The use of AI in hospitality and retail is growing at pace. Amazon Fresh only requires people to check in and out with a mobile app when shopping and it then tracks what they take from the shelves, other retailers use ‘smart carts’ which has the tech fitted to shopping trolleys.

AI brings many benefits to a hospitality operation; benefits which can make a genuine impact to the bottom line. The reality for many workplaces, in light of the new hybrid approach to work, is that their staff are still coming into the office, but not five days a week. This has had a subsequent impact on the consistency of footfall and sales in the hospitality areas.

It’s more important than ever that workplaces have a really attractive offering to keep staff on-site at break and lunch times, and avoid them being tempted to head to nearby high street eateries and cafes. Tech has a big role to play in the customer experience in your hospitality setting – from reducing queues and a speedy service, to pre-ordering items and flexible payment options.

Here’s five benefits AI will bring to your workplace hospitality operation:

  1. Half a second: Autonomous checkout (AI-based image recognition) means checkouts are literally given ‘vision’ – they can see what is on the plate and calculate the price, without having to scan product barcodes or wait for an operator to tap your items into a till. Visual recognition takes place within half a second, making it a seriously speedy process and means queues are massively decreased, whilst also reducing operational cost.
  2. Payment options: Payment at an AI checkout can be made via contactless, mobile wallet or the swipe of a card – lots of options which means people can choose to leave their wallet at home if they wish, pay with different cards or use their smartphone for the entire transaction.
  3. No shrinkage: Unlike human error, one of the major advantages of automatic recognition is that no items can be missed or forgotten, reducing shrinkage. This won’t amount to huge cost savings, but over the course of a year it will add up.
  4. Valuable data: Businesses will understand everything about buying habits – what food combinations are being purchased, what time of the day is most busy, the average transaction value, the most popular items and so on. This can then inform procurement decisions, promotions and also loyalty programmes.
  5. Utilising your hospitality staff: If, for example, the workplace canteen is busy Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, staff can concentrate on the hospitality areas on those days and then be utilised elsewhere on other days. Given the widespread adoption of hybrid working, this increased flexibility is welcomed and ensures the overall operation is working as efficiently as possible.

To find out more about how our AI solutions and how we can help your workplace operation thrive email us on info@systopia.co.uk