QSR December 2022

SmartChain POSSolutions

Presto

Other innovations in the POS space are arriving via artificial intelligence. “The POS can do things for restaurants that it could never do before,” Werner says. “For example, AI-driven phone bots can now answer the phones, take orders from cus tomers, receive payment, and submit the orders directly to the kitchen—all while upselling every order and never making mistakes.” Voice-activated AI order-tak ing at the drive thru or self-service kiosk helps streamline the customer experience and frees up employees for less repetitive, more important tasks. Through AI-adjacent technologies like machine learning and natural language processing, customers can even place an order online in a way that feels similar to the in-person experience they’re used to today. “AI can help restaurants to have intelligent, personalized guest interac tions,” Trendell says. AI can be a powerful component of a modern POS system. Not only does it help answer the consumer demand for seam less digital ordering—when combined with voice, vision, and touch technology, it can aid operators in brand-wide efforts to optimize efficiency. “AI voice technology works as a friendly 24/7 virtual assistant that accurately automates order-taking,” says Rajat Suri, CEO of Presto . “Vision technology integrates with existing res taurant cameras for real-time monitoring of vehicles, order assembly, or food levels. Touch technology—in the form of light weight server tablets—tackles multiple use cases and helps ordering and payment for staff and guests to be more efficient.” The pace of technological change is rapid in the POS space, and—just like in restaurants themselves—conditions shift constantly. “Not that long ago, traditional POS stations at the counter were the main— and sometimes only—game in town,” says Doyle Ledford, senior vice president at Posiflex . “The restaurant industry can undergo changes quickly. An operator must consider that anything can happen, and they should be prepared accordingly. That includes ensuring you have a solid POS solution that can adapt to the ever-chang ing requirements dictated by you, your cus tomers, and the industry as a whole.” SC

PRESTO

alized journeys beginning even before a customer places an order. Operators can learn which high-margin items appeal the most to specific customers, for example, and they can offer tailored upsell oppor tunities whether that customer is online or at the counter. “Brands can move past generic guest experiences to ‘Amazon-like’ personalization and upsell capabilities in both physical and digital experiences,” says Jessica Bryant, vice president of mar keting for NCR Aloha . “Imagine what type of loyalty a brand could drive if a cashier had access to loyalty profile data on the POS to surprise and delight guests based on their preferences.” experiences to ‘Amazon like’ personalization and upsell capabilities in both physical and digital experiences.” “Brands canmove past generic guest

sion in online ordering, which has created an entirely new revenue stream for many restaurants. Customers want to be able to engage digitally, and restaurants have had to adapt. “Traditionally hospitality was a very manual business resistant to modern ization,” Basdeo says. “The industry has been pushed to adopt new technology— technology that operators will need in the future and not just in this moment.” Restaurant operators can now explore an invaluable trove of customer and oper ational data, gaining insights into how to enhance the customer experience and increase efficiency. Advanced POS sys tems can integrate with a wide variety of data-rich channels. “Brands should have access to all transactional and pay ment data via a single analytics dash board so that restaurants can forecast rev enue, profits, and cash flow accurately and in real time,” says Amber Trendell, senior director of strategy at Oracle Food and Beverage . “This can help restaurateurs make informed decisions and concentrate on their long-term business strategy.” On the customer experience side, the increase in available data allows restau rant brands to craft distinctive, person

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DECEMBER 2022 | SPONSORED SECTION