Traditionally, waiters were the face of customer service in the F&B industry. They handled almost everything manually, from taking orders and delivering food to the table, to processing payments and preparing takeaways. More popular establishments might also offer home delivery, depending on its manpower.
However, digitalisation has changed the F&B industry in many ways. Self-ordering kiosks, QR code menus, self-checkouts and touchless payments have changed the traditional waiter’s role. The rise of third-party delivery services has also increased the number of restaurants that can offer home delivery.
These digital trends were emerging before COVID-19 but grew as a result of lockdowns. They are expected to persist in 2022. With digitalisation, SMBs such as restaurants, cafes, and hawkers can enhance their customer experience, increase sales channels, and optimise operations.
Enhancing customer experience
More restaurants, cafes, and hawkers are embracing digital solutions to adhere to social distancing requirements and compensate for the labour shortage in the F&B service industry. This streamlines processes since queuing, ordering, and making payment can be done digitally.
It is quite common now to see restaurants offering digital menus that allow diners to order from mobile devices at their tables, instead of having to grab a waiter’s attention to take their orders.
When it comes to payments, cash is declining in popularity. Contactless payments have become the preferred payment method in Singapore. A simple tap and go is easier than counting out change.
As well as making easy payments, many customers expect free WiFi. Dine-in establishments should consider providing high-speed internet connection for their customers. If customers know they can enjoy a coffee and use their device, they’re more likely to return.
To implement digital payments and customer WiFi SMBs need a stable and reliable internet connection. With dual fibre broadband dine-in establishments can separate the guest WiFi from the payment network. This protects the business network from online threats, keeps online ordering and payments systems stable, while still offering connectivitiy to customers.
Increasing sales channels
With digitalisation, smartphone apps such as GrabFood and FoodPanda grew in popularity. F&B outlets who initially could not afford their own delivery services were now able to offer delivery options through these platforms. Outlets can also run the service themselves with an e-commerce styled website.
To access order information, employees require a mobile digital connection. Delivery drivers, in particular, need to use a lot of local data to access customers’ orders and find their addresses through the GPS. Mobile employees hence need a good mobile plan with a large data bundle for efficient business operations.
Singtel’s business XO Plus Plans offer up to 150GB of local data at 5G speeds to enhance businesses’ communications capacity. It also offers additional features, such as sharing data, talktime, and SMS with up to three devices or users through MobileShare. This allows SMBs to be more flexible with their mobile data plan and find the best way to optimise their communications.
Optimising operations
Inventory, accounts, and staff management can be optimised with digital solutions. For instance, business software like Deskera and Oracle Netsuite can automate HR processes. By automating the payroll, bills, transactions, audit trail, inventory, and more, SMBs do not need to hire employees to specifically carry out these operations. Having a single view also makes things easier for store managers.
Furthermore, human error and paperwork is significantly reduced. This saves time, enabling them to focus on operations. For SMBs seeking to improve operations, digital solutions can greatly streamline and simplify once-complicated processes.
