Technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed. The “edge” of leading-edge technology keeps moving further and further across the horizon. What used to be “nice to have” technology solutions are now becoming mandates to staying competitive and relevant in one’s business segment. The pressure for businesses to adopt the latest and greatest solutions is real, and either being driven by the demands of their customers or the need to further optimize their business operations to stay competitive.

Most restaurants have adopted some degree of smart kitchen technology to help reduce costs, simplify operations, and provide preemptive problem resolution (identify issues before they become problems). Kitchen appliances are so much more energy efficient. Smart refrigerators can now provide alerts when specific inventory items are getting low or about to expire. Imagine a soft drink machine that can alert you of an issue before soda quality is compromised for your customers. Or, a kitchen cooler letting you know of a worsening cooling problem before it impacts thousands of dollars of your valuable food inventory.

Customer facing technologies have revolutionized the entire restaurant industry, providing a new level of engagement for your customers. Mobile order apps, self-ordering kiosks, and food delivery networks provide the ultra-convenience for customers. Research shows how these new technologies enhance the total customer experience, while opening up new revenue streams for restaurants.

• Nearly 50% of all customers would visit a restaurant more often if kiosks were offered.
• Kiosks increase dine-in ticket sales by 5-10%.
• 45% of consumers say that offering mobile ordering or loyalty programs would encourage them to use online ordering services more often.
• Orders placed via smartphone and mobile apps will become a $38 billion industry by 2020.

But what’s next?

Aside from delighting your customers, these new technologies are gathering data, insights, and knowledge about your customers. Information that you can use today to better engage, incent, and reward them. But this is just the tip of the iceberg! New functionality will allow you to know and engage with your customers like never before. As these technologies take on deeper analytical and cognitive capabilities – the level of interaction with a customer will be unprecedented.

• Personalized suggestions based on purchase behaviors, lifestyle, and machine learning.
• Intuitive apps with ability for conversation. Tell it what you want – app does all the rest.
• Problem-solving capabilities to resolve issues and delight customers.

But don’t wait. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cognitive functionality is evolving quickly. You want to be ready yesterday – and Applova is here to help.

With a full suite of Mobile Order-Ahead apps and Self-Service Kiosk solutions, Applova can get you ready to capitalize on this next wave of customer engagement.