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mmadar

Oracle Hospitality Stumbled in Micros Integration But Says It Has Recovered - 1 views

  • Three years ago, business software maker Oracle acquired Micros, a hotel and restaurant technology company, for $5.3 billion in cash.
  • Micros was the market leader. More hotels used Micros’s software to check in and check out guests than any other company’s reservation management software.
  • Oracle found the integration of Micros tough sledding in a few ways. Execution of the merger did not meet the expectations of many hotel customers.
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  • Oracle was caught off guard. As a company not used to dealing with call-center-based customer service, it suddenly had to handle help desk requests for thousands of vendors
  • It took Oracle awhile to figure out how to plot a multi-year transition of Micros customers from license-based deals to Web-based, subscription services.
  • One hotelier said, “I know that Oracle recognizes that and [they are] very open about how much investment they need to make, but it is a risk to us as a business. As we are looking to try and innovate, not being able to plug other systems into Opera easily constrains what we can do.”
  • The first hotel group to agree to move all of its properties to Oracle’s cloud-based property management system is Mövenpick,
  • Oracle Hospitality is “growing above the market average.”
  • “We’re the number one provider of property management systems in North American and worldwide,” he said. “We’re also taking market share in geographies where Micros had operated through partners.
  • Since the acquisition, the company boosted its number of customer service representatives by more than 30 percent to better handle the volume of requests
  • One global benchmark was to cut the wait time for customers calling the help desk to under two minutes, on average. The company is now meeting that goal, he said.The company set a goal of resolving at least 70 percent of customer support requests within an hour. Webster said it is now achieving that.
  • A typical global brand might have a dozen agreements with local Micros offices. Oracle streamlined the patchwork of deals into a single worldwide agreement.
  • “We’ve made massive progress in bringing [the Micros property management system] Opera to the cloud,” Webster said.
  • Oracle Hospitality has boosted its research-and-development headcount by about 50 percent.
  • et us reduce the training time for staff by almost half and improve the speed of service for guests by nearly 40 percent.”
  • We’ve innovated in hardware, too. In the last year, we’ve been able to bring our complete new line of hardware onto tablets, not just fixed work stations, and a complete line of mobile solutions for our Opera property management system. We brought out a new housekeeping operations application via mobile, too.”
  • We’re now focused on helping our hotel customers create exceptional guest experiences while reducing the cost and complexity of IT.” He said hotels using Oracle no longer need database administrators or other IT support staff to manage the technology.
  • Opera Property Management System for multi-tenant hotels has integrations with more than 1,400 third-party tools, such as for accounting and revenue management.
  • Christian Weste, the boss of Hotel Lundia in Sweden, wrote: “Seems to be the same all over Europe and probably the rest of the world also. It takes months to get in touch with someone and even then the issue will most likely not be solved.”
  • Oracle Hospitality has responded to competition by widening the aperture of its target market. While Micros had tended to focus on larger hotels and chains, Oracle Hospitality says it wants it all — from so-called tier-one hotels in global capitals down to small independents in tiny corners of the globe.
  • Oracle’s pricing strategy may tell a different story. Its relatively high fees tends to favor large chains and pose obstacles for small group and independent hotels.
  • Oracle will win the day only if it acts as a platform that can play nicely and affordably with new third-party tools, such as for revenue management; new businesses, such as alternative lodging, and new ways of doing business, such as alternative forms of payment like Apple Pay, Alipay, bitcoin, and Google Wallet.
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    Three years ago Oracle was able to buy out the leading company in hotel and restaurant technology, Micros. But the transition was quite tough on the company leaving many customers dissatisfied with the service they were receiving. One reason for this is because Oracle was not used to call-center based customer service making it quite difficult for them to adapt on their side but it was also difficult for the customers to adapt to taking all their data online to the cloud. In order to keep happy customers Oracle was able to boost the number of customer service representatives which made each and every customer have a shorter wait time and also the they are able to serve more customers as well. Oracle has also taken the step into streamlining the agreements with their customers into one global agreement making the service across the board on the same level, they were able to get more companies on the cloud, they were able to reduce training time by making the systems more user friendly and also have changed the PMS system to be on separate hardware such as tablets. They have also decided not only to focus on the hardware and IT aspect, but make it possible for hotels to give the best experience possible by adding more tools to track guest information but also for revenue and accounting management. At the time there are still many opposers to the systems and are being voices by many General Managers of the world but with the improvements they are bound to please more customers.
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    This article talks about hotels investing and implementing micros as their main system.
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    For three years now, Oracle has been the owner of Micros, a software that manages payments and reservations for more than 300,000 hospitality owners. This article speaks on how Oracle has been handling the transition, and the obstacles they are facing now, including competition from other hospitality softwares that hotels around the world are using. Most softwares today are using cloud based systems, but Oracle was having some mishaps with that transition, therefore making customers unhappy. To relieve some of the tension between customers and the company, there hired about 30% more representatives to handle the volume of requests, and questions from Oracle users. With more research and more representatives, 70% of customer support requests are being resolved within an hour. With time of the essence in the hospitality world, this is an important aspect for users of the system. Competition is out there, and price is a large factor for small and family owned businesses that cannot afford the Oracle system, but they are now working on widening their marker to independently owned hotels from anywhere around the globe. Being a user of Micros in my own place of work, the computer software makes it easy for both the employee and the guests, with straightforward prompts and payments that deliver little to no hassle. Oracle would like to keep on growing and with the rate that they have overcome their mishaps and learned to adapt to new technologies such as ApplePay and Bitcoin, it seems it can only go up from here.
aflor094

Trends in Point of Sale - 1 views

  • adio Frequency Identification (RFID1) Devices – These devices allow speedy payment processing. Consequently, they reduce checkout time and the ease of payment often increases average purchase. Depending upon the level of sophistication, some systems can even transmit loyalty and CRM data. Such systems are especially useful for QSR and, indeed, some restaurants have already started using them.
  • Wireless Devices/Mobile POS – When these were introduced, they were not very popular. Line of sight was an important issue and, more often that not, servers were busy looking at their handheld screens as opposed to focusing on their guests. The net result was handheld terminals stayed away for a while.
  • Like hotels, restaurants have access to a wealth of data about their customers, which can be collected and put to good use. For example, data can be used to track customer preferences and buying habits for frequent diner programs and other loyalty offerings. It can also be used for effective and customized service delivery. In addition, DRM has a highly complementary value for the lodging industry, where customer behaviors and preferences are already tracked. Challenges for restaurants include how to store and use customer information on the front line.
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  • Colors intuitively reflect a room’s status. We see the same in restaurants today – different colors for vacant, occupied and vacant not cleaned. Tracking status and orders for each table enables faster table turns and better service. In addition, linking to the frequent diner database can enable customized service. More obviously, these systems link to pager systems and reduce table wait times, which lead to happy customers and more profits.
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    The articles talks about trends in Point of Sale systems, with new software and devices that offers more options such as mobile use, customer preference tracing, and table management.
anonymous

6 Top Benefits of Property Management Software | TEC - 0 views

  • Property management software (PMS) offers so many advantages that there's really no longer a reason not to deploy it.
  • Cloud-based software can alert you to a problem immediately as soon as a work order is added to the system.
    • anonymous
       
      1. Maintenance Dealing with maintenance issues almost immediately can help you keep your hotel in its prime state. Also in apartment buildings it is important both for tenants and the staff to resolve their maintenance issues as soon as possible because it is an inconvenience that nobody wants to deal with for too long.
  • This kind of system also guarantees integrity on the part of your contractors. Constant access to a cloud database of work orders allows you to schedule work and ensures that you'll know when something wasn't done on time.
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  • Use of this software won't require a property manager to look through anything that would be considered an unreasonable invasion of privacy. It can also remind a landlord if it would be illegal to reject an applicant because of something the landlord considers questionable.
    • anonymous
       
      2. Tenant Applications & Screenings Using this software can help the tenant selection process be more secure. It'll make the living environment a safer one because the management will know exactly what kind of people live in their residency. The system will also be a more accurate one with PMS.
  • PMS apps always receive regular updates, so you'll never be out of the loop as far as these legislative changes are concerned.
  • The software can also ensure that all applicants are asked the same questions. This protects you by ensuring you don’t forget or overlook an important questions, and protects the applicants by ensuring they are not singled out for additional discriminatory inquiries.
  • Accepting rental payments online makes things easier for your tenants and yourself. Letting a tenant pay online can eliminate the need to visit them in person or to maintain regular office hours, and can save you time that would otherwise be spent accepting, sorting, and depositing checks.
    • anonymous
       
      3. Online Payments Living in a building complex that allows for online payments makes things so much easier for both tenants and management. Most if not all of the residents prefer to make payments through a system online instead of having to in person and make the payment in the office. Plus having the option to make automatic payments saves some residents from late payments.
  • automatic payments
  • payment tracking and easily accessible records
  • Many property management tools give you the option of automatically logging financial data, which takes all of the guesswork out of the task.
    • anonymous
       
      4. Data Tracking & Report Generation PMS makes tracking things such as the financial information a little easier. It'll show you reports about your finances.
  • Using PMS apps in this way might help you get a handle on what aspects of your venture need to be changed to boost your ROI.
  • Business intelligence
    • anonymous
       
      4. Business Intelligence This could help you keep track of patterns that you weren't aware of. It can help you work out strategies to improve.
  • includes strategies on how to best analyze large amounts of data, as well as the technology used to do so
  • By applying business intelligence technology to these sources of data, you can mine them for patterns you might never know existed. For instance, you could potentially find a correlation between certain times of the year and spikes in overall maintenance costs.
  • For example, weather could be causing damage to your property, which would necessitate an increase in work orders. If this is the case, then the business intelligence interface should have collected relevant stats on the numbers of orders made out in each month.
  • Doing background checks on new applicants and then reading a financial report can really help when it comes to preparing for the future. One of the big advantages to using PMS technology is that you're able to act on this information instantly.
    • anonymous
       
      5. Business Running Smoothly PMS can help you keep track of everything going on within your business, from who is currently living in your buildings to verifying the vendors that come in to the building.
  •   Residential property managers may use these features to keep tabs on everyone who lives on the same property
  • This kind of technology is also useful for keeping tabs on certified vendors who you can order repair parts from without violating any warranties.
  • ensure that you'll stand out from the competition as soon as you pick a PMS app
    • anonymous
       
      6. Standing Out PMS can really help you see the areas in which changes need to be made. By making these changes your are ensuring that improvement is being made therefore keeping your business at its best.
  • Marketing information collected from analytical data will also help you to know where you need to focus your promotion efforts the most
  • you'll be able to compare recent sets of data against older ones to see if they've been through a positive change or not
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    This articles discusses the top 6 benefits of having PMS in your business and their importance.
afigu115

Data Security in Hospitality: Risks and Best Practices | By Limon Wainstein - Hospitali... - 0 views

  • Information security is a pivotal aspect of many industries, not least the hospitality industry due to the nature of the data collected by companies operating within hospitality.
  • hospitality appears to offer an ideal target vector for conducting crimes such as identity theft and credit card fraud due to the existence of multiple databases and devices
  • ybercriminals use this reliance on cards to infect point-of-sale (POS) systems with malware that steals credit and debit card information by scraping the data.
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  • Restaurants, hotels, and other companies in the hospitality sector often have complex ownership structures in which theres a franchisor, an individual owner or group of owners, and a management company that acts as the operator.
  • A vital part of protecting data is training staff to securely gather and store personal information.
  • The high level of turnover and high degree of staff movement between different locations makes it a real challenge to maintain teams of well-trained staff
  • Industry and political regulators are becoming stricter in governing how organizations process and store personal data.
  • This type of data risk is more subtle and it involves employees selling data to third parties without the knowledge of the organization that employs them.
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    Information security is absolutely crucial within the Hospitality industry. There is so much important guest and customer information that is submitted via technology. This includes, credit card details, addresses, and phone numbers, with so much of this information being sensitive companies need to install security systems. The hospitality industry depends strongly on credit card as a form of payment which is why the POS needs to be secure. It is also extremely important that staff members are trained to gather and store guests personal information. The industry overall has become stricter in the ways that information gets gathered and processed in order to avoid cyber attacks. The last thing that companies must keep an eye on are insider threats, a lot of the time it's the employees from the company that are giving away valuable and confidential information to third parties. This is why I believe that technology has had a great impact on this industry but there needs to be strong security systems in order to avoid cyber attacks.
augu010

Flight Booking Process: Structure, Steps, and Key Systems | AltexSoft - 0 views

  • An airline uses a software solution called Passenger Service System (PSS) comprised of a central reservation system (CRS), airline inventory system, and departure control system (DCS).
  • It’s responsible for storing and managing all flight-related information, inventory, and ticketing.
  • contains schedules, fares, reservations and ticket records. Its goal is to support bookings through different distribution channels. It stores a database of fare tariffs, rules and booking conditions, all considering different zones, classes, and inventory buckets.
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  • The GDS data from is then distributed among booking platforms and directly to travel agents who request it.
  • All the systems mentioned above are connected via APIs or an EDIFACT protocol and distributed via GDSs. So, if an Online Travel Agency (OTA) wants to access flight information, it must connect to a GDS or third-party API for fares and schedules.
  • Flight search
  • Reservation management
  • Passenger name record (PNR) is a personal code that contains a traveler’s information and itinerary.
  • Ancillary services include an ability to reserve a particular seat, additional baggage, extra legroom, or in-flight meals.
  • Being a member of a frequent-flyer or airline loyalty program, a passenger can use earned miles accumulated from each flight, or points for purchasing extra services from airlines.
  • To receive a ticket with a PNR (sometimes called a booking confirmation number), a traveler must pay the fare.
  • A payment gateway is a third-party service that not only processes all financial operations between customer and merchant, it also ensures data safety.
  • As soon as the payment was processed by the payment gateway, the airline’s CRS can generate a booking confirmation number and issue an electronic version of a ticket.
  • Based on a flight’s itinerary, airport baggage management systems like SITA’s BagManager or ARINC SmartBag generate code and issue a baggage tag with it each time luggage is checked-in through an airport agent or a self-service drop.
  • Since there are no ticket agents anymore and you don’t need to call them to reserve a paper ticket, today’s flight booking pipeline is considered to be simpler than before. But still, a single booking requires a number of different operations, all bound to one another.
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    This article goes into detail of the processes involved in flight booking and how GDS's play a role in this process. GDS's allow for airlines to disburse their flight information to various search engines which allows the consumer to have it at their hands in a matter of minutes. Booking is now made easy and GDS's have decreased the work load of hotels and airlines alike.
lavendersheshe

Smart Hospitality: 7 ways technologies are reshaping your business - 0 views

  • The personalisation is a key. Exploit solutions, smart applications to build individualized rooms that adapt to the needs of the customers. Thanks to artificial intelligence technology plus databases, you can do that easily. Not only can you create guests’ profiles to remember their likes/dislikes and preferences, but also you can improve your service by providing a better experience
    • lavendersheshe
       
      Personalisation has become the most important trend in hospitality in the modern times. E business strategies like Smart Apps have been able to meet the requirements of customers and fulfill individuality as well as uniqueness to there experiences.
  • Digital keys ensure hassle-free and more secure entry and exit for your guests – every digital key generated is unique and completely non-reusable
    • lavendersheshe
       
      Digital keys is not only an E business strategy but also a sustainable one. Sustainability is another trend that is very significant to consumers.
  • Using the special hotel applications, AR/VR technologies, your guests can discover their options before even booking.
    • lavendersheshe
       
      This kind of E business strategy makes it more easier for a future customer to make a fast decision in purchasing your services.
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  • That makes virtual concierge a must-have for modern hotels. The AI-powered application allows hoteliers to offer conversational assistance and give prompt replies to the queries all day and night
  • Smart devices like occupancy sensors, smart ventilation, air conditioning systems, thermostats, other suchlike technologies can increase the resale value by reducing costs.
    • lavendersheshe
       
      E business strategies also help in making large scale operations especially in big hotels more efficient.
  • The energy savings from IoT technology also include smart lighting solutions to utilize for a better understanding of your energy needs, automation of consumption, adaptation to current occupancy.
  • Thanks to the IoT solutions, you can forecast your maintenance needs according to the system usage and eliminate failures resulted in reducing costs.
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    E business strategies like Smart Apps, digital keys, virtual concierge services, smart energy management systems, IoT technology etc. have shown to fulfill effectiveness and efficiency in business operations and achieve customer satisfaction. The hospitality industry is being transformed in this digital era and it is important that hospitality businesses implement E business strategies or solutions to achieve better results in doing business.
rfahi001

What is HRIS? System, Model, and Application | HR Technologist - 0 views

  • HRIS Processes and Working Components
  • six key HRIS processes and working components that most organizations require in some combination.
  • 1. Database management
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  • 2. Time and labor management
  • 3. Payroll functions
  • 4. Benefits management
  • 5. Employee interface
  • 6. Talent acquisition and retention
  • A human resource information system comes with three major applications – talent acquisition, talent management, and talent optimization – all this with the effective backing of data.
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    A human resource information system comes with three major applications - talent acquisition, talent management, and talent optimization - all this with the effective backing of data.
kmert005

Best POS Systems for 2020 - 1 views

  • complete back-office solution built into the software
  • works with all major credit card processors and POS equipment.
  • iPad POS system for midsize and large restaurants.
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  • it comes with back-end features like reports, built-in CRM software, a timeclock with payroll exporting, offline mode and web orders.
  • iPad POS solution for bars, restaurants, retail shops and professional service providers.
  • prefer a Windows-based POS system
  • cloud-based POS system for independent retailers as well as those with multiple locations, such as chains, franchises and buying groups
  • accounting programs, property management systems, gaming and casino systems, and liquor dispensing systems
  • an inventory database, e-commerce solutions, a built-in timeclock and 24/7 customer support.
  • s, Cake has table and guest management features such as reservation and waitlist management as well as a mobile solution, OrderPad, that helps your staff take orders and payments quickly. Cake is cloud-based and provides 24/7 support.
  • inventory, purchase orders, loyalty programs, gift cards, reports and multi-store management.
  • It has a built-in timeclock and accounting system. Its restaurant-specific features include reservations, table and delivery management tools, and a kitchen display system.
  • Features include inventory management, sales analytics, digital receipts and loyalty programs.
  • employee management, inventory, and reporting tools. It also has an app marketplace and its own API, giving you plenty of options to fully customize the software. The company offers 24/7 phone support.
  • It supports omnichannel sales and has tools for inventory management, tiered pricing, purchase ordering, analytics, and email marketing and customer loyalty programs.
  • like stadiums and theme parks.
  • quick-service and fast casual eateries
  • he company partners with software vendors, system integrators and value-added resellers in many industries, including retail, healthcare, hospitality, kiosk, gaming and manufacturing.
  • Features include appointment scheduling, employee management, inventory tracking, integrated payment processing, and gift card and loyalty programs.
  • It also has multiple customer support resources, including free 24/7 phone and email support, live chat, and community forums.
  • ERP company that offers both retail and restaurant POS software that you can use as an on-premises system or as a web-based platform that you can access from a browser on any computer, tablet, or phone.
  • Clover has its own API, so your developers can create custom integrations if needed.
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    This article presents suggestions on POS selection for companies sized from small to large. I found this article really interesting and reiterates that the selection of the POS is going to be based on company needs/culture. Their research was extensive and conducted market research repeatedly, before suggestions were made. It also touched on the different pricing options, in addition to any special features the POS may offer.
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    This article talks about the best POS systems for 2020. What I found interesting is that the majority of these systems are cloud-based and offer integrated information services for a variety of industries, not just hospitality. A lot of the systems also are ipad based and work well with third-party POS hardware. They also have automated payment options integrated, for people who like to process payments electronically (i.e. Apple Pay). I think its important to know about these POS systems and what they can accomplish for hospitality companies.
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    In this article, they talk about the best pos systems to use for 2020. They list each pos system name and then summarize the benefits and give a full review. The first system they talk about is lightspeed, which Ipad pos system has solutions for retail stores, restaurants, and online businesses. It's fully mobile, so you can check inventory from anywhere in the store, show customers product images and descriptions, and ring up orders and accept payments on the sales floor or, for restaurants, tableside. The next system is Vend that has real-time reports, inventory management features, and access to various integrations that can help you run your business, save time, and boost sales. This POS software is suitable for nearly every type of retailer. Whether you run a clothing store, a sporting goods store, or a specialty service-based business such as a car wash or computer shop, Vend has the features you need. Touch Bistro is a simple and affordable POS system that focuses on the unique needs of restaurant owners, with tables, reservations, and delivery management features. It's suitable for all types of food establishments - fine dining, casual eateries, cafes, pubs, food trucks, and more. Lastly, there is eposnow has both retail and hospitality versions of the software are available, each with a robust selection of features to help you run your business. It also has more than 80 integrations, so you can add extra capabilities and connect to the business programs you already use.
kmert005

What is a HRIS? - Human Resource Information System (HRIS) - 0 views

  • Reduction of paper
  • an intersection of human resources and information technology through HR software
    • anonymous
       
      A storage for master data of human resources or database of the employee information.
  • a HRIS may be viewed as a way, through software, for businesses big and small to take care of a number of activities, including those related to human resources, accounting, management, and payroll
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  • reach large candidate pools
  • automation
  • Its many functions serve as a supportive background for the company by providing everything from skilled and talented labor to management training services, employee enrichment opportunities and more.
    • anonymous
       
      There are many benefits to HRIS. One of the biggest benefits is that it ensures accuracy and manages information more efficiently.
  • Reduction of paper
  • Speedy onboarding
  • greater employee engagement
  • Streamlining of open enrollment
  • Improved collaboration throughout organization
  • integration with LMS and development tracking
  • Scheduling optimization
  • Reduction of errors within payroll systems
  • Improved time and attendance tracking
  • Decrease in compliance woes
  • one of the most important of all HRIS benefits relates to the ability of the software program to improve the productivity of human resources employees
  • HR systems are highly detailed
    • anonymous
       
      Also highly efficient.
  • HRIS systems can also be used to improve productivity related to financial management through payroll processing tasks and benefits administration.
  • Many HR tasks are highly regulated, and because of this, even a minor error on the part of a human resources employee could result in considerable legal issues and even financial loss for the company.
  • HRIS analytical tools give HR employees the ability to perform many pertinent calculations with speed.
    • anonymous
       
      Reporting and also basic analytics are some of the functions.
  • Some software programs are designed to create professional reports on metrics and analysis that can help HR professionals to spot issues at a glance.
  • solutions in training, payroll, HR, compliance, and recruiting
  • flexible designs
  • they will also include the ability to create reports and analyze information quickly and accurately
  • HRIS allows employees to exchange information with greater ease and without the need for paper through the provision of a single location for announcements, external web links, and company policies
  • companies also invest in HRIS modules that help them put the full productivity of their workforce to use
  • A company that takes the time to invest in a HRIS that fits their goals, objectives, mission, and values, is a company that is investing in its future and in its success.
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    The article goes in depth into what HRIS is and the functions and benefits of it to a company.
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    This article talks about HRIS, which are human resource information systems, which is an intersection of human resources and information technology through HR software. This allows HR activities and processes to occur electronically.put it another way; an HRIS may be viewed as a way, through software, for businesses big and small to take care of several activities, including those related to human resources, accounting, management, and payroll. An HRIS allows a company to plan its HR costs more effectively, as well as to manage them and control them without needing to allocate too many resources toward them. In most situations, an HRIS will also lead to increases in efficiency when it comes to making decisions in HR. The decisions made should also increase in quality-and as a result, the productivity of both employees and managers should increase and become more productive.
mayr0604

Data Mining: What is Data Mining? - 3 views

  • For example, one Midwest grocery chain used the data mining capacity of Oracle software to analyze local buying patterns. They discovered that when men bought diapers on Thursdays and Saturdays, they also tended to buy beer. Further analysis showed that these shoppers typically did their weekly grocery shopping on Saturdays. On Thursdays, however, they only bought a few items. The retailer concluded that they purchased the beer to have it available for the upcoming weekend. The grocery chain could use this newly discovered information in various ways to increase revenue. For example, they could move the beer display closer to the diaper display. And, they could make sure beer and diapers were sold at full price on Thursdays.
  • Data warehousing is defined as a process of centralized data management and retrieval. Data warehousing, like data mining, is a relatively new term although the concept itself has been around for years.
  • ata mining is primarily used today by companies with a strong consumer focus - retail, financial, communication, and marketing organizations. It enables these companies to determine relationships among "internal" factors such as price, product positioning, or staff skills, and "external" factors such as economic indicators, competition, and customer demographics. And, it enables them to determine the impact on sales, customer satisfaction, and corporate profits. Finally, it enables them to "drill down" into summary information to view detail transactional data.
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  • WalMart is pioneering massive data mining to transform its supplier relationships. WalMart captures point-of-sale transactions from over 2,900 stores in 6 countries and continuously transmits this data to its massive 7.5 terabyte Teradata data warehouse. WalMart allows more than 3,500 suppliers, to access data on their products and perform data analyses. These suppliers use this data to identify customer buying patterns at the store display level. They use this information to manage local store inventory and identify new merchandising opportunities. In 1995, WalMart computers processed over 1 million complex data queries. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is exploring a data mining application that can be used in conjunction with image recordings of basketball games. The Advanced Scout software analyzes the movements of players to help coaches orchestrate plays and strategies. For example, an analysis of the play-by-play sheet of the game played between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 6, 1995 reveals that when Mark Price played the Guard position, John Williams attempted four jump shots and made each one! Advanced Scout not only finds this pattern, but explains that it is interesting because it differs considerably from the average shooting percentage of 49.30% for the Cavaliers during that game.
  • How does data mining work? While large-scale information technology has been evolving separate transaction and analytical systems, data mining provides the link between the two. Data mining software analyzes relationships and patterns in stored transaction data based on open-ended user queries. Several types of analytical software are available: statistical, machine learning, and neural networks. Generally, any of four types of relationships are sought: Classes: Stored data is used to locate data in predetermined groups. For example, a restaurant chain could mine customer purchase data to determine when customers visit and what they typically order. This information could be used to increase traffic by having daily specials. Clusters: Data items are grouped according to logical relationships or consumer preferences. For example, data can be mined to identify market segments or consumer affinities. Associations: Data can be mined to identify associations. The beer-diaper example is an example of associative mining. Sequential patterns: Data is mined to anticipate behavior patterns and trends. For example, an outdoor equipment retailer could predict the likelihood of a backpack being purchased based on a consumer's purchase of sleeping bags and hiking shoes.
  • Size of the database: the more data being processed and maintained, the more powerful the system required. Query complexity: the more complex the queries and the greater the number of queries being processed, the more powerful the system required.
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    This article highlights the topic of Data Mining and the way in which companies use it to become informed and discover new ways to become more effective. Data Mining can be used to increase revenue, cut costs and identify growing trends. This article will feature key examples from major companies such as Oracle, Wal-Mart and the NBA, all of which use Data Mining to enhance their business performance. 
pmcclain

How technology can improve your retail business | BDC.ca - 0 views

  • Speed, agility and efficiency are expected of today’s retail businesses. To achieve this, retailers should invest in an electronic inventory control system, a central database, a point of sales system and an automated statistical forecasting system. These tools don’t simply reduce your overhead and improve your planning. They’ve become essential tools that can provide you with a competitive edge to thrive and grow in the market.
  • Your system can also perform "open to buy" calculations that tell you how much to spend on particular store categories for maximum return.
  • our inventory control system can suggest pricing and markdowns within your pre-set p
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  • arameters, and/or track your margins based on the prices you enter.
  • Even with special pricing offers, you never lose track of your margins. You can establish different pricing for different stores across geographic regions, for instance, and for preferred customers such as employees or major buyers. You can also pre-set markdowns for end-of-season or other sales. The system continues to track gross margin, including the effects of markdowns and preferred pricing.
  •  
    This short article talks about some of the ways technology can improve a retail business, but I think it may apply for larger businesses. ways of reducing inventory cost, improve customer satisfaction, keep track of the companies margins (sales margin) and also improving your knowledge of forecasting for the business.
  •  
    This article demonstrates the significance of technology in today's business world. It encourages entrepreneurs to invest to invest in technologies that enhance the efficiency of business operations. Such include the point of sale (POS) systems, electronic inventory control system, and a central data base among others. This is because they come with various benefits including reducing inventory costs, improving customer satisfaction, facilitating inventory control, among others.
alexsolano36

Oracle Hospitality's New Boss Sees Gaps in Its Hotel Tech Portfolio - Skift - 0 views

  • Oracle’s signature product is its hotel property management system, or PMS. This is a central database that keeps a master record on guest data.
  • 16 percent share of available hotel rooms globa
  • A wave of smaller rivals have been wooing hoteliers to cloud-based services billed via a subscription. Some say Oracle Hospitality has been slow to adopt that model because it cannibalizes its profitable sales of hardware and upfront license fees.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • Oracle Hospitality needs a better offering to address distribution issues
  • how a hotel company gets its inventory onto the right point-of-purchase at an optimal price with technology that doesn’t need heavy amounts of integration and that has real-time synchronization of data.”
  • taking real-time rates and inventory and putting more information behind them
  • o make their brand stand out, rather than sell rooms by lowest price.
  • But there’s an opportunity to embed more CRM capability inside our applications.
  • cloud, reference-ability, and growth
  • Less than 15 percent of Oracle Hospitality’s customers, such as hotels and restaurants, have some sort of cloud product from Oracle
  • adding features and functions.
  • Complaints about service and customer support abound
  • teroperability with other hotel tech systems
  • end-to-end ownership of a customer’s experience,
  • Protel is the largest rival and appears to be faster at adopting the cloud and new ways of exchanging data with hotel tech vendors.
  • agile, innovative, and competitive.”
  • Similarly, some hospitality technology brands have acquired or developed property management system technology
  • A.I. [artificial intelligence], which we means we can give hoteliers chatbot technology and data analytics and the best-available security.”
  • For example, it has approached revenue management software companies to do pilot tests. Oracle streamlined the technical integration work for faster onboarding, Alt said.
  • Oracle Hospitality has needed to look to the wider market for growth.
  • SynXis, a booking engine that hotels can add to their website or app. Tens of thousands of small groups and independents use it.
  •  
    This article talks about how Oracle has hired a new CEO who is trying to grow their hotel property management system (PMS). It currently has a 16% share of available hotel rooms globally. However, the article talks about how Oracle is facing competitors who are adopting cloud-based services with subscription models. Oracle is hesitant to do so because company executives believe that it will affect their hardware sales and upfront license fees. Oracle's customers also complain about the lack of integrating ability of their programs with other existing programs. The CEO says it is a priority that they improve on this but denies that there is a prevalent existing problem. The article talks about one of their competitors, Protel, which is actively using the cloud in its programs. Protel has become very popular because its open to integrating the cloud in their systems, along with other start-ups that have been successful as well. The CEO seems determined to defend the company and not admit it's defects. He won't even say he's turning the company around. He simply says that he is continuing to implement the same priorities that Oracle had before. This seems a little ignorant. But it was cool to examine how PMS systems with cloud integration have become increasingly popular in the hospitality industry.
dominiquewalker

What is cloud computing? A beginner's guide | Microsoft Azure - 0 views

  • Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
  • Cloud computing is a big shift from the traditional way businesses think about IT resources. Here are seven common reasons organisations are turning to cloud computing services:
  • Speed
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and software
  • Productivity
  • Global scale
  • Reliability
  • Performance
  • Security
  • Public cloud Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service providers, which deliver their computing resources like servers and storage over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud.
  • Private cloud A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or organisation.
  • Hybrid cloud Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them.
  • Types of cloud services: IaaS, PaaS, serverless and SaaS
  • Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) The most basic category of cloud computing services.
  • Platform as a service (PaaS) Platform as a service refers to cloud computing services that supply an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering and managing software applications
  • Serverless computing Overlapping with PaaS, serverless computing focuses on building app functionality without spending time continually managing the servers and infrastructure required to do so
  • Software as a service (SaaS) Software as a service is a method for delivering software applications over the Internet, on demand and typically on a subscription basis
  • Uses of cloud computing
  • Create cloud-native applications
  • Test and build applications
  • Store, back up and recover data
  • Analyse data
  • Embed intelligence
  • Stream audio and video
  • Deliver software on demand
  •  
    A brief but informative look at "cloud computing". This article serves as a beginners guide, spoon feeding novices definitions and explanations in simple language. Cloud computing is defined, and reasons for its use highlighted, with pros and cons listed. The different types of "clouds" among other things is also covered.
anonymous

Benefits and Effectiveness of POS Systems for Hotels - POS Highway - 2 views

  • With the advancement of POS technology and a corresponding boom in the travel and hospitality industry, POS systems serve to streamline operations: transactions, inventory, length of stay, food and extra charges –analyzed and levied per room
  • In today’s world, quality hotels usually have an integrated smartphone compatibility in their website, thus allowing POS to adequately access and track data on reservations and ETA’s of their clients.  This helps to eliminate some of the hassles of check-in, which would involve paperwork and other unnecessary actions of reservations made through a website which was at least once-removed from the database and tracking.
  • Major benefits of an effective POS system within the hotel are:  Operational efficiency, a reduction of revenue losses, huge improvements in customer service, which translates to customer acquisition, loyalty and retention, accuracy in accounting, tracking and inventory, and in general, help in decision-making for hotel managers.
  •  
    POS is short form for Point Of Sales system, and this is a system not only helps retail and other business but it also that helps with the hospitality industry. The article talks about how new POS technology and integration has allowed the use of the system in the hospitality industry to help guests as well as the managers running the hospital. POS systems have helped hotel industry with customer service, ease of checking in and out of the hotel, and as well as hotel loyalty programs. By integrating everything to further help the managers and guest. In my opinion, the use of this system has created more liability to the managers and staff to be accountable to get things done efficiently. Customers and managers can see how long it will take to fulfill requests by guest such as, room service of food from the restaurants, and activities like to how long it take for rooms to get cleaned. Helping to eliminate time wasting tasks that can affect your overall customer satisfaction. The article also talks about how effective POS technology can help a hotel run more smoothly, than ever before.
  •  
    This article highlights the importance of POS systems for the hospitality industry. It discusses its place in todays world of technology. Over it explains how it benefits the business along with the customer and their experience.
anonymous

Cybersecurity in Hospitality: An Unsolvable Problem? | Paladion - 0 views

  • n addition, hotels often share partnerships with other local companies that their guests may frequent (from restaurants to local entertainment options), giving hotels even more expansive profiles on each guest in their database.
  • This rich personal data is invaluable to cybercriminals
  • Nearly every hotel now offers their guests dedicated mobile apps, and new digital partnerships with sponsors, travel companies, and other related hospitality and entertainment companies.
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  • Only one employee at one hotel needs to make one mistake to create a global crisis.
  • nd here’s the really bad news: even if a hotel runs their own networks perfectly, they cannot control one of their many external vendors.
  • large-scale hotel breaches were not caused by any specific mistake made by the hotel—they were caused by cybercriminals breaching the hotel’s Point of Sale (POS) system
  • Hospitality companies still need to modernise their infrastructure, train their staff, and hold their partners accountable.
  • While hospitality companies have fewer transactions than retail organisations — and thus have data on fewer customers to steal — they collect substantially more valuable and varied personal data for each of their guests
  •  
    Cybersecurity is hospitality is a very big issue. Hotels collect very personal data from guests, like names, addresses, credit card information and more. Large hotels have been attacked in recent years and peoples personal information has been stolen. Hotels like everyone else need to update their systems regularly and train staff to know what they should and shouldn't do while in the system.,
  •  
    This uncovers the dilemma hitting many hospitality businesses, cyber security. It explains why the hospitality industry is at risk and how to prevent against these attacks. It always goes over the simple challenges hospitality faces with this topic.
rderonville

Cybersecurity Tactics for a Hotel Industry that's Under Siege | News | Hospitality Maga... - 1 views

  • Credit card fraud and identity theft should remain high on the hotel and lodging industry’s radar.
  • n addition to airlines and banks, hotels maintain a rich database of personally identifiable and financial data on file.
  • POS systems are a weak security point for many networks because they are constantly in use — and aren’t always patched, updated or protected from vulnerabilities as frequently as required. As a result, they can be exploited for the credit card data held on the POS terminals.
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  • Reputational damage and revenue loss from a breach headline not only impact individual edge locations, but the corporate brand as well.
  • Hotels need a ‘toolbelt’ of various security technologies that can be used to prevent malicious attacks. A managed firewall is essential, blocking dangerous traffic from coming onto the network and preventing sensitive data from being exfiltrated, or sent, to the hackers.
  • One way to implement these advanced toolsets includes outsourcing to a managed security firm specializing in this type of service
  • If used correctly, hotels could see anomalies that could lead to breaches prior to any damage being done — allowing them to halt hackers in their tracks.
  •  
    Hotels POS systems are at risk for customers. Hackers are using tactics like Phishing and ransomware. Hotels must take action and arm themselves with a "toolbelt" of security options to combat the hackers.
  •  
    This article explores the issues with cyber security in the hotel industry. it is to be taken seriously because customer information is on the line and so is the company's reputation and revenue. Hotels must look into their POS systems because, according to the article, is a weak security point. However, it holds much of the consumer's information like credit card numbers, expiration dates, and etc. The POS system is vulnerable so the secuiry put in place to protect it must be updated. Personal details for hotel guests are stored in many different places in a hotel's many systems. This includes the restaurant, gift shops, billing, facilities, and etc. According to the article, hotels needs a "toolbelt" of various security technologies to prevent malicious attacks. The three mentioned in the article are File Integrity Monitoring, Unified Threat Management, and Security Information and Event Management. Please look into the article to read what each of these systems can do in regards to cyber secuity for the hospitality industry. A good way to implement these tools is to look into outsourcing a managing security firm that specializes in cyber security. This can help minimize and even diminish things that can cause breaches in systems. In my opinion, this article gives solutions to hotels in regards to cyber security. Sometimes installing a firewall or antivirus is simply not enough. A security firm that specializes in this area can be considered. It may be expensive depending on the business to do that, however, it will be even more expensive to have a tarnished reputation for not securing customer information and to deal with lawusuits.
da7327

Article: HRIS trends for 2017 - People Matters - 0 views

  •  HRIS technology trends are changing and challenging vendors to come up with next-generation solutions for employers. Valued at over $15 billion globally, the human resources technology market is one of the fastest growing segments in business IT — and it shows no signs of slowing down. With an HRIS, companies can align HR strategy with business objectives to get the most out of their workforces and adapt quickly to market changes.
  • There are a number of solutions offered by HRIS. Some of these include solutions in training, payroll, HR, compliance, succession planning, attendance tracking, risk management, recruiting, etc. The majority of quality HRIS systems include flexible designs that feature databases that are integrated with a wide range of features available. Ideally, they will also include the ability to create reports and analyze information quickly and accurately, in order to make the workforce easier to manage. It allows employees to exchange information with greater ease and without the need for paper through the provision of a single location for announcements, external web links, and company policies. This location is designed to be centralized and accessed easily from anywhere within the company, which also serves to reduce redundancy within the organization.
  • Software as a Service Explosion
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Establishment of Comprehensive Performance Management:
  • Widespread Use of Mobile HR Apps:
  • Increased focus on Employees:
  • Optimized Analytics and Data Use:
  • The Cloud remains in the forecast:
  • A company that takes the time to invest in a HRIS that fits their goals, objectives, mission, and values, is a company that is investing in its future and in its success. It will be necessary to customize any HRIS to the unique needs of a company so the system will remain flexible and relevant throughout the life of the company or enterprise.
  •  
    The article introduces the trend of HRIS system in 2017. As information technology have considerably improved, its functions have heavily impacted on human resources management. Especially, it is said that the human resources technology market is one of the fastest growing segments in business IT and with an HRIS, companies can align HR strategy with business objectives to maintain the workforces and adapt the changes quickly. HRIS is integrated with training, payroll, HR, success planning, recruiting etc. and centralized, which encourages staff to access easily from anywhere within the company and reduce work redundancy. This article emphasizes that as one of the 2017 trends, mobile HR Apps will be spread out, so employees can expect to see the update via their smartphone. As the functions are centralized in one place, the data will be managed easily and it can increase focus on employees. Also, the cloud system can be applied in the HRIS, which means increased flexibility, faster updates, and decreased costs. As the HRIS features are getting various, a company should investigate an HRIS that fits their goals, objectives, mission, and values and choose the best options.
mperk010

QR Code Menu Builder for Restaurants: Try Menu QR Codes for free | Beaconstac - 0 views

  • Making a QR Code for restaurant menu is a 5-step process – Login to the Beaconstac dashboard Select “Restaurant-menu” as your QR Code type Upload your restaurant menu as a PDF Customize your QR Code if needed Deploy it in your restaurant
  • Creating a QR Code menu for a PDF menu is straightforward. And, so is the case when you don't have a PDF available. Click a picture of your physical menu Login to the Beaconstac dashboard Select the image or landing page as QR Code types Upload the image you've clicked or, use our DIY editor to build a digital menu Your QR Code is ready!
  • Some of the most popular deployment locations are- Tabletop inserts Table tents Posters by the entrance Curbside signs
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • mbination of locations. [Source - Beaconstac database] How do menu QR Codes for restaurants work? 1. DEPLOY: Place the QR Codes menus on table toppers, on curbside posters or directly at ordering stations2. SCAN: When a consumer scans the QR Code menu, they will be able to view the entire menu on their smartphones, avoiding unnecessary contact.3. ORDER: They can use this digital menu to place orders.
  •  
    This article talks about E Menus and how it is changing the hospitality industry. I know this week we learned about tablets but with the pandemic E menus are common in almost every location. This is becoming the standard menu.
jiayi017

Reimagining the future of travel and hospitality with artificial intelligence - 0 views

  • primary sales processes
  • ustomer personalisation
  • assimilating patterns in image, voice, video, and text, and turns it into meaningful and actionable insights for decision making.
  • ...41 more annotations...
  • One great example of an AI concierge is Hilton World wide’s Connie, the first true AI-powered concierge bot.
  • Connie is powered by IBM’s Watson AI and uses the Way Blazer travel database.
  • it can learn and adapt
  • Mezi,
  • It talks about bringing on a concept of bleisure (business+leisure) to address the needs of the workforce.
  • With AI and NLP, Mezi collects individual preferences and generates personalised suggestions
  • Lola.com provides on-demand travel services
  • instantly connect people to their team of travel agents
  • Chatbot technology
  • Skyscanner is just one example, creating an intelligent bot to help consumers find flights in Facebook Messenger.
  • Deutsche Lufthansa’s bot Mildred
  • connecting with consumers in their own time and in the social media spaces they most frequently visit.
  • Aero Mexico started using Facebook Messenger chatbot to answer very generic customer questions.
  • 80 percent
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines uses AI to respond to the queries of customers on Twitter and Facebook.
  • Digital Genius,
  • Trivago acquired Hamburg, Germany machine learning startup Tripl as it ramps up its product with recommendation and personalisation technology,
  • voice-activated search,
  • customer-centric
  • trends in users’ social media activities
  • customised pictures and text
  • KePSLA’s travel recommendation platform is one of the first in the world to do this by using deep learning and NLP solutions.
  • Dorchester Collection is another hotel chain to make use of AI.
  • analyse customer behaviour deeply in the form of raw data.
  • Metis.
  • surveys and reviews
  • measure performance and instantly discover what really matters to guests.
  • intelligent algorithms that monitor and send out timely alerts with hot deals are currently in high demand in the travel industry.
  • The AltexSoft data science team has built such an innovative fare predictor tool for one of their clients, a global online travel agency, Fareboom.com.
  • elf-learning algorithm, capable of predicting future price movements
  • automated disruption management is somewhat different.
  • time-sensitive task, requiring instant response.
  • predict such disruptions and efficiently mitigate the loss
  • 4site tool, built by Cornerstone Information Systems
  • Thus, Amadeus, one of the leading global distribution systems (GDS), has introduced a Schedule Recovery system,
  • AI could start to infiltrate business travel even more so than leisure in the next 12 months.
  • request travel recommendations and random suggestions.
  • Trends, outliers, and patterns are figured out using machine learning-based algorithms that help in guiding a travel or hospitality company to make informed decisions.
  • Due to the greater need for structure and less of a desire for discovery, it certainly makes sense that AI would be more suited to business travellers.
  • it could help to simplify the booking process for companies, and help eliminate discrepancies around employee expenses.
  • The travel and hospitality industry transformation will morph into experience-driven and asset-light business, and wide adoption of AI will usher a new-age customer experience and set a benchmark for other industries to emulate.
  •  
    This article examines the current and upcoming updates in AI technology and how hospitality companies are using AI to their advantage. From helping airline companies deal with disruptions in real time to improving the breakfast experience at a hotel, AI is being employed successfully to instantly solve problems and mitigate new ones from occuring.
  •  
    This article mainly describes examples of how the hospitality industry uses intelligent data to influence its value chain. Such as intelligent travel planning customization, intelligent travel search, travel assistant, intelligent social media data analysis, intelligent forecasting, and so on. With the continuous development of the intelligent trend, many tourism and hotel organizations have begun to continuously introduce AI equipment, which has also promoted the transformation of enterprises to experience-driven and asset-light businesses.
jspie001

Data-driven Disney monitors your every move | E&T Magazine - 0 views

  • Imagine living in a place where your every move is surveilled. A place created in the image of one almost mythological figure, where every step you take is logged into a central database, and where the shadowy figures watching attempt to elaborately orchestrate events to manipulate people
  • In addition to working at close range on Oyster-card-style readers, the transmitter inside enables it to be tracked from what is thought to be around 12 metres.
  • Sotto likens the tracking to the experience of a good butler, who will anticipate a person’s need and provide it at just the right moment. “Real luxury and real service is frictionless. And that’s what you’re really trying to do.”
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Collecting Magic Band data is similar to this, but happens on an industrial scale, and the fruits it bears are hugely valuable for planning and running a park.
  • They can deploy the workforce as soon as it’s required, so there will be a faster service,” explains Chiara Bertoldini from DRFC, a crowd analytics firm. So if the queue for the new Star Wars Smuggler’s Run ride reaches two hours, which is not uncommon, Disney can deploy Kylo Ren and a couple of Storm Troopers to perform some impromptu street theatre.
  • Theme parks are not the only places that deploy this sort of tracking technology. Elsewhere it has proved controversial, such as when the London Underground rolled out Wi-Fi tracking technology across its network.
  •  
    This article offers insight into extreme tracking and using patterns and data to customize the guest service experiences. It also provides data on ho to best keep a guest engaged whether it be through virtual or even physical means that can be activated by a certain data set collection. A good example of this is how Disney can monitor wait times at the park and then dispatch live entertainers to the area as a means of distraction and simultaneous product placement and marketing.
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