While restaurant technology has the opportunity to revolutionize operations, boost customer experience, and provide significant cost savings, it comes with challenges that can have the opposite effect on your business. A recent study by Canopy illustrates the technology issues that can occur and the effects they can have on efficiency and your customer experience.
Here are some of the key findings of the study:
- 31 per cent of employees pause their work on a weekly basis to address a technology issue
- 41 per cent of QSR employees have seen guests cancel their orders due to a technology issue, with 53 per cent of those cases relating to self-ordering kiosks
- 72 per cent of employees regularly see issues with drive-thru technology
- 81 per cent of employees are regularly needed to help with self-ordering kiosk challenges
- Mobile ordering systems experience issues on a weekly basis for about 30 per cent of restaurant staff
What these stats show is that restaurant technology – like all technology – is not perfect. This means that operators need to ensure that the customer experience is seamless as these challenges are bound to occur. Taking steps to address these issues while continuing to provide positive customer experiences is paramount for successful restaurant operations:
- Get the correct technology. When adding technology or tools, ensure that you are choosing products that work best for your business. Sometimes a one-size-fits-all approach will not enhance your operations and you may need to customize or add features that will keep operations running smoothly.
- Keep your equipment maintained and install recommended updates to avoid problems that stem from old equipment, outdated software, or skipping maintenance.
- Ensure that you can solve a problem quickly. Waiting frustrates and deters customers, and as a line lengthens, businesses lose 75 per cent of customers due to waiting times. Have a backup plan in place, think quickly, and quickly adapt when technology fails.
- Train staff to troubleshoot common issues so they can get them solved without intervention and inconvenience to customers.
Remembering that technology isn’t perfect is the first step to managing your operations successfully. While automation can certainly help you grow your bottom line, frustrated customers will abandon your business if you can’t address tech challenges quickly and effectively. Being prepared for these breakdowns can help ensure a more seamless and enjoyable experience for your customers.
