User adoption is the missing piece for Hospitality. Here’s why

MCA’s Hostech 2020 was another fantastic event. The great and the good of hospitality gathered to discuss the future direction of our industry. And of course, to marvel at the latest tech solutions on offer.  The only problem?  

One of the most significant challenges facing hospitality today was again left largely unaddressed – user adoption of new technologies. 

New solutions for old problems

The keynotes at Hostech treated us to interesting projections on future trends, and some very honest reviews of past projects from top tier operators. Everything from smart kitchens changing the way operators view delivery, to in-restaurant POS apps cutting customer payment times dramatically.

Similarly, many of the talks and panels at the show waxed lyrical about the importance of technology integration and tying innovations together.  

New tech is vital for operators to continue to evolve. But sadly, precious little time was given to discuss the most important integration question of all: 

How can hospitality businesses get their staff up to speed with all these new system innovations?

Ultimately, it’s your staff who determine the success of any new system integration. And as a result, effective training has never been more important than it is now.

User adoption is the missing piece

The shiniest POS or ordering solutions in the world are not going to propel your business on their own. If your staff are not clued up on how they should be using them, then not only does user adoption suffer but frustration amongst your team sets in. 

Ultimately, it’s your staff who determine the success of any new system integration. And as a result, effective training has never been more important than it is now.  

This is, of course, complicated by problems which hospitality businesses are only too aware of. 

Hospitality continues to suffer from some of the highest staff turnover rates in business, reportedly as high as 74.9% at the end of 2018¹. Have a private conversation with many operators and they’ll tell you it’s 100% or more. 

Today, up to 86% of hospitality businesses offer fewer than 10 hours of ongoing training².  

With a host of new systems launching, how much of that training time is going to be put towards ensuring they are used correctly?

Modern training for modern hospitality

So much innovation and budget in our industry is focused on new tools and the impact that they can potentially have. This is what we refer to as the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of tech integration. 

However, it is the ‘how’ that is currently being underserved by innovations or tech spend. That ‘how’ is your staff who will ultimately have to manage and maintain these new technologies for the benefit of your customers.  

To deliver on this ‘how’, staff training in 2020 needs to be fast, accessible, consistent, and crucially, scalable. 

It’s one thing to uncover the perfect tech solution to drive your business forward. 

Just don’t forget that your staff are key to the success of the journey.