The hospitality industry is constantly evolving. As new technology hits the market, consumers are being flooded with new things to experiment with in order to enhance their customer experience – meaning their expectations for hospitality to keep up have never been higher. This puts a great deal of pressure on business owners who ask – “with all this new technology, where should I start?”
Whilst introducing new technology will work wonders in impressing customers, sometimes it’s best to master the basics first. It’s surprising that there are still so many hospitality companies that do not keep their current technology up-to-date, especially when considering how much they rely on it every day.
Payments technology is the perfect example of this. Despite the vast amount of options available in this area – and how much it can impact a customer’s experience – many hospitality businesses are still only offering the bare minimum when it comes to ways to pay.
Whilst many hospitality outlets have a basic chip and PIN card system, the time is right to embrace the latest offerings available.
Contactless
One of the most obvious means of doing this is by introducing contactless technology. Whilst talk of this method has been around the industry for some time, 2014 was the year that the technology really became mainstream – so much so that the Oxford Dictionary even added it to their word of the year shortlist! Many retailers have started integrating the technology, yet it’s the transport industry that is really steaming ahead when it comes to contactless adoption, with Transport for London now operating the payment method across its network and no longer accepting cash.
Yet, despite all the hype surrounding contactless, there are still many hospitality businesses that are yet to reap its benefits. Slow service is a frustration that many consumers encounter when visiting their favourite bar or sandwich shop, and introducing the option to pay contactless can really improve this. It takes half the time of a regular card payment to swipe your contactless card – not to mention how much quicker it is than routing around in your pocket for loose change to pay. A speedy transaction is the perfect way to end a customer journey, leaving them with a good impression of your business even if they have experienced any other frustrations during their time with you.
Take a tablet after every meal
Tablets are yet another way to further improve customer service for hospitality companies, especially restaurants. Consumers are now very familiar with the technology – in fact, most households own one these days. Whilst a customer may have enjoyed their experience at a restaurant or bar, this can all be undone if faced with a lengthy process when paying the bill. Limited chip and PIN terminals or a sudden influx of queueing customers are just some of the reasons hospitality businesses may struggle with managing the time of their billing process, and can both be combatted with the introduction of tablet payments.
A tablet integrated with payment capabilities will serve as a support net for busy hospitality businesses, providing them with an alternative to their chip and PIN machine, allowing the server to take payments away from a traditional till point if necessary. This helps limit some of the frustration that comes hand-in-hand with queuing for a long time.
Tablets are also the best form of interactive technology, so taking advantage of this factor is the perfect way for a business to up their engagement with customers through intuitive menus or loyalty offers. Another complaint that many consumers make is based around the lack of helpfulness of the staff they encounter in a restaurant or bar. The busy nature of hospitality means that one-on-one time between the employee and customer can be limited, which in some cases can leave them feeling neglected. The payment process is the last time that member of staff can leave an impression on that customer, whether good or bad – so it’s essential that the employee uses that time wisely.
Equipping them with a tablet to take a payment not only speeds up the process, but also provides them with a piece of technology that can be used by the customer as well – further upping that level of interaction they crave. Furthermore, when the staff become more accustom to using tablets every day, the business may even feel comfortable relying on technology for other tasks such as ordering.
While updating payment processes may not seem the most obvious way to please a customer, it will definitely help limit some of the common frustrations they voice to hospitality businesses every day. Ensuring this process is as good as it can possibly be will not only impress that customer at the time of payment, but also improve the possibility of them visiting your outlet again. Upping consumer loyalty is one of hospitality businesses biggest struggles in such a competitive environment – and if updating payments technology offers a chance at increasing this, it’s certainly something that all should be considering.
