What technology is best for hospitality management?

From customer experience management to restaurant reputation management tech has turned the business on its head helping you deliver a seamless customer experience.

The accelerated demand of modern hospitality technology has turned the industry on its head. Chatbots, virtual tours, mobile check-ins and contactless payments have irreversibly changed the way we think about every digital or in-person interaction – and along with it – the expectations of each touchpoint.

For example, if you had 60 seconds or less to capture someone’s attention with your digital menu or online ordering system, could you guarantee they get from point A to point B with minimal (to nonexistent) friction? And what if your customers are carried out and delivery only? In a 2021 consumer trends study, one in three consumers said they would stop ordering take out from a specific place because of a bad experience.

With traditional technology, restaurateurs may be able to identify the wants, needs and preferences of guests – but not at a granular level, and certainly not proactively.

How quickly can you respond and recover from:

• Unmarked dish ingredients leading to a trend of allergy outbreaks?

• Incorrect table preferences that result in a negative post-dining review?

• Inconsistency of service and dish performance?

The answers are all hidden in your customer data – the type of urgency, at what volume, and changes in guest sentiment. Guests who encounter an issue with a restaurant and have the restaurant quickly attempt to resolve the issue, return. So what hospitality technology will empower you to jump out of reactive mode?

Let’s discuss the critical areas of restaurant operations to improve upon, and how to get the most out of your tech investment.

Adopt objective, data-driven decision-making

The customer experience is rooted in emotion, but your team communications and performance doesn’t have to be. If you have a method of capturing how well your brand is delivering on guest expectations, you can remove assumptive decision-making from team development and training, and ensure they stay connected to the bigger picture.

But if your team can’t find the insights they need to understand how your guests are feeling and why then they can’t provide the personalised service your guests have come to expect.

Discover new opportunities to connect

It’s no surprise that 42% of leaders in the hospitality industry are investing in front line technology to improve interactions between employees and guests.

If you want to ensure your guests are delighted from the moment they hit ‘book’, then you need to uncover what’s driving your guests’ happiness and create those ‘wow’ moments that keep them satisfied throughout the customer journey. Standard hospitality technology can measure the middle and the end of a guest’s experience – what’s on their ticket and what they decide to put on Yelp.

How can hospitality technology improve my business?

Making improvements throughout the customer journey should be an ongoing process as consumer preferences naturally fluctuate with the market. And where most brands get it wrong – focusing on friendly greetings, table touches and manager drive-bys. While these are common actions involved in the customer experience, this won’t set you apart from the competition. There is a great span of digital touchpoints that happen before and after the in-store experience that will shine a light on what your customers actually want, so you can simplify steps of service and keep your team focused on what truly matters.

Voice search

Your customer experience cuts across all interactions. Voice search is an increasingly popular way to search for bars, cafes and restaurants with a reported 122 million users worldwide. Optimising your website and ordering service for voice search is a savvy way to engage guests from their first interactions with your brand.

Go contactless

The latest generation of contactless payments lets guests pay even when they don’t have their credit card with them. It’s fast and convenient for your guests and with Covid top of mind, it’s the smart way to offer a contactless delivery service.

Free WiFi

If you’re not doing this already it’s now an expectation. If you are providing WiFi then make sure it’s fast and reliable. If you want to encourage your guests to share their experience with reviews and UGC on their social platforms you need the bandwidth to handle your guest’s needs.

Get feedback

Savvy hotels and restaurants leverage their apps and WiFi to collect survey data in real-time. Using digital survey tools gives your business the ability to aggregate data and derive insights within seconds. They’re a great way to track customer ratings and satisfaction or pinpoint areas for improvement.

How to use hospitality technology to improve the customer experience.

Want to know what drives high-quality customer experiences in the hospitality industry? Data.

Most hospitality technology can collect data. However, it’s the volume of data and how the data is structured that will be your guiding light to building better customer experiences.

For effective hospitality management, you can’t neglect any awareness, reputation, and retention opportunity throughout the guest journey. Through a combination of GEM and reputation management, you can optimize every guest interaction and track performance along the way.

To keep it simple: Streamline your digital touchpoints. Create efficiencies that anticipate customer pain points. Automate basic operations. The right hospitality technology can empower you to be proactive about your brand impact with your guests, and reach your operational objectives.

In the modern hospitality industry can you afford not to use hospitality tech? With a 12% uptick in sales over your competition, Yumpingo software lets you nail a stellar customer experience. Want to know more? Get in touch today.