EP Business in Hospitality Issue 48 - January 2014

MIKE DAY OPINION
Technical Determination
and Expansion for 2014
Extending the use of back-office management software
As 2013 draws to a close, now is a good
time for all companies to reflect on how their
businesses have performed over the past 12
months. It is the perfect time to consider the
next steps to take in order to re-focus their
efforts and extend their areas of technology
use to be sure of their ability to grow the business.
Customer focus and profitability are two critical
compatible elements within a service organisation and
technology should no longer be seen as a footnote in this
process, but instead should play a fundamental role in
any forward planning.
In the last year, the hospitality sector has continued
to embrace the use of technology to help manage and
support its businesses.
Outdated paper processes
“The impact that
technology is having
on the bottom line
is measurable
and significant”
have been replaced by ever
more innovative back-office
management systems and
new simple routines make
light work of essential
ordering, costing and margin
management activities. In
parallel, there has been a
marked increase in the use
of social media tools to
communicate instantly,
effectively and in a targeted manner with customers,
all of which harness and enhance customer loyalty.
The impact that technology is having on the bottom
line is measurable and significant. The flexibility to
access such powerful technical resources via a
multitude of mobile handheld devices with immediate
results must surely make active engagement with the
latest technology a top New Year resolution.
So what are hospitality professionals thinking about
when it comes to developing their use of technology?
At IndiCater, we focus purely on our Cloud solutions
and are privileged to talk to our client and customer
base about their plans and aspirations for companywide
solutions, as well as traditional back-office
management software. One of the prevalent themes
in these conversations is the development capability
of management software to enhance the customer
experience, something we are already witnessing
across all sectors, from providing pre-order catering
services at leisure and visitor attractions to patient
feeding within a hospital environment.
A new application, recently launched and already in
use with a major IndiCater client, allows hospital ward
staff to take meal orders from a patient’s bedside using
any mobile tablet device. With orders received directly
by the kitchens, not only does this result in an improved,
friendlier customer experience, it also leverages
significant reductions in wasted food production
– early predictions are in excess of 10 percent.
Similarly, in partnership with
one of the UK’s leading visitor
attractions, IndiCater have
developed the Virtual Deli tool
to help improve service point
queues at peak times, resulting
in higher rates of customer
satisfaction and, of course,
higher customer spend for
our client. Virtual Deli allows
customers to pre-order and
pre-pay for their items and
collect their order at a
designated time without the need for queuing.
In commercial catering, whether in-house or
contractor operated, we are working with caterers to
extend the use of back-office management software
beyond its traditional remit of streamlining internal
company processes by widening its functionality in
order to provide a direct interface with customers.
This will enable customers in contract catering
environments to use their PC or handheld device
to respond directly to customer surveys, access
pre-order/pre-pay applications, book and track
the provision of on-site hospitality services.
At IndiCater, we believe that 2014 will be the start
of a revolution in the use of back-office Cloud software.
It will be an exciting year! •
Mike Day is CEO of IndiCater Ltd.
EP | January 14 | 43