Your video surveillance system is creating a safer and more secure business environment But what else can it do? Have you thought about how to add greater value to your system?
With a little analysis, the video from your restaurant’s security cameras can give you the insight you need to help increase your efficiency. By adding business intelligence you gain value and a higher value ROI from the video surveillance system
Here are a few ideas on how you can rethink your video surveillance as a QSR analytics and business intelligence tool.
1. Determine your objectives
The first step is to think about how you can improve your business. What would help you be more efficient? Would it be speeding up your drive thru or cash register? How about turning over tables in your dining room?
Or, to put it differently: how many customers do you lose because the line is too long?
Here are a few things to think about.
- Managing throughput at the drive thru
- Reducing lines and loss at the cash register
- Improving customer service in the dining room
- Potential employee training opportunities
2. Decide what to measure and begin collecting data
Think about efficiencies in the dining room and at the point of sale. Since it’s video coverage, you can look for and keep track of the things that make the most sense for your location, such as:
- How often your servers refill someone’s drinks in the dining room
- How often tables are cleaned, and how many are filled during busy and slow times
- The average wait time at your drive through or cash register
3. Gather data to create business intelligence and actionable next steps
The final step is to compare and draw insights. You can look at these numbers at an individual restaurant level, between just a few locations, or organization-wide – depending on your specific goals.
The potential results aren’t to be overlooked. We’ve seen restaurants with a drive thru reduce the wait time by an average of 15 seconds per car during the lunch rush – which resulted in adding $50,000 annually to the owner’s bottom line.
When you have the video, you can visualize what’s going on and identify ways you can improve efficiencies. For example, the data you collect from the video can show you how you can:
- Improve customer service or cleanliness in the dining room
- Increase throughput at registers and the drive-thru
- Measure employee performance and identify training opportunities
Your video surveillance solution isn’t just for safety and security. It can be a powerful QSR analytics and business intelligence tool that can give you the insight you need to improve your restaurant’s efficiency, customer service, and bottom line.