Back-office operations are vital to the success of the restaurant. Every savvy restauranteur knows that. From inventory to purchasing, sales, scheduling, and food safety compliance, there’s no shortage of essential business functions to oversee.
Most restaurant chains and quick-service restaurants (QSR) use software systems to manage business functions efficiently. Using this software is a good start. However, real progress is made when individual systems become integrated – ‘connected’ so they can ‘talk’ to each other. Integrated systems spin straw into gold.
Need proof? Here are five ways that back-office integration can help enable your success.
Five ways back-office integration enables restaurant success
1 – It will introduce a global view of your restaurant
Knowledge is power. Using standalone components or separate software to handle tasks will keep things segmented. It’ll also prevent you from having a clear idea of the health of your business.
Cutting-edge restaurant technology can streamline different back-office functions. But if those technologies aren’t connected and sharing data, you won’t be able to get a holistic view.
By integrating your back-office systems, you can access a wealth of correlated data that will keep you in touch with everything happening in your restaurant. This information can help you refine your business and marketing strategies.
2 – It will lighten your administrative burden
By integrating your back-office operations, you can lighten your administrative load. Doing so leads to fewer errors and more streamlined performance in functions such as:
- Menu prep
- HR
- Accounting
- Purchasing
- Scheduling
- Payroll
- Regulatory compliance
A fully integrated system will maximize your overall efficiency by eliminating repetitive tasks, optimizing workflows and boosting profitability – saving you considerable money.
Not only that, but this will also free you and your staff to focus more on other things that need your attention- like your customers.
3 – It will improve customer satisfaction
Customer experience is king. It is the most critical aspect of your restaurant. So, how can integration help? Integrating back-office processes with your other systems gives you a centralized hub for information. This includes customer information in your CRM.
Having a single, complete data source makes it easier for you and your employees to access relevant customer data. You could even use this data to adapt your service on a customer-by-customer basis to create an optimized dining experience.
Streamlining business processes will also free managers to spend more time with customers. Customers will love having a personalized and unique experience- and appreciate the attention that might not otherwise have been possible.
Looking for other ways to improve customer experience? Check out our other blog here.
4 – It will improve vendor performance
Another benefit of integrating back-office processes? You’ll be better able to track and optimize vendor spending.
Accessing data about what you buy, how you buy and how much you will allow you to make better purchasing decisions and streamline costs.
It will also allow you to build better relationships with vendors, which can translate into better deals, volume discounts and various back-pocket deals that wouldn’t otherwise come your way.
5 – It will optimize your POS systems
Integrating your back-office and POS systems means having just one database to maintain- rather than multiple. This streamlined approach means faster and easier access to information, real-time inventory reports, and more complete and up-to-date customer account details.
Adding Wi-Fi data and analytics to the mix
You can take the power of integrated back-office systems even further by adding Wi-Fi analytics.
Giving diners guest Wi-Fi access in your locations creates endless opportunities for collecting even more valuable customer data that you can use to promote your business further.
The world’s most successful restaurant chains and QSRs rely on Datavalet’s managed Wi-Fi and branch network solutions to integrate front-of-house with their back-office systems to take data collection and analysis even further.
See how we can help your business. Talk to our experts.
Datavalet provides high-speed Wi-Fi network management to guest and staff across your business. We can transform Wi-Fi from commodity to business value.