In the Big Data age, it’s easy to see technology as a miracle solution for everything. And in one sense that’s true, as we know that putting the right platform in place can deliver measurable improvements.

1. KEY QUESTIONS
ABOUT YOUR
ONLINE BOOKING
TECHNOLOGY
10

2. Technology can be a glass
half-full/half-empty scenario.
When the tech stars align and
business is booming, you marvel
at the minds who have created
systems that make your life so
much easier.

3. But when the tech gods
stop smiling at you and your
systems don’t communicate
with each other or give you
the information you need,
you fail to see the value in
your investment and feel like
banging your head against the
wall in frustration.

4. Of course the truth is that we
control our own technological
destiny.
The success or failure of your IT
isn’t down to fate; it’s governed by
the choices you make when you
choose which technology to use in
the first place.

5. So how do you know which
systems will drive your
hospitality business forward,
and which will tie one hand
behind your back?
Here are 10 key technology
questions you need to ask.

6. DO YOU HAVE SOLE
OWNERSHIP OF YOUR
CUSTOMER DATA, OR
IS IT SHARED?
1.

7. The more you know
about your customers
the better, as you
can target them with
personalised offers
that incentivise them to
become repeat visitors
to your venue.

8. Data concerning your customers
should be 100% yours, but
some third-party booking
platforms will keep this data for
their own purposes – such as
recommending rival venues to
your customers!

9. IS THERE A PER
COVER FEE IN
ADDITION TO
THE MONTHLY
FEE?
2.

10. You’re getting plenty of bookings, so you
must be making a healthy profit, right?

11. Wrong.
Some booking platforms
will charge you a hefty
commission for each
reservation they send
your way, resulting in
a nasty surprise at the
end of the month.

12. 3.
DOES YOUR
WEBSITE WORK ON
ALL KINDS OF DEVICES
SUCH AS IPHONES AND
TABLETS?

13. Research shows that 90% of mobile users
browsing for somewhere to eat convert into
paying customers by the end of the day.
They’re a great source of walk-in revenue.
90%

14. But your site needs to be
optimised for mobile. When
faced with poor layouts
and illegible text, almost
two-thirds of users will give
up and look elsewhere.

15. 4.
CAN THE SYSTEM
GENERATE TAILORED,
PERSONALISED CUSTOMER
COMMUNICATIONS?

16. Generic promotional offers
will only appeal to a certain
percentage of your customers.
Send irrelevant offers to your
diners and they’ll assume you
don’t understand or know them
very well.
But when you target it according to
their traits and preferences, they’ll
feel like your venue is a perfect
match for them and return again
and again.

17. CAN THE SYSTEM
MONITOR
CONVERSION RATES
FROM ONLINE
MARKETING?
5.

18. Did your market campaign
perform well? Can you
demonstrate redemption
rates directly linked to your
marketing initiatives?
Your systems should be able
to talk to each other and share
data. Otherwise working out
whether a campaign was
successful or not is left to
guesswork, and there’s no way
for you to learn and improve.

19. 6.
CAN THE TABLE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM LINK TO YOUR EPOS
SYSTEM IN ORDER TO REDUCE
OPERATIONAL DUPLICATION?

20. This is another area where
connectivity is key.
When you link your systems together,
information only has to be entered once
and it is automatically shared through
EPoS integration.

21. So when tables are shifted to accommodate
walk-ins, or if a party changes in number, your
table management software will share it across
your whole system.

22. 7.
CAN THE SYSTEM DEAL NOT JUST
WITH ONLINE BOOKINGS BUT WITH
WALK-INS AND WAIT LISTS?

23. Advising would-be diners
on wait times can be tricky.
Overestimate and they’ll find
another venue. Underestimate and
they’ll get frustrated with a longer
than expected wait.
Your system should give you real-
time, in-session data on current
diners and combine it with the
average table time to give a clear
and accurate view on when the
next table will become available.

24. CAN RESERVATION DATA
AND EPOS DATA BE
COMBINED TO ESTABLISH
A CLEAR PICTURE OF
CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR,
PREFERENCES, AND
SPEND?
8.

25. It’s good to talk.
And the more your systems talk to each
other, the more valuable that data is for you.
Knowing a diner was in your venue only
gives you one piece of information; but
when you add in what they consumed
and what their average spend is, you start
to build up a far more comprehensive
snapshot of that individual. This information
can be used for considered marketing
offers that are relevant for each customer.

26. 9.
DOES THE ONLINE
BOOKING WIDGET REFLECT
REAL-TIME ABILITY?

27. You turn away a walk-
in group due to lack of
availability, but then a
colleague says that another
group cancelled their
booking 20 minutes ago.
The right technology should
automatically update availability
in an instant, so that any
cancellations or amended
reservations show in the system
for rebooking immediately.

28. 10.
IS THE SOLUTION
WHITE-LABEL AND
CUSTOMISABLE,
OR BRANDED AND
INFLEXIBLE?

29. You want your customers to
enjoy a seamless experience
when they visit your venue;
and that means brand
consistency and familiarity.
If your tech has intrusive third-
party logos taking centre stage,
it weakens your brand impact.
Look for a white-label solution
that you can customise with
your own branding.

30. Technology isn’t a blanket solution – you need to put the
right tech in place that will benefit your business
You need to be optimised for mobile to get your fair share
of walk-ins (and 90% of browsers will convert that day)
When your systems talk to each other, the data you collect
is far more valuable in terms of customer insights
It also reduces the need for duplication and can provide
operational efficiencies
Smart technology also gives you real-time views of
availability and in-session customers
KEY TAKEAWAYS

31. Discover more about how getting the right
technology in place can boost your profits
and improve your operations.
It pays to be
connected: Why
integrating IT
systems is key
to success in the
hospitality industry
We live in a connected world. Integrate
your IT systems to get more insights,
more opportunities, and more rewards.
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