Employee empowerment often translates to a shift in decision-making responsibilities. Giving staff certain authority, whether to front-line employees, service or kitchen staff; delegating decisions can certainly improve morale and enhance guest service. In order to expect employees to be able to make their own decisions with good judgement, it’s important to first clearly define your guest service standards, and to have a nimble point-of-sale solution to support these service standards.
In Hospitality Technology’s 2018 Restaurant Technology Study, a nimble infrastructure for restaurants entails a POS platform that allows guests to create their own experience. Mobile-optimized web technology is key, and a web-enabled menu will go a long way to increase guest engagement. Allowing guests to instantly, upon arrival, place an order for their favorite glass of wine and have it in their hand shortly after being seated. Or maybe the guest is short on time and wants to get an appetizer dropped quickly. The flexibility and reliability of a modern POS solution can make all the difference.
With the ability to make their own decisions, employees can use the same POS platform to offer a more personalized experience with guest data – that is, preferences, allergies, etc. – right at their fingertips. Restaurants should also consider allowing the guest to make the experience their own, and not necessarily require a proprietary app that must be downloaded before gaining guest engagement.