During the pandemic the use of mobile technology has exploded for processing payments and for venue check in.
Clearly, the technology has played a part in maintaining customer and staff safety. It can do much more.
Let’s explore how mobile technology can drive efficiencies in your restaurant operation, deliver a great customer experience and help you manage your operation.
Mobile order and pay
Speed of payment and efficiency has always been important. Covid has added an extra dimension of guest safety with contactless payments becoming the norm. In fact, according to Forbes, mobile payments will exceed $130 billion by 2026.
Mobile order and pay offers a number of benefits:
- Safety – menus can be accessed through an app or via a QR code – no need to share paper menus.
- Simple to deploy – using the QR codes it is easy for guests to use – no app required!
- Real-time menus – guests can see at a glance what is available in the kitchen
- It’s efficient – guests can receive receipts via email
- Its more secure – features such as address and CVV tracking totally eliminate credit card fraud
Handheld ordering
Handheld ordering has come a long way and with many hardware options, including iPad, it is an important part of your arsenal.
It rapidly pays for itself, delivering several improvements:
- Queue busting – taking orders while customers wait enables you to maximise revenue while delighting guests. With safety in mind it also means you can socially distance guests.
- Order accuracy – eliminates any errors caused by illegible handwriting and because everything is captured by the EPOS software you can ensure diners get the correct order every time. Less wastage!
- Faster table turns – as orders can be entered into the system at speed and the EPOS software is fully integrated with kitchen automation you can rest assured you have the most efficient processes for speed of service.
- Serve more customers – your staff can achieve higher productivity thanks to the speed of the handheld devices.
- More upsells – with more time to spend with customers and less time running to the kitchen to check on orders, your staff can focus on the guest experience and upselling.
Contactless payments
For guests who want to pay quickly then offering contactless payments is a great alternative to using mobile pay and order and is more secure than using a card.
The benefits include:
- Touchless – It keeps guests safe as the never need to hand over their device to a server – they simply need to tap their device on the reader.
- Works with all the major technologies – as long as your guests have Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay they are good to go. They can leave their wallet at home.
- More secure than credit cards – thanks to the added layer of security of user logins, contactless payments from a mobile device are more secure from fraudulent transactions than a credit card.
- It’s fast – a NFC payment from a mobile device processes faster than a traditional credit card transaction using Chip and PIN.
Mobile ordering
Mobile ordering is here to stay. To keep ahead restaurateurs need to offer a great digital delivery and takeaway experience.
Integrating your EPOS software with an online order platform brings a number of benefits:
- Streamlined orders – full integration with the EPOS software ensures that all orders are managed efficiently.
- Efficiency – integration between the EPOS software and kitchen automation system ensures that deliveries are processed within moments of them being ordered.
- Enhanced menu management – all items on your online ordering menu can be updated with one click.
- Opens up new revenue streams – create dark kitchens and you can extend your reach outside your immediate catchment area for a fraction of the cost of setting up a new restaurant.
- Branding opportunities – create your own branded mobile app and you inspire customer loyalty and save on third-party fees.
- Integrated with mobile pay – easy to use and secure.
Mobile reporting
It’s not just customers that can benefit from mobile technology. When you have a busy restaurant operation to manage you can’t afford to be tied to a desk.
Thanks to mobile reporting you can be armed with accurate real-time information and take action wherever you are. Even on holiday.
Mobile reporting solutions pull their information from the EPOS software and puts it in the palm of your hand:
- Sales information – see in the palm of your hand the daily sales, which channels are performing, historical sales and future forecasts
- Productivity – get real-time alerts on overtime, table turns and employee tips. Get instant access to labour scheduling data.
- Alerts on comps – rather than issue expensive comps which eat into your bottom line you get the data which helps avoid issuing comps in the first place.
- Improved guest experience – see in real-time what is happening in your dining room. Make decisions quickly on whether you have the optimum number of staff to provide the best guest experience.
- Proactive reputation management – managers can be alerted to negative social media reviews and take the necessary corrective action in seconds.
Conclusion
The world of hospitality is changing with guests putting a premium on speed and convenience. Traditional notions of personal service are being replaced or complemented by mobile technology which is driving efficiency.
Mobile technology offers your guests faster service, secure payments and a great mobile online ordering experience.
In the hands of your staff, mobile technology empowers them to serve more guests while your managers are armed with the real-time information they need to make impactful decisions.
Check out the factsheet below to get a flavor of how mobile technology can help transform your business.
