As a Gold sponsor at the recent Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC) in Phoenix, AZ, Sparkfly enjoyed a front-row seat to all of the insights and inspiration industry experts shared with 1,350 top-tier restaurant professionals. The event theme —“The Path Forward”— was billed as building a path from 2021’s recovery to 2022’s rejuvenation, and we couldn’t be more excited about the prospect.
Over the course of four days, RLC brought restaurant executives together to hone their leadership skills, discuss solutions to industry challenges and the role that technology can play, and connect to network with other senior leaders in the sector. Through various sessions led by a range of renowned 100+ speakers, we were able to glean a host of helpful tips for generating success. Here is our take and 4 of our biggest takeaways from the event:
Speed matters — but so do carefully considered personalization strategies
It’s true that increasingly customers want information on everything as soon as possible. With instant access to so many things through our variety of devices, speed can make a big difference in ensuring a seamless customer experience. Combine that speed with the right personalization strategies, and you end up with an even bigger difference. In fact, a recent research study by GoodFirms found that consumers expect personalized communication and brands need to meet that demand by using the right technology.
Actionable data is a must — which is why unified data is so vital to your success
As personalization continues to help capture customer engagement, the biggest tool behind it has to be bolstered for maximum impact. We’re talking, of course, about actionable data, which can either drive your customer to click that “buy now” button or have them head elsewhere for something more aligned with what they hope to find. But with so many tools and systems, if all of your data isn’t unified, it isn’t going to be nearly as actionable as it could be. That’s why you need technology that is agile and flexible enough to evolve with ever-changing consumer demands.
Elevating your brand is expected — so give customers a phygital experience they can’t forget
“Customer experience” were the two most-spoken words at RLC, but a recent study showed a disconnect between what brands think they’re providing and what customers are actually experiencing. Making sure customers have a seamless connection between your brand’s physical and digital worlds plays a crucial role in how consumers view you. An unforgettable phygital experience can foster loyalty and expand sales growth, while simultaneously elevating your brand to new heights.
Productivity-enhancing technology isn’t a cure-all — but it can help ease labor shortage pain
Unfortunately, staffing issues continue to plague the restaurant industry for numerous reasons, and while productivity-enhancing technology can’t solve all of your business challenges, it can reduce the burden that comes with being understaffed. The right technology can reduce human error while increasing efficiency, enhancing communication, encouraging collaboration, streamlining workflow, and giving your employees the opportunity to place a greater focus on customer service and more revenue-generating tasks.
Right now the restaurant industry is under a lot of pressure to rebound from the devastating effects of the pandemic. But with the right technology, there’s also plenty of opportunity not just for businesses to survive, but instead, ultimately truly thrive.