How digital and mobile-first strategy is redefining dining experience

Today’s technology equipped customers are well connected and their high-end expectations generate enormous pressure on the restaurants to create a more personalised dining experience. The digital explosion has underlined delivery services with online ordering offerings. Mobile, cloud and AI evolution are redefining the digital experiences at the dining table and operational efficiencies.

Digital menus, customisable meals, the speed of service, flexible payment options and personalised engagement are the key ingredients to create the next-gen dining experience. In an exclusive interview with Express Computer, Kiran Komatla, Vice President – IT, Burger King India discusses how the restaurant industry is embracing cutting-edge technologies to provide the finest dining experience.

How is next generation technology and innovation redefining the dining experience in India?
Advanced technology is reducing the friction in the ordering process, making it easier to customise meals and cut-down in the delivery time. Mobile applications allow the diners to track meal progress in real-time, from preparation to delivery. Some also allow the customers to pre-order and pre-pay for meals for an expedient dining experience.
Mobile ordering systems incorporate geo-fencing capabilities, an SMS alert will be sent when a diner is at a certain distance away, prompting the kitchen to prepare their order so it’s ready when they arrive. With all of these progressive solutions, the goal is to assist the restaurants to comply with the expectations of technology-savvy and mobile-engaged customers expectations.

How is AI creating the new norms from frictionless ordering and customer experience?
Artificial Intelligence is transforming customer experiences and operational efficiencies to new heights. Customer service is a complex and expensive affair. AI has the potential to reduce costs in processing customer requests by using automated self-service solutions and spur the business efficiencies. Chatbots can solve customer support desk queries in the different time zones and language barriers, making the brand accessible at 24/7.

Multi-chain restaurants are adopting from machine learning to speech recognition, natural language processing to chatbots and process automation to offer personalised food ordering and maintain accurate responses. Data is a powerful tool, large datasets can provide proactive and actionable insights for quick service.

Prescriptive and predictive analytics can detect the patterns and provide precious insights into customer behaviour and service processes. It has the ability to supplement quality and customer loyalty. Advanced analytics is boosting inventory management across locations and providing proactive services.

What is the digital recipe for the food industry, with the capabilities of online ordering, payment flexibility, home delivery, and real-time delivery status?
Today, it is imperative for the restaurant businesses to invest in digital platforms, in-store technologies for digital experience at restaurants, and empower employees to serve as brand ambassadors. Restaurant brands who well understand their customers, capitalise on digital/technology investments, are able to engage customers in a personalised way to drive the increased frequency, check size, customer conversion, upselling and built loyalty.

How are you integrating the digital experience to create a deeper connection with the customer?
Digital customer experience is the combination of all digital interactions a customer has with a brand – right from customers searching for a brand online to interacting with the brand on social media, purchase, feedback on all digital platforms seamlessly to give a single view of the customer.

Brands have to leverage the technological delight by integrating customer and brand context with technologies. Every interaction with the customer must be monitored and build deeper connections with them.

How should restaurants approach the mobile-first strategy?
For competitive advantage, restaurants must drive mobile-first strategy – tech-empowered customers demand the information before-hand and menus on their fingertips. Mobile-first is all about creating the best possible mobile experience about your brand. Cloud adoption is helping to adapt quicker changes in restaurant POS software management and centralised operational and guest data across franchises or chains.