Hospitality in Kenya is a fast-moving industry – one that doesn’t leave room for operations that don’t change with it.
As hospitality and POS technology in Kenya has evolved, operators have had to keep up with an ever-changing variety of options to manage the order cycle.
However, because of the many options available, the perceived cost of changing tech, and the fear of things going wrong, making a decision about new tech can be difficult.
So difficult, in fact, that some businesses ultimately choose to stand still.
That’s despite 67% of operators at larger brands feeling frustrated with their POS provider. Sticking with the old – despite the ongoing challenges – can seem like the best option.
But in today’s hospitality landscape, standing still is a surefire way to get left behind.
In reality, not only are you actually cutting yourself off from real revenue, there are steeper costs to inaction that will impact your business in devastating ways.
Deliver what the customer actually wants
“Tech is very simple: just make it easy for the customer, in the way that they want to do it.
Hospitality certainly used to be run by older gentlemen who were in a certain mindset, and they would put their wants and needs before the customer. They would say things like, “Oh, apps. I’m glad that’s gone. Order at the table? I don’t like that because hospitality is all about humans.”
Well, research shows that 65% of customers would visit a restaurant more often if they offered smooth self-service. 30% of customers said they prefer to order from a touchscreen.
That blows that out of the water. So it’s never about you: it’s about the customer.”
If you haven’t updated your hospitality tech for a while, chances are your operation on the ground is already grappling with the resulting challenges.
For example, most tech stacks have historically been built with the POS in Kenya as the central pillar. With the POS provider in place at the centre, operators have turned to separate point solutions to run individual parts of the operation bolted on to the central POS.
This can mean different suppliers delivering your order channels, loyalty scheme, and data requirements – not forgetting each third-party delivery channel you work with.
The reality of this web of different providers and platforms can be a nightmare for the teams actually working in your sites.
For example:
- An inefficient, chaotic kitchen as they struggle using multiple tablets from multiple providers
- Hours of wasted time spent on menu updates that need to be repeated across channels
- No visibility on data that reflects the entire operation
And that’s not even considering the knock-on effect this can have for your customers. Long queues, a lack of personalization, inaccurate order fulfilment and loyalty schemes that don’t work across different channels – outdated tech harms more than your team.
The ripple effect of inaction: long-term costs
The ripple effects of these problems can be devastating for your operation in the long-term.
Symptoms of outdated tech, such as wasted hours on manual admin, lack of flexibility, and no single source of truth make growing your brand next to impossible.
Think about:
- How can you increase orders (and revenue) if your kitchen can barely handle the orders you get now?
- If your team is wasting hours on menu updates with the order channels and locations you have now, how much will this inefficiency increase if you expand to different channels?
- How can you spot growth opportunities when sales data is spread across multiple, inaccessible platforms?
Every complexity your current operation suffers from will only multiply as you add new channels, locations or brands to your business.
Standing still will not only make your day-to-day operations more difficult; it will ultimately stop your business from scaling.
In today’s competitive restaurant industry, data is king, and SimbaPOS is your key to unlocking its full potential. With powerful analytics tools designed specifically for Kenyan restaurants, SimbaPOS empowers you to make informed business decisions that drive growth, improve efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction. Don’t just run your restaurant – take control of its future with SimbaPOS Restaurant POS System in Kenya and unleash the power of restaurant analytics.
Contact us today on 0700 001779 for a demo/installation of the SimbaPOS Restaurant System in Kenya or EMAIL