As the Food & Beverage industry continues to reel from COVID-related labor and supply chain shortages, some Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) know they must innovate or fold. At ITech Digital, we've watched some of our QSR clients develop strategies to reduce risk in these areas. At the same time, these same strategies proactively maximize revenue and catalyze operational efficiency. How? Digitalization, which includes video surveillance and data analytics, is one of the main weapons in their arsenal. This article explains what digitalization is and how you can use it to innovate.
What Is Digitalization?
Digitalization occurs when businesses reorganize functions around digital technology. More specifically, it's when businesses convert processes and even customer interactions into digital-equivalent counterparts. QSRs are beginning to realize they can capitalize on digitalization in several ways:
- Creating an app for customer orders.
- Optimizing the drive-thru experience with smart technology.
- Using self-serve kiosks for food orders.
- Automating exception-based notifications for point-of-sale (POS) transactions.
- Incorporating algorithms into video surveillance that produces actionable data analytics.
How Can Digitalization Combat Industry Pressures?
It's no secret that the Food & Beverage industry has been hit hard since 2020. Labor shortages, supply chain issues, forced restaurant closures, and limited capacity all contribute to decreasing revenue and increasing costs. As you know, increased costs along with reduced revenue are a recipe for disaster, and many have forever closed their doors. For those that remain, they must innovate or face a similar fate.
Digitalization addresses some of these industry pressures. For example, it allows owners to automate certain functions, which means they can redeploy the labor used to perform the task or eliminate the labor cost completely. Digitalization also allows you to incorporate algorithms into video surveillance cameras customized to your business metrics that help streamline processes, reduce risk, improve kitchen and dining room logistics, reduce errors, prevent losses, and improve the customer experience.
Integrating restaurant surveillance, data analytics, POS systems, and access control provides full insight into your QSR's operational landscape. For instance, Solink's Delivery Order Insight integrates your POS system with video surveillance and third-party delivery services to avoid "friendly fraud" while drive-thru software helps to optimize the customer drive-thru experience.
What if I Have a Store-Bought Camera System?
When you buy big-box video cameras or analog cameras, you buy inferior products that often aren't made for commercial use. Retail stores either sell analog or low-resolution cameras that don't surveil the right areas, produce low-quality video, don't integrate with other systems, and don't provide any value outside of video recordings.
On the other hand, with commercial equipment and professional service, our security experts survey the property to identify proper camera placement and discuss integrations that meet the business' needs. Then, we install high-resolution video cameras, such as 3XLogic, program them to capture business-specific key performance metrics, program them to integrate with your pre-defined specs, and prompt them to notify you of any exceptions via text or email. Additionally, you can choose what infrastrucutre works best with your business: on-premise servers, cloud-based solutions, such as Open Eye, or a hybrid model.
In addition to high quality equipment, system integrations, and professional installation, we also offer warranties and ongoing support and service. Finally, the solution may be more affordable than you may think, especially when you consider how it can reduce risk, optimize revenue, and create operational efficiencies.
How Do I Learn More?
ITech Digital is located in Indianapolis and serves Indiana and the surrounding area. We also provide site surveys and installation across the entire U.S. If you're curious what all our video surveillance and data analytics cameras can do for you, contact us to learn more. Don't worry, we have solutions for all types of industries. You can also give us a call at (317) 567-6160 to speak to a QSR Business Solutions expert.
