THE TROUBLE WITH QR CODES ISN’T QR CODES
THE TROUBLE WITH QR CODES ISN’T QR CODES
There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few years in the hospitality industry, and wider society in general, around QR codes. Some people love them, and some people hate them. And those who hate them, like most things, tend to be the loudest and most passionate.
At Ready, it’s safe to say we love QR codes. More than that, we know we can convince the QR, let’s call them, ‘dislikers’ (‘haters’ is too negative) that QR codes, or rather customer-driven technology-based interactions, are absolutely perfect for the hospitality industry. Because as the title of this piece alludes to, it’s not really about QR codes, it's all about what’s behind them.
What are QR Codes?
This isn’t an article about the strange looking labyrinthine designs and how they are recognizable by your smartphone camera. We’re talking on a much more basic, and relevant, level. QR is a way to bring a menu onto a guest’s smartphone, allow them to order through that menu and then pay with their smartphone when they’re ready. To us, QR codes are a powerful tool to digitally connect customers to restaurants.
Poor experience is a problem
We believe that when people object to QR codes, what they are really objecting to is the experience behind the QR code. If the menu experience is terrible, hard to read, requires a lot of pinching and scrolling and there’s no order or pay functionality so you still must place your order with the server, then what’s the point? It’s like having a traditional paper menu that’s printed in an unreadable font like comic sans or some barely legible text. We would hate those menus.
And at Ready we ‘dislike’ (ok, hate) QR menu experiences that suck too.
Forced usage from the pandemic contributed to the ‘dislike’
Beyond simply bad design and implementation, the pandemic also likely contributed to the dislike of some QR codes in restaurants and hotels. It feels like a solution that was forced upon people and was only needed during that time. The pandemic is over, so the reasoning goes, QR codes should be over too.
This reasoning completely misses the point. Restaurant and hospitality brands should have been (and some were) looking at technology to improve customer experience before the pandemic. Virtually every other industry has been moving to using technology in this way.
Mobile and the response gap in other industries
The response gap is the ‘gap’ in time between the guests’ expectations of when service should arrive, and the time it takes to actually arrive. In other industries we see brands using digital, and largely mobile, technology to close the response gap because the modern consumer is used to having their needs met more and more quickly and through different touchpoints. There are so many well-known examples of this—shopping on Amazon from anywhere and getting the product the next day or ordering a coffee through your phone and having it ready the moment you arrive.
In the digital age, faster service is almost always better service.
Choice is the key to hospitality tech
Notice when we defined QR codes in our basic way above, we used the word ‘allow’. We didn’t say ‘must’. Usually, QR codes and contactless menu technology are best implemented as a choice for consumers along with the traditional ways of ordering and paying.
In a modern restaurant there’s a layered technology stack where each solution solves some of the restaurant’s needs. Technology implementations are tailored to a restaurant’s needs and should fit into the restaurant’s workflow. The idea is to give customers the ability to order when and how they want and to pay when and how they want without losing any of the functionality of traditional order and pay flows.
Learning about choice from grocery stores
Grocery’s rapid adoption of technology designed to add customer touch points is a great example for hospitality to learn from. Today there’s options for paying at a cashier, self-checkout, home delivery, or order online and pick up at the store. That’s four different ways for customers to determine their own experience. That doesn’t mean you have to use one or the other, it’s entirely up to the customer to use whichever flow suits them best at that moment.
Who’s using mobile tech and QR codes?
The greatest QR experience probably doesn’t mean much if people aren’t using the technology. Not surprisingly the usage of QR codes breaks along age demographics with 68% of Gen Z reporting they’ve used a QR Code for a restaurant menu. And QR codes are perfect for the hotel and quick-service restaurants.
Broadly speaking, digital payment methods are becoming rapidly adopted particularly by younger demographics.
QR code tech that improves customer experience and benefit hospitality brands
We can all agree that a QR code that leads to a bad experience is not a welcome innovation. What does a great QR experience look like?
Well, it starts the moment the guests are shown their seat by the host. Rather than wait for the server to get to them, they order a drink from their smartphone, easily perusing seasonal taps and specialty cocktails. And when the server greets them, the drinks are in hand. With drinks and good conversation, our guests have time to look over the menu and place their order with the server. During the meal, guests can always access the menu using their smartphone and add that appetizer they wished they’d order, along with another drink, just because. When the conversation dies down and our guests are at the exact moment they’re all set to go, they simply pay through their phone and say goodbye to the server as they make their way out of the restaurant.
When order and pay technology enables this kind of story, then the benefits are huge, for guests, staff and brands. QR doesn’t take away from other forms of interaction (unless it’s a strategic choice by the hospitality brand) and it helps close the response gap. Digital order and pay systems can only accomplish these goals if they are well designed, have excellent user interfaces and integrate with the business’s POS system.
Menus and payment designed for mobile
Menu and payment screens intentionally designed for mobile with thoughtful UX should be a joy to use. It should be easy, intuitive, aesthetically pleasing and align with the brand’s look and feel. Now you have a menu and payment option that guests actually want to choose.
Creating better environment for servers
A QR code that leads to an order and pay system that’s well designed and flawlessly implemented creates a better working environment for servers. Guests no longer have to wait if they don’t want to. There is no more frustration for guests and servers can focus more on providing great experiences. Plus, when people can pay at the moment they are ready to leave, they tend to tip more. Ready’s top 5 performing clients, for example, have seen a 25% increase in average tip size when guests pay with Ready as compared to through the server.
Improving operational efficiency
For hotels and resorts in particular, quality order and pay technology behind the QR code can boost operational efficiency. They are the perfect use case for room service as well as ordering to poolside or even out on the golf course. Since implementing Ready, Kalahari Resorts has seen a 20% increase in their Pennsylvania Room Service Revenue, 100% order accuracy and 100% order completion.
If you want to find out more about how Ready’s order & pay hospitality, entertainment and restaurant tech can help your brand increase revenue and improve customer experiences, please get in touch with our team today.
About Ready
Ready partners with innovative restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality brands to create frictionless order & pay experiences that WOW guests.
Our mobile-first flexible order & pay software platform empowers guests with more choice, boosts revenue, and connects brands directly with customers.
We are a company of food lovers whose goal is to make guests, servers, and operators say, "Why hasn't it always been like this?"
Our clients are Restaurants, Hotels, Stadiums, Venues, and anywhere food or drinks are served.
Ready to order. Ready to pay. Ready when you are.