In the hospitality industry, automation software is becoming increasingly popular. It provides a range of benefits to both hotel guests and hotel staff. Automation software can be used to capture food and beverage orders from hotel guests, reducing staff workload and improving service quality. In this blog post, we’ll explore how automation software can be used in hospitality and the benefits it brings.
Capturing Food and Beverage Orders
Automation software can be used to capture food and beverage orders from hotel guests. This reduces the workload of hotel staff, since they no longer need to manually capture orders. With automation software, guests can order from anywhere and their orders will be immediately processed. This helps to improve the service quality of the hotel, as guests don’t need to wait in line or call the reception to place their orders.
Streamlining Processes
Automation software also helps to streamline various processes within a hotel. For example, it can be used to automate the tracking of inventory and manage staff schedules. This not only reduces staff workload, but also helps to improve the overall efficiency of the hotel.
Improved Customer Service
Automation software also helps to improve customer service. For example, it can be used to provide real-time feedback to guests. This helps to ensure that any complaints or suggestions are addressed quickly and efficiently. In addition, automation software can be used to provide customers with personalized services, such as custom discounts and promotions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, automation software is becoming increasingly popular in the hospitality industry. It can be used to capture food and beverage orders from hotel guests, streamline processes within a hotel, and improve customer service. Automation software is a great way to reduce staff workload and improve service quality in the hospitality industry.
Qrunch, a start-up that is building a SaaS platform and offers the installation of QR code based systems in restaurants and hotels, accelerating the digitization of the industry and enabling hospitality teams to achieve better service quality with less invested work while improving the customer experience, has received a pre-seed investment of 30 thousand Euros from an Estonian investment platform Decamel with a performance based option to bag another 170 thousand euros totalling up to 200 thousand euros.
Funding will be used for further technology development and integrations with hotel and restaurant POS/PMS systems,as well as in setting up new sales processes with the aim of expanding the company’s operations in 5 new markets in the European Union, as well as in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Qrunch currently operates in four EU markets – Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany and is one of the leaders in its industry, already improving the guest experience in 4 and 5 star hotels, such as Wellton Riga, and also in several chain restaurants such as Vairak Saules, Chilli Pizza and Yakuza. Qrunch is a QR code-based solution that fully automates ordering and allows guests to order food and beverages from their rooms, restaurant and other areas of the hotel and request services such as housekeeping or simply asking for help. Technology provides an opportunity to serve guests in their language and reduce waiting time, as well as increase service quality, reducing the burden on staff.
While the scene is rather competitive as many startups see the opportunity in hospitality industry’s digitalisation, Qrunch is tackling the competition by being one of the easiest-to-use solutions that does not require complex implementation and extensive training of staff.
The Investment was done by Decamel – a company that offers investment opportunities to international investors and debt instruments that support asset and real estate backed financing through scalable, digital and easy-to-use innovative portfolio management technology. Additionally, Decamel aims to provide risk-seeking investors opportunities to invest in equity of start-up companies as it was done this time.
Do you want to allow your guests to request services from any location on hotel grounds with just one click? Then it’s time to set up Service Requests in Qrunch!
Without further ado, let’s go straight to our easy-to-follow two-step guide on how to create custom service items and add them to your home page.
Step 1. Set up your service
To start off, log in to your account, go to the Service page and switch to the Manage Services page.
At first, there will be no service categories.
Once you click the Create Service Category button, you will see some predefined categories such as Housekeeping, Concierge, Activities, etc.
You are also free to create custom categories with the Other button.
The default templates have pre-populated translations of the service’s name into the languages that are used in the hotel account’s settings.
Besides changing the name, you can also add a different image or icon that will represent the service, or you can remove it if you don’t want any logo at all!
When the category is created, expand the field by clicking on it. To proceed with service items, press Add service.
Here, either choose one of the pre-made templates for services and adjust it to the way you want it to be or create a custom service.
Add details about the service such as:
Image. Note that you can also add several images which will be displayed in a slide show.
Price. For the free-of-charge services, keep the price at 0.00.
Name and translations.
Description.
The next step is selecting the fields that guests will have to fill out when requesting a service.
The list of available fields includes room number, number of guests, time of service, and additional comments. Adding each of these fields is optional and can be adjusted to the type of service you are setting up.
Is there a service that you would want to advertise on the homepage even though it doesn’t necessarily require booking? Here’s a tip!
Disable the “Can guests request this service” button. This way, the “View only” mode will be activated: the service will be displayed on the homepage thus enticing the guests to use it!
The next thing you need to do is to set up the service hours. By default, the service is available 24/7.
Switching to Specific hours will allow you to input custom working hours, including days of the week and one or two time slots.
There are two ways in which you can do it: set custom available hours or match available hours to a location; for example, hotel restaurant opening hours.
Once all of the steps are completed, proceed to save the service item.
Step 2. Set up your homepage
Now, it is time for the next step – making the services visible to the guests. In order to do that, first, click Home, then go to your Home Page and select location.
Change the Homepage screen type from Menu to Directory View – this is the page that will now be shown to users when they scan the QR code.
Note that even though the Home Page is changed, the QR code that leads to the page will remain the same. So, there is no need to reprint anything!
Here you can also play around with the design of the Homepage by picking the background and text color.
Now, start creating the homepage link. Here again, you will need to set up the link button’s image, name, and translations.
At this point, you can also pick the width of the link button. After you press “Save”, the view of the link button will be automatically enabled on your homepage.
Repeat with all of the categories that you want the buttons to link to, such as, for example:
Services menu view showing all services.
Specific services category.
Specific services item.
Food and drinks menu.
Specific food and drink menu category.
Specific food and drink super category.
You can always play around with the layout of the buttons and their display on the homepage by changing the ordering and the button width.
And you are done! To finish up, take a quick look through the new setup to make sure everything is correct.
If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to reach out to contact us!
Given the rapid pace at which the hospitality industry is adopting digital solutions, Baltic Beach Hotel’s implementation of Qrunch ordering automation solution is one such success story. Learn how hotels started their digital transformation of the guest service with Qrunch.
Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA is the only 5-star luxury private seaside resort located in Jurmala town which is about half an hour away from Latvian capital Riga. Envisioned for both leisure and business travel, the property boasts 165 deluxe rooms and suites, while also offering a vast array of services with more than 400 luxurious SPA and relaxation options. It has remained one of the leading resorts in Latvia for more than 40 years now, welcoming guests from around the world with heart-warming service and wholehearted hospitality.
Going into the first half of 2020, Baltic Beach Hotel, like many resorts, had to face new challenges caused by the pandemic. In addition to an overall loss of revenue due to COVID-19 closures and restrictions, the resort was also struggling with hiring enough staff. At the time the hotel was looking for ways to use automation technology to drive guest value and increase revenue while also maintaining on-site safety and social distancing norms.
Qrunch on beach
Prior to adopting Qrunch, the staff at Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA carried out the order processing operations manually. It was in the summer of 2021 when Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA started its digital journey with Qrunch. QR code menus were used to serve guests at the hotel’s beach sun lounge area.
One of the major immediate improvements the hotel’s management saw was in the service’s quality and speed. Guests were now able to place their orders without the need for staff to always be present at the beach area. This helped to reduce request processing and waiting times. Once the order was placed, the staff could see it in the system right away and serve the guests much quicker and with consistent wait times.
Upon realising how efficient automated operations were, Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA decided to adopt Qrunch for room and restaurant orders as well. The decision was also quite timely as with summer being over, came autumn with its harsher dining safety restrictions.
Room service, but 21st century way
For Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA, what started out as a partial solution soon led to a complete digital transformation from manual order capture and processing to the Qrunch automated ordering system.
After using Qrunch for a while, Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA also switched on integration between the hotel’s POS and Qrunch’s system. Such integration helped to save staff time as orders were captured and saved to the hotel’s POS and PMS automatically. Now, the order charging to rooms was taking no time at all.
Ever since then Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA has been actively increasing and extending their usage of Qrunch on the territory of the hotel’s property. With the level of flexibility the platform has, it was possible for them to create a custom menu to serve guests at a special VIP musical event.
Within a short time of the platform’s usage, Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA has witnessed the power of automation and its positive impact on guest service and staff efficiency.
Qrunch is enhancing guest experience and interaction with staff, driving guest value, and reducing staff workload all at once
Baltic Beach Hotel
Ways in which Baltic Beach Hotel benefits from Qrunch
Order processing time reduced. Instead of spending several minutes on manual order inputting, staff can process guest requests and inquiries within seconds with just a single tap on the tablet.
Staff productivity and efficiency increase. By cutting out the manual order processing, the hotel managed to save numerous man-hours and boost staff efficiency.
2x room orders. After adopting the Qrunch platform, Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA’s saw a revenue increase with the number of room orders doubling.
Automated data collection. Gathering feedback from guests and managing information was made easy with Qrunch by eliminating the need to process data manually.
80% adoption rate. The new technology was greatly welcomed by the guests as the adoption rate of the Qrunch platform reached 80%.
Instant customer support. Qrunch platform provided a channel that allowed seamless communication between the staff and guests.
100% elimination of manual input errors. Guests submitting their orders and inquiries via smartphones helped to eliminate the staff error factor and lower the number of complaints.
Want to find out how Qrunch could improve your hotel’s guest service and revenue?
What are the best QR code practices to achieve high adoption rates?
In this article we will discuss the best practices of creating QR code stickers or cardboard tents. This is an important part of using a digital menu in your restaurant or hotel. It can make a big difference in adoption rate of the menu among your customers. I will teach you how to go from a situation of your customers ignoring the QR codes to your customers being excited to use them helping to drive a significant increase in your sales.
Step 1 – instructions
This is the most important best practice and at the same time the one that I’ve seen the most restaurants ignore at their own detriment. Remember – digital QR code menus is a new technology and many of your customers will probably encounter it for the first time in your restaurant or hotel (if you are a smart manager and are adopting this technology early on). Many of the younger generation customers have seen QR codes and will instinctively reach for their phone to see what’s hiding behind it. But other customers might not be so sure what those black and white rectangles are all about.
Hence it is of utmost importance to include clear instructions above or below the QR code. This provides not only information of what to do with that QR code but also encourages the users to do it. Some users might be unsure if they will also be able to place the order via that code or just look at the menu, the same also if they will be able to pay too. So if you’ve enabled ordering within your Qrunch digital menu then tell about it to your customers.
An example of short but clear instructions that work great in practice:
Scan QR code using your phone’s camera
Add items to your order
Pay with a card or Apple pay
We will bring your order as soon as it’s ready
This will provide easy to follow steps for your customers and clear any confusion or doubts about what they’re supposed to do.
Step 2 – asking for help
With Qrunch QR code menu you can also enable a “call a waiter” feature. This will then show a button at the top of the menu that will signal a waiter that the user needs attention. It’s a great feature to switch on to allow your guests to request help from staff in case they have any further questions.
This is also good to mention on the QR code sticker / tent. You can just add a smaller print below the QR code image saying that customer can also call for help by scanning the QR code and pressing the waiter button 🛎️ at.
Call Waiter feature is also great for areas in your hotel or restaurant that are not easy to serve by your waiters. For example pool side or VIP rooms. It’s difficult to ensure that guests never have to wait too long to get waiter’s attention in these areas. Here the Call Waiter button really helps! The guests can just scan the QR code, open Qrunch menu and call the waiter right away. Your staff will get a notification and will be able to attend your guests immediately.
Step 3 – placement
Another important factor to consider is the placement of the QR codes. Here the simplest solutions are usually the best – just place the tent in the middle of the table. Or if you’re using stickers then place at least two stickers facing both directions so that the customers cannot miss them. Avoid placing the QR code in an unusual location. For example one of our customers placed the stickers on flower pots that were on the tables. Although they were clearly visible, the flower pots confused customers enough so that many of them didn’t realise that those QR codes are meant for ordering. The same would happen if the QR codes were to be placed on walls and so on. Many will be observant enough to see them and scan them, but many more will miss QR codes that are not right in front of them. The only exception if the stickers on the walls are really big with large and easy to read instructions. But even then a QR code on a table will perform better.
QR code placement is equally important in hotel rooms. Make sure to place them in visible locations – near other informational materials, near room climate controls. If the room has an in-room phone then definitely place it also next to the phone. The customer might be reaching for the phone to ask about food ordering just to notice the QR code sitting right next to it. If possible don’t be shy and place more than one QR code in each room. Our existing customers are reporting some amazing numbers! Qrunch adoption rate for in-room orders is more than 80%.
And don’t forget to place them in visible locations everywhere in the hotel where you’re serving food and drinks. You’re serving cocktails by the pool? Well, your customers will definitely order more of those if they are reminded about the possibility with easy to notice QR codes placed around the pool area.
Step 4 – design
When you started reading this article you probably thought that we would start by talking about the design. But as you can see clear information, instructions and good placements are the top priorities here. In general your customers will care little how designey the QR code is. Remember – utility always trumps the looks when it comes to QR codes. Of course we’re not suggesting to use Times New Roman in your QR code design, it’s still important to have nice looking QR codes. Here there’s two things to keep in mind when designing the look of the QR code:
High contrast – the QR codes work by phone camera’s reading the visual information encoded in the QR code. If the contract between the whites and darks is too low the phone will start having troubles decoding this information and you might encounter situations where in poor lighting or with cheap phones the QR code won’t read well. The best is just to keep the QR codes black and white with 100% contrast. But other dark colours will work well too such as dark blue etc. Avoid using colours that have shine to them – gold coloured QR codes will likely result in issues.
Avoid transparency – semi transparent stickers might look cool but pose a great risk that phones will struggle reading the QR codes.
Big enough – all modern phones will not have any troubles reading even the smallest QR codes. But the human behind that phone might be the one not noticing the QR code. Our suggestion is to have the QR codes of at least 10cm (width and height) and below 30cm. Anything larger might start confusing the customer as to what the purpose of the QR code is.
Conclusion
To re-cap: the best QR codes prioritise usability over looks. Start worrying about the looks only after you’ve ensured that your codes follow the usability guidelines I’ve talked about above.
The best QR codes will have:
Clear instruction above or below the QR code. This encourages the users to proceed with confidence.
Extra usability added with smaller print – do tell your customers that they can call the waiter without ordering anything.
Placed in locations which the customers is most likely to face – on tables right in front of them, in hotel rooms near where other information or room controls are.
Have easy to read design – the higher the contrast the better.
If you have any further questions reach out to us and ask away: Contact Us
We’re also happy to help you out with QR code designs. Qrunch also offers QR code design and printing services, just drop us a note to get a quote.
