We’ve seen a lot of changes this year, especially in our beloved pizza industry. With the new health and safety concerns, technology has quickly become a must-have rather than a nice-to-have. What was once a convenience is now a requirement. Restaurants have to be innovative, fluid, and adapt faster than ever before.
Guests are now using self ordering technologies more than ever. Online ordering and mobile ordering are fairly common in the pizza industry. What’s really exciting is that self order kiosks are quickly becoming an important part of the digital ordering experience.
The benefits of kiosks and the digital experience:
Self-order kiosks provide a unique in-store digital experience. Kiosks are especially helpful for those who aren’t yet fully comfortable with digital ordering. Employees can help guests that are new to digital ordering, so they get experience and become more comfortable with ordering on their own.
Self-order kiosks provide an easier, faster, more accurate in-store ordering experience. They allow guests to personalize their orders and recall previous orders in seconds. These benefits for self-order kiosks are great, but they aren’t the only reasons why kiosk adoption is growing so quickly right now.
1. Kiosks make social distancing easier.
Let’s face it, social distancing and reducing restaurant capacity is no picnic. Besides having to wear masks and constantly wash and sanitize our hands, we must also practice social distancing. Health and safety is the single biggest reason restaurant technology has exploded, but it has also made business more difficult.
Social distancing has made it harder for businesses to maximize square footage, and that can translate to lower margins. People often dine in at a restaurant to socialize. An important part of eating at a restaurant is the experience you have, along with the great food. This is what makes eating out fun and enjoyable. It’s all about personal experience. Social distancing has put a damper on that experience.
Kiosks can do a great job of addressing the need to keep distance between staff and guests by providing natural social distancing for both employees and guests. They limit the amount of interaction with employees and reduce the need to exchange credit cards and cash. Additionally, self-order kiosks can help guests distance by keeping lines short. If the kiosks are optimally placed, they can also keep guests safely separated.
Kiosks work well to replace unsanitary paper menus by allowing the guests to view the entire menu themselves. Guests can look around, choose what they want, and order at the same time.
2. Kiosks made with an antimicrobial glass surface don't spread germs.
What about germs spreading from touching the screen? We asked ourselves this same question and our answer is GojiGlass.
GojiGlass is an antimicrobial glass surface that is part of the touchscreen. It's able to kill and dismantle pathogens on the glass surface. It works 24/7 365 days a year, and because the antimicrobial compounds are baked into the glass during manufacturing, they never wear off.
GojiGlass is currently being tested for an ISO certification to be effective against the human coronavirus. It has already been certified for E. coli, salmonella, and other common bacterial pathogens. GojiGlass provides an additional layer of protection for your employees and guests.
3. Kiosks reduce costs and increase revenues.
Self-order kiosks are also helpful because they can help the growth of your business. Obviously it's important for restaurant owners to make sure that the business operates profitably. Self-order kiosks can become an important part of reducing costs and increasing revenues.
Upselling at the Kiosk
Self-order kiosks can increase the average order in comparison to orders taken at the counter. Kiosks can upsell and suggest additional toppings or items. Guests order more when they are able to see all of the modifications and toppings that are available to them. The numbers speak for themselves: we have clients reporting an increase of 10 to 18% on average, kiosks vs. counter sales. This can be a significant increase in revenue.
More customers per hour
Kiosks can enable your business to receive orders faster, which translates to more customers per hour. Speed and efficiency is especially important during heavy traffic times like lunch and dinner rushes.
Better customer service
The benefits of kiosks aren’t only limited to in-store orders. Since kiosks can free up a cashier, that cashier can take more phone orders, help out in the kitchen, or come out front to better serve the needs of your guests. This type of reallocation of labor translates to cost savings, increased efficiency, and better customer service.
Self-order kiosks are a great way to improve the customer experience, operations, and margins of your business. The most important thing to remember is that self-order kiosks, just like any technology, are a tool. Tools are most effective when they are used properly.
If you’re interested in consulting a professional about how self-order kiosks can work your business, please feel free to reach out to Goji.
Posted on Thu, Nov 05, 2020 @ 07:11 AM.
Updated on May 3, 2022 @ 10:56 PM PST.
