Group items tagged

The author of this article, Tara Thomas, summarizes the top five technologies for event planners. The first technology that she mentions is smart phones. She writes that this is the most obvious technology that event planners can't live without. Planners can do things like set alarms, look up information, communicate instantly, and use social media to promote the event. The second technology that Thomas mentions is SaaS cloud applications. Software as a service allows planners to access all details and execution aspects of an event from any web enabled device, eliminating printed or emailed reports. Thirdly, Thomas talks about virtual events. Virtual events save the planner and the attendee valuable time, money, and resources. Thomas next talks about social media and viral marketing. Using sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share event details is a great way to communicate to a very large group of people. The fifth and last technology that Thomas speaks of is Ipads and tablets. Through event management applications, planners have all of the information they could possibly need right at their fingertips. Ipads and tablets also make it possible to communicate in real time if needed.

This article was about the 5 technologies event planners can't live without. These technologies are: smart phones, SaaS cloud apps, virtual events, social media and viral marketing, and finally iPads and tablets. Smart phones are important to the daily activities of an event planner because they are able to look up phone numbers, response to emails, update a status on a social media site, review or add to lists for events, and so much more all on the go. SaaS cloud apps let planner take advantage of accessing all devices and execute aspects of an event for any web enabled device. With SaaS cloud apps you are also able to link up your event management system with a customer relationship management system. Virtual events allow planners to fill seats at a cost that won't cost a burden. Social media and viral marketing allows event planners to market themselves and get event details to different consumers. iPads and tablets get rid of the need for a large heavy binder stuffed with event details. Now event planner can carry a tablet that allows you to access anything you need. In conjunction with the SaaS cloud apps you can also access contracts, registrations, and room blocks and also link up a CRM system as mentioned before. The technology advances we have now let event planners do even more on the day to day, but also make it easier for them to do so.

The article lists five technological necessities that used by the event planners. They are smartphones, SaaS cloud apps, virtual events, social medial and viral marketing, ipads and tablets. All of these technologies can save time and costs for the event planners. What`s more, they provide a more simplified life for the human beings. 

Sam Colt wrote an article for Business Insider titled Tablets Are Making Waiters Obsolete - An Chilli's Is Leading The Way. This article bothered me a bit, because knowing what I know about Hospitality we build our brand around customer service and customer satisfaction and how can we do that if we are eliminating the person to person interaction. In his article Colt mentioned Chili's "has recently introduced tablets in dining rooms nationwide that customers can use to place orders, browse the menu, and entertain otherwise noisy children". I understand the thought behind keeping your guests entertain while they wait for service; however, I believe it should be just that, entertainment not self-service. Dine in restaurants should not be treated like a fast food restaurant and guests should expect a reasonable wait time. Having that person to person interaction makes a dining experience more enjoyable. E la Carte co-founder and CEO Rajat Suri argued "if someone does not want to spend time with a server, they're going to ignore the server anyways." My thoughts are why would you dine in a restaurant if you do not want to be severed, why not go to a fast food restaurant. Chili's states the tablets are solely for increasing customer satisfaction and increase revenue and suggests the tablets are making the life of waiters better.

In this era of technology I think the hotel industry should of accommodated their customers with an excellent mobile site experience. As read in the article, "In 2011, mobile was responsible for $2.6 billion in travel bookings," and the numbers are increasing exponentially by year. Mobile devices are becoming so popular to book travel because todays customer lives a high-paced life and is always on the go. So I think it is extremely important that travel industries understand the customer and targets them accordingly in order to form that customer loyalty. With the popularity of tablets, the smartphone is gaining harsh competition because a tablet user has a smartphone and when it comes to booking travel they would most likely use their tablet because it is more accessible and the screen is bigger and easier to read. The smartphone and tablet experience is completely different because in essence you are targeting different audiences. The tablet user wants to see bigger icons and more visibility on the bigger screen, while the smartphone user wants to have a quick information session where she/he can view everything on the go. I think the travel industry should focus on execution in order to give the tablet and smartphone user the best mobile experience. With that said, the only way to ensure that positive feedback is through "regular testing and monitoring of your mobile site…"

The rise of tablets.

Tablets have become a success in faster casual and casual-dining restaurant and seem to be better for all around service. Customers like how fast they are able to order, servers are happier because they see a trend of getting more tips at the end of the night, and businesses are profitable because less servers on shift and more profit in business pockets. People tend to spend more money with games to play and ability to order more food in less time. There is a benefit for data collecting on experience at the restaurant as well that helps the companies out on what they need to focus on. Tablets are showing great promise and will most likely be on almost all casual dining tables.

This article is about why tabletop tablets will not replace waiters. It discusses how waiters will still be needed even with the increased use of technology. It shows how a tablet can benefit not only the customer but the server and restaurant as well.

This article makes some great points about how the serving position will always be necessary and to what extent with table tops. Tabletops will be beneficial in specific environments but not all- although servers will always be needed to help in ways a tabletop cannot. Singing Happy Birthday, verifying legal drinking ages, assisting with complicated modifiers. There is a time and place for a table top, but there is also a necessity of a human.

I enjoyed reading this article as it points out how the tablet can be a tool for the wait staff and not a threat to their jobs. "Tabletop tablets can help servers capitalize on the "magic moments" of the dining experience." This quote really capitalizes on the role of the server and how having wait staff in the restaurant can allow each customer to have a personalized dining experience.

I love this article because it presents such a positive view of the unattended POS system in a restaurant setting. It poses human interaction as a nuisance which prevents customers from ordering more food. The way that it is explained is that the device will not judge someone for asking for too much or customizing their order too much, so customers feel more powerful in ordering exactly what they want. The article also provides several statistics showing how Chili's has increased their appetizer and dessert sales by using these tablets. The advertisements that are displayed on the machines lure customers into ordering more of these items.

It's really a definite one. It implied so much about reality. This is very factual, but there's still in need of traditional human interaction. It is a great marketing strategy and they can upsell their product and show what they offer which most customers will give it a try out of curiosity. Looks can be deceiving but yet it is in human mentality to try.

Chili's has installed 45,000 tablets across 823 Chili's restaurants. These tablets let you order your meal, drinks, refills, etc and lets you pay our bill at the end. Chili says the presence of the tablet increases the size of the average check.

Three screen hospitality: Desktop, Mobile phones and tablet. All three channels must be integrated in the hotel's multi-channel marketing strategy.

This article was about the three-screen in hospitality: desktop, mobile phones and tablets. As technology progresses hotel marketers have to keep up with all the new technology to keep their future guest happy and satisfied. Nowadays, future guests can book through their desktop or mobile phone or tablet. Therefore, hotels have to improve their websites so guest can access the website through the different three devices. There are different content needs- Each device has to meet different needs and different user intent- Each device is used for different situations, like mobile phones vs Tables to book a hotel (entering your credit card information). Lastly, Mobile vs. Tablet connectivity- tablet needs a Wi-Fi connection and mobile devices use telecommunication carriers.

More and more retail stores are converting to iPad tablets as their POS software. Some stores are using them only for customer internet searches and product display capabilities but many are starting to use them for bigger tasks such as checking inventory and entering product orders. This takes away the need to run back and forth between the stock room and sales floor with pen and paper. As a result, customer service is increased because sales floor presence is greater. Some benefits of order management using the tablets as their POS software are increased employee productivity, reduced out-of-stocks, and more payment flexibility. Now you can use tablets as payment devices with credit cards.  DecisionPoint Systems, a leading provider of mobile and wireless systems for retailers, is now offering an application to help retailers personalize their customers' shopping experience. Aruba Networks has recently presented a new tablet-based software that allows customers to check out from anywhere in the store. Having worked in the retail industry for many years, I think this technology for back-office purposes is very useful. One of my employers had started using tablet technology during my time there and I can attest that it does increase employee productivity. It makes doing inventories, size checks, and ordering management so much easier and faster. Employees are able to stay on the sales floor longer which is especially beneficial in the case of being short-staffed or during shift changes. However, I am a bit skeptical about using these tablets as a form of check out from anywhere in the store. Unless the store has security measures in place for this, it does not seem very theft resistant. Especially in a clothing retailer in which sensors need to be removed. The cashier would have to be carrying around a sensor remover at the time of check-out to make this system really time-saving. 

In this article, mobile POS systems are discussed. Popularity of these devices such as iPad and other tablets are constantly growing. Point of sale computers can cost upwards of $20,000 which is a pretty penny for a restaurant. If restaurants were to switch to tablets and mobile POS systems, the cost wouldn't be the only benefit. With the iPads and tablets, owners and managers can track how many guests enter the restaurant on a daily basis. Inventory is kept up-to-date and is easily accessible for corporations. An interesting point made in the article is "In the same way that some customers continue to write checks in an age of online banking, some merchants will continue to use the older point-of-sale systems out of habit." The times are changing and technology is improving every day. The mobile POS systems allow for small businesses especially to use the money saved for something that can benefit the restaurant- perhaps new equipment for the kitchen. This article describes a program that PayPal recently began to offer. PayPal agreed " to waive transaction fees for the remainder of the year if a business replaces its cash register with an iPad operating PayPal's free mobile-payment technology." The top three tablet POS systems are Groupon, Square and NCR. Each of these have their pros and cons, but over all, they are significantly less expensive than the only bulky POS system.

Being a technology kid it is interesting to see how things use to be even just a few short years ago. The different 10 years can make in the POS systems restaurants use is a huge. As times continue to change, most restaurants will be going from POS terminals to POS tablets. Changing to tablets is much more cost effective especially for smaller businesses that need to save wherever possible. Just like when POS terminals came out, there are now a number of tablet POS systems to choose from. Big companies like Groupon and Square have POS systems created for different hospitality segments. Although there are some wonderful creations with the tablets, this form of technology is not made for every business. It gave an example of a company who opened with tablets but within a year forked over much more for the traditional POS system.

With over 11% of U.S. adults owning a tablet computer, it's time for more hotels to get savvy with the trend. Utilizing an iPad or other tablet device in everyday practices at a hotel can be a rewarding, impressive, and fun way to interact with guests. Not to mention it can cut down on printing costs! Here are some ideas of how your hotel can use a tablet: Spice up the check-in process. Instead of the same old tedious check-in process, keep things interesting by showing your guests how tech-savvy you are.If they ask any questions about nearby activities or events, flip through a brochure on the tablet that will show them their options in a visually stimulating way. Show enticing photos on your menu.Guests can even order directly from the kitchen through the tablet.You can even take it a step further and use your iPad as a wine list at your in-house restaurant. Provide many in-room amenities.Software like that supplied by Intelity with just a swipe of a finger, guests can adjust the room temperature or turn on a light. They can browse area guides or place dinner reservations. Enhance your customer service. If a room needs more towels, the message can be sent directly to housekeeping. Guests will love the simplicity of the process and will enjoy being able to use iPads or other tablets to do something so straightforward.

MobileDemand and Peak-Ryzex have recently announced that they have partnered up to enable Peak-Ryzex to integrate MobileDemand tablet Pcs into their portfolio of supply chain and mobility solutions. MobileDemand is a worldwide provider of tablet PCs. They are better known for their ruggedized products. Peak-Ryzex is one of the top providers of supply chain and mobility solutions. This partnership allows for companies to make business decisions and complete business transactions in the mist of it all. With the tablet's special design, it has the potential to last longer than others with daily use. The tablet is built with the user in mind; specialized docks allowing for better productivity. Tools such as a tablet made to withstand harsh conditions is a particle and mush needed product in the hospitality industry, more so in the Food & Beverage industry. A ruggedized tablet would allow a chef to focus more on the meal they are creating rather than the tablet falling or breaking.

I-pad POS system may become a future trend of the hospitality industry.

The advances restaurants are making with technology are astounding. Because of the rise in minimum wage and health care recently, companies are forced to figure out a way to cut labor costs. With the addition of iPads and tablets, restaurants are now able to use technology to help with reducing the amount of labor needed. Some chain restaurants are providing guests with table-side tablets to order and pay for their meal, which will allow servers the opportunity to take on more tables and allow the customer to assist in the serving process. Managers will be able to evaluate their team based on speed and time it takes to turn the tables over, which could allow for either more customers served or allow managers to make the decision to reduce the amount of servers needed at their establishments. As this technology continues to become more available and user friendly, more establishments will be transitioning to computers/tablets instead of having face-to-face service.

The use of tablets being used in casual dining chains is a great idea that will not only make things more convenient for the customer but will also drastically cut labor costs for restaurants. From a management perspective these tablets seem to be a great idea. Some may argue that part of the dining experience is being able to interact with ones server. However, how many times have you waited at your table hoping to pay the bill? Now guests are able to pay their bill when they are ready and the tablet even prompts the guest on how much to leave as a tip, which may help eliminate or at least cut down on the number of bad tippers. The only negative may be that since there is less interaction with guests and guests have the ability to pay the bill whenever they are ready to leave, could this increase the number of guests who walk out on the check? Nevertheless, many companies are starting to use this technology.

The use of tablets can also cut down on error in the ordering process. Even if the wait staff remains, they can easily repeat everything ordered to the customer and there will be no mistakes for poor penmanship. Payment can be done at the table, also cutting down on potential identity theft using skimmers etc., under the bar or at the wait station.

Businesses within the hospitality industry are continuously making efforts to strive towards sustainable practices through technology. Being energy efficient is key to most business and has become important. For example, the utilization of automation features in the guest room such as automatic lights on a timer or even automatic climate control systems can contribute to those costs. Also, having a system where changes to reservations or updates can be done electronically which will eliminate the process of having to reprint pages of paperwork. All in all, hotels are now growing with the technology today allowing them to adapt more and more green practices

Green computer technology can bring more benefits to the hospitality industry. The hotel can save more costs and become more energy efficient because of the green computer technology. The hotel can set in-room touchscreen tablets. Energy cost takes 6 percent of operating costs. Hotel use pads or Android tablet devices to benefit both customers and companies. The first benefit is hotel room tablets can be used and managed more flexible. The hotel can monitor lights and air conditioning can be shut down based on guest activity. The second benefit is hotel room tablets can replace all printed materials traditionally in the hotel room. The data showed the hospitality industry already spend over 400 million on printing property. If the hotel can use tablet devices in the hotel room that could save more benefit. For example, InterContinental Hotels replaced print Bibles with digital versions a few years ago. Customers can choose different kinds of the book from digital devices. The hotel doesn't need to update their book again and again. In the future, digital devices will be updated more perfect and bring a fully functional touchscreen in the hospitality industry.

This short article talks about the positive impact of technology in the hospitality industry. It also illustrates some example of technology saving millions of dollars for hoteliers by saving energy.

This article talks about the changes happening in the restaurant and retail industry regarding POS systems. Since the appearance of the cheap tablet business owners have been asking why do we have to spend $600 on a POS station if a simple tablet cost $100 and has the same computing power. Imagine a restaurant where you come in sit down and order your food and drinks on a tablet that is on the table, a food runner brings you your order, and whenever you are ready you can swipe your credit card on the tablet and get a receipt send to your email. This reduces payroll for the business owner, and also makes the industry a less capital intensive one. All that is left is for a company to write the programs, sell the tablets, and give the same kind of support you would get with any other system.  

This article describes how many restaurants are now adding tablets to their POS systems. Major chains, such as Applebee's, TGI Friday's, and Outback Steakhouse, are now using these tablets at many of their tables. The article suggests that the servers' tips are either staying the same or increasing due to the ability of the customer to merely tap a 20% tip. Also, the article suggests that sales for the restaurant have increased and labor costs have decreased. It appears that this trend will continue to increase in restaurants.

This article discusses the changes that businesses are entering with the use of tablets. Restaurants in specific are using tablets to make serve and sell your food. the article further explains the ways in which restaurants are or will be using tablets. Lastly the article also discuses hoe "idevices" are being used in more than just restaurants, it's planned to be used in supermarkets and is currently being used in factories (chocolate factories to be exact).  This article is interesting because it gives more details about the current and future use of tablets in general. I like the fact that restaurants are using tablets to increase business and i like that in society in general technology will really start to be increased in its use. However how will this effect all the non tech savvy people?

The new trend of ecommerce in 2012 is to move to mobile. Based on the research, customers who are doing online mobile businesses have increased fast during recent years, and it is anticipated that the number of customers doing mobile ecommerce will continue to increase in the future, therefore, many online retailors turn to move their businesses to mobiles. There are some reasons why online retailers need to move to mobile. First, there is a growing usage of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. 30 percent of tablet owners have used their devices to shop online, and 25 of smart phone owners have used their phones to do the same. Second: Mobile is convenience. Mobile-users can do online shopping at anywhere without a heavy laptop or a computer. However, there are some challenges. Smartphone has a reduced screen size and the limited capability of mobile device browsers. Online retailers need to supply their websites in a smartphone-friendly version. And for the tablets, a technology called Flash is not supported by all tablets. These changes can arise some costs for the retailer. In a word, it is a time to go mobile, online retailors need to realize this"cultural shift" and take action or they will get left behind. In my own opinion, I still prefer to use computer to do online shopping, because it is more secure and reliable. However, if the mobile ecommerce become mature, I will not reject to try to use it to do online shopping.

This article reflects on this weeks topic of e-menus. It refers the different companies that have started this trend and the birth of this technology. It explains the pros of having this and what encouragements are embedded in order to grasp the user and influence them to play. AS mentioned in the summary, not all restaurants will adopt this as their are many risks involved with this type of technology.

This article was very interesting as it analyzes whether combining technology in the restaurant industry will appeal to customers. The debate of using tablets to replace paper menus has been considered by different restaurant segments. Its advantages include the ability of updating a menu continuously and offering clients additional advantages such as the option of viewing images of the dish. One of the benefits it offered is that guests can use tablets for more features, such as playing a game and competing with another diner in the same restaurant. I personally feel that not all restaurant segments will appeal to this. With regards to etiquette, fine dining establishments prefer to offer a well- designed paper menu. A tablet is quite distracting and it is an expensive investment if each guest is to have one. I believe this is only useful in a fine dining establishment while reading the wine menu as it can be updated frequently. For other restaurant segments such as a casual restaurant, this can be appealing. While technology can always be beneficial, some establishments are better off with traditional approaches to dining.

As i have mentioned in all of my posts this week, e-menu is believe is the future of the restaurant industry. Throughout this article you read about the positives of electronic menus as well as how difficult it might be to get the electronic menus might struggle to hit the ground running. It is a very interesting and educational article.

Tammy Mastroberte in her article "Whats new in POS Hardware in 2014" highlights the importance of a proper POS system for restaurants and presents the offerings of major POS manufacturing companies for the year. It was highlighted that 33% of a restaurant's technology budget went into selecting the right POS thus showing its importance to the sector. The importance of the traditional POS infrastructure was highlighted but it was also noted that new trends have come on stream to help improve service the major one being mobility. As noted by ED Beck CIO of technology at the National Restaurant Associaiton, " There is a lot you can do with a mobile that you could not do with the traditional POS." Because of this many of the traditional systems are being upgraded to include the ability to transit from fixed to mobile thus improving service provided.