Implementing technology to boost efficiency has become a non-negotiable for hospitality businesses in light of the new budget.
From tech audits to productivity tools, to full-scale roll-outs of transformative tech, let’s take a look at real-life cost-reducing examples of tech in the industry.
1) Tech audits
Before you can implement new tech or upgrade your current solutions, it’s essential to first understand which parts of your tech-stack are holding you back and costing unnecessary money.
Many medium and large businesses are conducting tech audits ahead of the budget to understand their current position, identify operational bottlenecks and uncover risks for inefficiency. You can conduct a tech-stack audit independently or with the help of a consultant.
Here’s Tommy Giraux, Head of Systems at Honest Burgers, giving his in-depth advice on how to approach running your own tech audit…
Auditing your own tech
Some operators prefer to conduct an independent review of their tech-stack, however you may feel overwhelmed at the prospect.
When auditing your operation, you’ll generally ask the following questions:
- How many providers do you currently work with, and what solutions are they delivering for your operation?
- How many of these separate solutions require integrations to others?
- Which of these integrations are causing inefficiencies?
- Which parts of your tech stack prevent you from achieving your business goals?
- Is there new tech that your operation could benefit from?
For a full guide on how to review your own tech stack, including essential questions to ask new suppliers, check out our free guide here.
In order to adopt tech-driven efficiency in your operation, understanding your current tech-stack is an essential first step to cut costs.
2) Order & Pay at Table
Many operators are concerned that introducing efficiency-driving tech will tarnish the customer experience. Fortunately, this isn’t the case.
Increasing numbers of hospitality businesses are introducing Order & Pay at Table functionality, giving their customers the choice to digitally interact with the brand without human intervention.
This is a great way to boost operational efficiency:
- Cost-effective from a labour perspective – generally fewer staff are required on shift
- Speeds up table turns – guests can pay without waiting for a server
- Increases revenue – faster table turns mean higher capacity during service
- Increases customer data capture to make better operational decisions
The Order & Pay at Table functionality also improves customer sentiment, as customers have increased autonomy over their experience.
Whether your guest wants to interact with staff, a QR code, or a combination of the two, using Order & Pay at Table puts the decision back in the customer’s hands while keeping your operation efficient.
3) Self-order kiosks
An increasingly popular efficiency-driving strategy in the industry is the rollout of self-ordering kiosks.
Many businesses have seen huge success from adding kiosks into their operation, including:
- Increased average transaction value (ATV)
- Reduced waste and labour costs, improving the bottom line
- Improved customer data capture, empowering operators with data-driven insight
- Faster service, which reduces losing customers to long wait times
Self-ordering kiosks have become industry standard for the QSR corner of hospitality; they’re not only enjoyed by customers, but they’re becoming an expectation within their experience.
4) Kitchen Management System
A kitchen management system is another essential efficiency-boosting piece of technology that real businesses use.
On top of transforming kitchen chaos into kitchen calm, kitchen management systems can help your operation to reduce labour costs up to 35%, whilst also improving your average transaction value (ATV).
