Digital Diner in Auckland

One of my regular date-nights with my wife is a trip to the movies. We walk to our favourite indie cinema complex, buy an ice-cream and watch some obscure movie that no-one has ever heard of. On the way home we stop at a burger bar for a meal.

On our first visit after lockdown, we noticed no change at the cinema complex, but when we got to the burger bar, much had changed. Instead of a server coming to our table and taking our order, we were invited to scan a QR code which tracked to our table number.

This took us to a site where we were able to select from the menu, specify in considerable detail the variations that we wanted, place the order and pay. The server duly arrived back with our order exactly as we had requested it. The process was fast and efficient and increased our enjoyment of the transaction overall. This is an effective way for any hospo business to implement the kinds of kiosk systems that fast-food outlets have been using for years.

The benefits of this type of system for the business are obvious. The time required to complete a basic meal order and delivery is greatly reduced by multi-threading the transaction. Rather than the server waiting pencil in hand for the customer to decide, or having to return because they are not ready, the customer takes their time and the server can get on with other things. Presumably this translates easily into cost-savings in hourly wages. It also makes it easier for the establishment to comply with COVID rules such as one server per table when required. The customer experience is better too, provided they are reasonably competent using a mobile device.

Similar systems are popping up all over the place now, but it’s very noticeable how variable they are. The same system can be configured in different ways, and there are definite challenges in getting the configuration right. Another experience at a cafe with exactly the same system was less fun for a number of reasons, all of which could have been eliminated with a better implementation.

The QR code had been laser-cut into a wooden table marker, which was elegant and in keeping with the decor, but was also frustratingly difficult to scan. When I got past that, the menu was complex and chaotic and it was difficult to find what I wanted. Worst of all I had to put my name and address details in before I could pay - which I didn’t feel was a reasonable exchange for $10 worth of coffee, especially as I had to do it every time. Clearly the designer hadn’t considered more than one order per seating.

Both times we visited the cafe in the course of a weekend away, a different server enquired as to how we found the experience of using the app. The interesting thing was they didn’t invite us to use it when we first sat down, despite acknowledging that it made their lives easier. At the burger bar, the server who led us to our table made a point of explaining the system, and didn’t offer an alternative. The cafe was happy for us to place our order the old-fashioned way.

Which one of those businesses is going to get the real benefit of their investment in the system? My view is the cafe will not see any major benefits, and may eventually pull the system as “not really worth it”. The alternative, identifying and fixing the barriers to uptake of a new system is all too often not explored fully.

There’s an opportunity for it to go the other way. Clearly the servers liked the system and could see the benefit for them in customers using it. The business could grab on to that resource and use it to improve the customer experience incrementally.

Setting clear goals in terms of business benefit for each of your applications is a crucial part of your digital strategy, without it you’ll just end up with a lot of QR codes on wood.

Ray Delany is the Founder of CIO Studio and has been doing this for a while. Why not ask for a no-obligation discussion to help plan your change?

---

Get industry updates, tech news, and CIO Studio blogs free to your inbox!

Sign up for Digital Digest