INFOSYS.110 BUSINESS SYSTEMS: DELIVERABLE 2: BUSINESS
SECTION2014
NameNathalia Gonzales
NetIDNgon716
Group Number:165
Website
Link:https://plus.google.com/112855408319153254962/posts?hl=en
Tutorial DetailsTutor:Day:Time:
Johnnie Shubert Wednesday9- 10am
Time Spent on Assignment:2 weeksWord Count:1644
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The Selfwaiter systemINTRODUCTIONThe hospitality industry faces
many challenges when it comes to satisfying customers. The increase
of speed and quality is highly associated with increase in costs
for the business forcing owners to compensate by cutting staff
numbers short. The problem presented is that low staff numbers will
keep costs low but wont meet all customers demands. The solution is
the SelfWaiter, an innovative system where customers can place
their orders from their table on to the system through smartphones
or tablets; the order gets transmitted to all stations where the
meal is prepared. Its functionalities work together to improve
customer experience whilst keeping the costs low for businesses.3.
BUSINESS SECTION 3.1 Vision To provide the ultimate customer
experience through delivering great quality service with speed and
efficiency to every customer, everywhere.3.2 Industry Analysis: The
General Hospitality Industry Industry: The SelfWaiter belongs to
the general hospitality industry as it is a tool that supports the
key operations of businesses within the
industry.Force:High/Low:Justification:
Buyer power:HighBuyer power is high as customers have a variety
of options to choose from and are able to switch between
competitors at no cost (Global Industry, 2014).
Supplier power:LowThe industry has a wide variety of suppliers
that are competing among themselves for higher market presence,
this results in price drops (Alison, Rimmington & Williams,
1999), providing suppliers less power in the industry.
Threat of new entrants:HighThe industry has little barriers for
new businesses that facilitate the daily operations (Global
Industry, 2014). The costs of providing these tools is reasonably
low allowing ease of new entrants.
Threat of substitutes:HighSubstitute industries provide
competing product offers that provide the same functions (Hotel
Marketing, 2010). Menus, boards, staff and machinery to are used to
provide customer service as an alternative option for similar value
for businesses in the industry.
Rivalry among existing competitors:HighCompetition in the
industry is high due to the variety of apps, tools and services
that support the key operations of restaurants/cafes. Whilst some
businesses are very influential in the market , no company has
ultimate dominance of market shares (Spencer, 2014), increasing
rivalry between competitors.
Overall attractiveness of the industry: The industry is not very
attractive due to strong competition forces and high buyer power,
that takes away some of the control that businesses have in the
hospitality industry. With a high threat of substitutes and
entrants the industry becomes more unattractive as the barriers of
entry are low enabling anyone to open a business and take some of
the market shares. 3.3 Customers and Their NeedsRestaurants and caf
owners are the targeted market for the SelfWaiter, as they take
priority in providing value, quality and speed to customers
(Sullivan, 2013), whilst enhancing customer satisfaction through
service. Keeping costs low without reflecting on the quality of the
food or services provided is challenging (Anderson, Fornell &
Rust, 1997), as owners need to maintain customers satisfaction
levels high with lower staff numbers. Payroll is one of the largest
controllable expenses in the industry, and keeping it as low as
possible can have a huge impact on a restaurants bottom line Vardy
(2012). 3.4 The Product and ServiceThe SelfWaiter ordering system
provides an efficient platform for customers and staff to co-create
in the customer experience in restaurants and cafs. Its core
functions are to provide service to customers at any time, enabling
them to place their order, inquire about meals, make substitutions,
watch the progress of their meal and pay from the table. The
product reduces the workload reflecting on the number of staff
needed for the job. Reducing staff numbers results in cost
reductions for businesses, whilst maintaining customer
satisfaction, quality and speed to standards. This product
addresses the main challenges faced by businesses in the
hospitality industry today. 3.5 Suppliers and PartnersA fast and
high quality service requires network providers that will enable
businesses to enhance customer experience by always providing good
access to the system without delays. A restaurants core functions
rely on the operating of the system, making network suppliers
essential to the SelfWaiter. Technical maintenance firms suppply
customers the knowledge and ability to fix technological problems
associated with the system. These suppliers provide the Selfwaiter
customers an efficient and fast support to ensure restaurant/cafss
satisfaction with the system.The SelfWaiters biggest potential
partner is the App Store where the app/system is sold to customers.
This partnership enables the product to easily reach the target
market, making it accessible to a business and general customer
market. Partnerships with software developers such as Alchemy
(http://www.alchemy.co.nz/) provide the possibilities of
implementing different functions on to the SelfWaiter system. By
integrating different systems and tools in to the system more value
is added to the product. 3.6 Strategy: Differentiation StrategyThe
SelfWaiter system is a product that provides premium quality to the
whole hospitaliy industry. It benefits big restauratns in the
industry by introducing more speed and quality service; small
companies also benefit from the product by enhancing the customer
experience and diminishing cost. Whilst it satifies a broad market,
the system requires tablets, internet connection, implementation of
systems that connects to all stations in the work place that is
considered more expensive. However the platform is a key point of
difference of the product that provides high value to customers.The
overall strategy is therefore Differentiation. 3.7 Value Chain
Activity: Service after saleThe most important value chain activity
for this business is Service after sale.Service after sale is a key
activity in the SelfWaiter value chain because it provides tools
for restaurant and caf owners to run efficiently after they
implement the system. The purchase of the system/app only provides
substantial value to customers once the system is running and
automating the processes that were previously performed by the
workforce. This is the most valuable activity because it is where
businesses that adopt the system capture value, through simplifying
the processes, subsequently reducing labour costs. The SelfWaiter
is a platform that enables restaurant/caf owners to reduce cost
through automating processes whilst maintaining the quality of
service and deliverying value to customers. Service after sale is a
key activity because it allows SelfWaiter customers to provide
value to their own customers through the use of the system, making
the platform more attractive for potential customers.3.8 Business
Processes3.8.1. Placing orders process Placing orders is the key
process in order to deliver value. The SelfWaiter app/system
provides the menu through a platform accessed from tablets or
smartphones. Customers place their orders in to the system from the
table. The order is first sent to the inventory management system
where it gets checked againts what is available; if something is
not available customer is informed (with option of cancellation or
substitution) otherwise a confirmation with an estimate time of
preparation is sent back to the table. The system then directs the
order to the respective stations (bar/kitchen) where it gets
prepared to be delivered within the estimate time.
3.8.2. Payment process - The payment process is the capturing of
value from customers. This process receives data from the ordering
system, checks that the order is consistent with what was delivered
to the table. Any irregularities found are checked against
inventory management system data. An invoice is sent through the
system to the table with options on method of payment. Bank card
payments can be done from the table whilst cash transactions
require the customer to go to the till to make payment. Once the
payment is processed and accepted confirmation is sent to the table
and the order is filed. 3.9 Functionalities 3.9.1. Placement of
orders process Tracks inventory levels Communication and
interaction with customers.3.9.2. Payment process Sending invoices
Processing and filing all payment options3.10 Systems
3.10.1. Inventory management system The system is used in the
ordering process to ensure the business replenishes stock on time.
It supports the decision processes around inventory stock, based on
the information collected from every transaction. Inventory
management system aids the SelfWaiter to always deliver quality
service to customers efficiently. Tracking the inventory levels
enables the system to inform owners what is needed to cater for
customers demands. 3.10.2. Payment Processing system - The payment
processing system is a transactional system that enables the
payments to be invoiced and received by supporting the capturing of
value from customers. Sending invoices to customers and processing
different payments correclty and efficiently is essential to daily
operations of businesses. This transactional system also
incorporates quality of service and speed to payment processes.
3.10.3. Customer Management system Customer management system
supports the communication and interactions with customers in
various processes, particularly in the processes where co-creation
of value takes place. The system assists in customer experience
decisions and increases satisfaction by providing transparency in
processes, such as placement of order, where customers create value
for themselves and are informed of the output in every step of the
way.10
3.11. Summary Table: Value Chain to Systems
Value Chain ActivityProcessesFunctionalitiesSpecific Information
System(s)Broad Information System(s)
Service after sale1. Placing orders process 1. Tracks inventory
levels
2. Communication and interaction with customersInventory
Management system
Customer relationship system
SCM
CRM
2. Payment process 1. Sending invoices
2. Processing and filing all payment optionsCustomer Billing
System
Payment Processing systemCRMTPS
CONCLUSION The SelfWaiter is an innovative system that provides
business owners in the hospitality industry with a tool that
facilitates the running of daily operations. Through automating
different processes and integrating systems the SelfWaiter is able
to provide fast and efficient service that reduces labour costs
whilst maintaining the customer demands and satisfaction high. The
product creates value to customers by providing a platform that
will enable them to deliver great value to their customers, reduce
costs and stay ahead of competitors in the industry. REFERENCES
1. Alison, J.M., Rimmington, M. & Williams, C. (1999).
Entrepreneurship in the hospitality, tourism and leisure
industries. UK: Butterworth-Heinemann.2. Anderson, E.W., Fornell,
C. & Rust, R.T. (1997). Customer satisfaction, productivity and
profitability: differences between goods and services. Marketing
Science, 16(2), 129. Retrieved from Business Source Premier. 3.
Hotel marketing competing strategies. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.hotelmule.com/html/79/n-2179-7.html4. Global restaurants
industry profile. (2014). Restaurants industry profile: Global,
1-31. Retrieved from Business Source Premier.5. Sullivan, J.
(2013). Driving customer satisfaction with service?. Nations
Restaurant News, 47(3), 28-30. Retrieved from Business Source
Premier.6. Spencer, M. E. (2014). Industry analysis: restaurant.
Retrieved from
http://www.valueline.com/Stocks/Industries/Industry_Analysis__Restaurant.aspx7.
Vardy, M. (2012). Resistant to the inevitable: how technology is
changing the restaurant industry. The Next Web. Retrieved from
www.thenextweb.com
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