥檚 largest city for a six-show run later this month.

    • One man was transported to hospital early Monday morning after a stabbing in the northwest end of the city, Toronto police say.

    • A pair of 105-mm howitzers bark constantly as they turn plywood tank targets into kindling kilometres away on the windswept landscape of one of Canada's largest military bases.

    • Two semis were among the vehicles involved in a multi-vehicle crash that brought westbound traffic along Stoney Trail Northwest to a standstill on Sunday.

    • NEW THIS MORNING

      NEW THIS MORNING

      An Ottawa boy with a rare disease will be getting the chance to see Taylor Swift in concert after the winner and organizers of an auction held on his behalf gifted the tickets to him.

    • CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa.

    • After months of controversy surrounding a dog park in Ottawa's west end, a solution has been reached to divide the park in half.

    • An elementary school in Greenfield Park on Montreal鈥檚 South Shore is closed after it was the target of an alleged arson attack.

    • Some 12,000 daycare workers are set to begin their strike action Monday morning.

    • Though most businesses are expected to be open on Remembrance Day, there are some establishments that will be closed to commemorate the holiday.

    • Monday is Remembrance Day, a time to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

    • Boasting 2,300 square metres of skating space at its new location, Edmonton's Rollers Roller Rink believes it is the largest in Canada.

    • A woman is dead after a driver crashed a truck through a Boston Pizza in Fort McMurray late Saturday morning.

    • A Cape Breton senior recalls her life in German-occupied France, and her mother鈥檚 death, during the Second World War.

    • It's been a trip to cherish for a group of Canadians visiting Belgium this week to honour the legacy of Indigenous soldiers.

    • A pillar in Canada鈥檚 history was honoured in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, with thousands showing up to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Murray Sinclair.

    • Winnipeg police have identified two men involved in a stabbing incident earlier this week.

    • There will be two ceremonies taking place in Regina for Remembrance Day, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion.

    • Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book 鈥榃ar Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.鈥

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • A man has been charged after a stabbing at an apartment building in Kitchener.

    • The Guelph Police Service is putting out a warning after two deaths in the downtown area.

    • Two new tributes to Canada鈥檚 veterans have been unveiled at the Elmira Cenotaph.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP are searching for a suspect after a man was seriously injured in a farm-related incident in Montreal Lake.

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • The Regina Rams claimed the Hardy Cup after a hard fought battle against the Saskatoon Huskies 19-14 on Saturday in the first all Saskatchewan U-Sports western conference final since 2002.

    • Emergency crews responded to the scene on Road 68/Highway 2 east of Thamesford around 7 p.m.

    • On Friday, the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) received a report of an alleged abduction in the area of Kathleen Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

    • The events will start at 10:15 a.m. with a parade that forms up in front of the Delta London Armories, marches east on Dundas Street and turns north onto Waterloo Street to Dufferin Avenue, the west to the Cenotaph.

    • A group of former NHL players faced off against York Regional Police officers in Newmarket Sunday afternoon to raise funds for Special Olympics programs across the province.

    • A driver is facing multiple charges after a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 400 early Sunday morning.

    • The agreed statement of facts was read to the court on Friday in the case of Alex Williams, the 24-year-old jail guard charged last fall with smuggling cannabis and tobacco into Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.

    • One person has been arrested after Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) received multiple complaints about an alleged drunk driver.

    • More details have been released about a police investigation at the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, MI.

    • An individual is dead following a collision involving a motorcycle in Kingsville.

    • Environment Canada says heavy rain and winds could cause power outages on Vancouver Island as an "intense" storm system is set to hit the B.C. coast Sunday.

    • Six deer were struck by vehicles in six different locations in a six-hour period on B.C. highways on Saturday, according to the transportation ministry.

    • The union for locked-out port workers in British Columbia says the BC Maritime Employers Association cut off talks in less than an hour Saturday, refusing to budge on a final offer that the union has so far rejected.

    • The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.

    • Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year鈥檚 host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.

    • The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke open a close game with three goals in the first two minutes of the third period as they defeated the Warriors 7-3 in a game played Friday night in Moose Jaw.

    • There might not a lot snow just yet, but many southern Albertans are still itching to get outdoors.

    • Police have arrested a 15-year-old in connection with a break-in and $50,000 in damage done to the Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake in September.

    • Mayors of the five largest cities in northern Ontario met in North Bay the last two days to discuss a range of critical issues impacting their cities and the region.

    • Residents in the Sault expressed concerns ranging from vandalism to privacy invasions during recent consultations on the city's plan to install automated speed enforcement cameras.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视