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Exploring the future of top trends impacting the QSR industry
The world is getting faster! We are witnessing most industries working 24/7, and the busier we get, we look to make our lives even easier. With people spending more time working harder, they are looking to more convenience, may it be ordering groceries, medicines or even food. Every single industry is looking to serve their customers first and best. With technology evolving on several facades today in the quick service industry, the pressure on the restaurant operators continues to build to improve their operations day-in and day-out.
In our blog about “Are you managing your restaurant digitally?” we read how the QSR industry is getting techno-friendly to improve and implement its daily operations to serve its customers across multiple locations.
Now, let us see, how the QSR industry is attracting strategic technology and innovation towards digitalization.
Restaurants targeting to stay competitive are not only investing in improving the functionality of their restaurants with apps, but they’re also looking for groundbreaking and state-of-the-art ways to leverage technology to improve their customer experience every single day. The new trend of the QSR industry works on the customer experience funnel of “Consumption, Frequency & Loyalty”. How is strategic technology going to work towards the advancement of the QSR industry?
Future of robotics in the QSR industry
The QSR industry is ready to explore robots in its sector. That is a good indicator of automation in the industry. As of now, Robotics is being implemented in areas where manual labor can be reduced. The day is not far wherein you will come across robots with AI in the QSR sector. They will be ideal to take orders; with quick recall of past order history, customer preferences trends and, details the robot can interact and assist with placing the order.
There is good advancement in robotics and AI in recent times. Shortly, we might come across robots fixing the dishes, and employees can busy themselves with customer-centered activities thereby increasing the value and overall guest experience.
Picking up “voice orders”
A survey conducted recently by Market Force Information quotes that around 40% of the consumers placed the orders via smartphone. The survey is for the last 3 months of 2019 which is quite an increase compared to 11% in 2015. Exploring NextGen technologies the QSR industry is looking out for opportunities to take orders from voice-activated AI technologies, tabletop and iPad devices.
The millennial crowd is digital-savvy. By adopting digital ordering capabilities the QSR industry is looking forward to enhancing the customer experience. The QSR industry is also looking out for customizing the items, based on guest history, cutting down on the idle time in-store. The other areas to increase efficiency are to reduce time on queues, and handling of payments in person. Efficiency in these areas is expected to increase operational efficiency in business at the same time reducing the effort by the labor.
Digital payments
Digitization has reduced cash payments at the counters. The payment technologies from vendors and ‘scan to pay’ options at QSR outlets have made payments easier than ever before. The millennial crowd is on the move and values their time immensely. Knowing the nature of this crowd, technology is urging them to order over the app and pay before they come to pick up their order. The mobile numbers can be used for a loyalty program to apply discounts to customer orders based on reward points on special occasions.
Loyalty points and rewards to customers
Customer Loyalty is one of the primary keys for QSR to succeed. The QSR industry has implemented the reward programs to build and maintain customer loyalty by its free or discounted meals. Customer rewards will give you access to the information about their food choices, frequency of visits, average bill amount and also their choice of location.
The coupons had been the commonly used option for rewards to customers in the past. Now the rewards are getting customized based on the preferences of the customers. A recently conducted survey indicates customers like their preferences to be given priority in the loyalty program.
The introduction to the blockchain methodology in the QSR industry
This is going to be a game changer in making the food supply chains more efficient. The blockchain technology has created immense efficiency in several industries by providing infrastructure for virtual currencies and bringing efficiency with transparency in the supply chain management. This technology is now extending its hands to the food industry as well.
A customer today is well versed about what he or she eats and where the food comes from. Therefore, by digitally recording the distinctiveness of the goods, a blockchain technology can offer a lasting, absolute record for every food ingredient that a customer eats as it comes from the farm until it reaches to table. This transparency can give a full accountability of the food through the supply chain to all the people involved in the QSR industry, may it be processors, or wholesalers, distributors, or even food service operators and the end consumers. It helps them with all the information about where their food comes from and how it was processed to the end product.
It’s time to welcome technology throughout the food servicing industry
Technology becoming an integral part of everyday affairs has resulted in making the availability of uninterrupted network bandwidth crucial. So, ensuring there are no hiccups in connectivity becomes a must in the QSR industry. Any kind of network interruption can put the operations on hold from customer interaction to back end operations affecting business. So, welcoming the new trends of technology has become even more critical in the QSR Industry.
The QSR industry is growing so fast that it has become an essential daily part of today’s millennials schedule. The industry is making the lives of millennials convenient, reducing idle time. This technology drives improvements in quality and choice of food also adding value to their daily lives. Technology is the driving factor for the growth and value of the QSR industry. The QSR industry needs to equip with the right infrastructure to handle this growth. Strong infrastructure aids to handle the traffic with suitable bandwidth along with data management which is the need of the hour today.
Workpulse helps you with its best technology in providing operational assistance for your chain of quick-service restaurants. Call Today to schedule a demonstration of the Workpulse solution. 1-856-282-6044. Every minute counts. Mail or call Workpulse to take a step forward.
