QikServe : The Waiter In Your Pocket http://qikserve.com Wed, 08 May 2013 11:44:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 “I’ll Pay You More, and Tell You More About Me” http://qikserve.com/index.php/723/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/723/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:50:51 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=723

Insight into consumer behaviour costs you money, right? Wrong!

In these hard times operators are resorting to heavy discounting and promotion to gain access to customer data via discount websites, loyalty cards or even paper vouchers.

This has meant brisk trade for discount companies, such as Groupon, promising access to

Some loyalty cards give away up [...]]]> Loyalty cards

Insight into consumer behaviour costs you money, right? Wrong!

In these hard times operators are resorting to heavy discounting and promotion to gain access to customer data via discount websites, loyalty cards or even paper vouchers.

This has meant brisk trade for discount companies, such as Groupon, promising access to

Some loyalty cards give away up to 20% off the bottom line, to entice a customer. At best you sacrifice profit and worse you risk devaluing your brand.customer populations.

So, is there a better way without having to eat into your bottom line?  Yes!

Will customers give access up freely?  Yes!

Better still, will they spend more in doing so? Yes!

And we can prove it!

Rather than bribe customers, make it easy to engage with your service. Remove the barriers to service and offer customer a choice of ways to interact with your service teams.  Remote order points (counters, bars and kiosks), long queues and busy times can result in slow service, interruption, incovenience and annoyance for the customer.  When you remove these barriers by allowing customer to self order, customers are more willing to give up information in return and even spend more money – up to 73% more!

Even better, if you can do this through the customer’s personal mobile you will enable them to tell you about their likes, dislikes, buying preferences and even their extended networks.  All of the things you need in order to entice them back.

QikServe® is a mobile platform that allows customers to order food and drinks straight from their smartphone.

Our technology has been proven in bars and restaurants, hotels and more recently in sports stadiums. The data has been astonishing.

From our bars and restaurants, orders placed through the free QikServe® App show an amazing 50-73% increase on the average spend per transaction.

Why? I hear you ask. There are many reasons:

  •         Upsell processes are built into your menus. This means you are not relying on staff remembering all your upsell channels.
  •         Ordering through a device the customers are familiar with – their own mobile phone – makes the experience easy and convenient.
  •         There is less pressure to make snap decisions than when a service professional presents them with options not clear on the paper menu. Often the default answer is, no! In a self-serve scenario it is more likely, yes!
  •         Orders are combined.   The customer can order for others.   Where the customer would usually have to make 2 trips to the ordering point now they can combine this into one ordering event.  This also means less processing time for staff.
  •        Capture that all important second service – perhaps another coffee and cake, or a cheeky additional wine or two?  It’s so much easier and quicker to add it on when it is so convenient to order, without having to move or wait for a server.

So, you see, it is possible! Not only can you capture the order events linked to the account and therefore present more highly targeted and relevant offers in the future you can do it without gorging on your bottom line.

However, it is even better than that. As we have shown, the customer can end up sharing more, spending more, and coming back more, all because you simply helped them overcome those frustrating service barriers.

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/723/feed/ 0 Hearts first in UK with mobile app for food and beverages http://qikserve.com/index.php/hearts-first-in-uk-with-mobile-app-for-food-and-beverages/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/hearts-first-in-uk-with-mobile-app-for-food-and-beverages/#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:20:56 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=717 PRESS RELEASE

Saltire Hospitality rolls out QikServe app for over 4,000 seats

Edinburgh, UK – March 1st, 2013 – Mobile technology company, QikServe, today announced the first deployment of a mobile app that allows supporters to buy food and beverages at a UK sporting event. The QikServe app is being rolled out [...]]]> PRESS RELEASE

Saltire Hospitality rolls out QikServe app for over 4,000 seats

Danny Wilson, Hearts of Midlothian and Martin McAvoy, Saltire Hospitality

Danny Wilson, Hearts of Midlothian and Martin McAvoy, Saltire Hospitality

Edinburgh, UK – March 1st, 2013 – Mobile technology company, QikServe, today announced the first deployment of a mobile app that allows supporters to buy food and beverages at a UK sporting event. The QikServe app is being rolled out at Tynecastle Stadium, home of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

On March 2nd, a section of the home supporters at Hearts’ game against Motherwell will be able to use their Android or iOS smartphones to place orders for their food and drinks during the match.

“We are delighted to be the first football club in Britain to use mobile technology in this way to give our supporters more flexibility in the way they access concessions during a match,” said David Southern, Managing Director, Heart of Midlothian F.C. “Our supporters are the best in the country and we do all we can to ensure that they have the best possible match day experience.”

QikServe has partnered with Hearts’ catering company, Saltire Hospitality, to offer over 3,000 supporters in Tynecastle’s Wheatfield Stand the unique opportunity to skip the queues and have their orders delivered direct to their seats. Following this initial deployment, QikServe will be rolled out across the stadium in stages throughout 2013.

Using a simple web-based interface, the QikServe App can be easily customised by Saltire to offer any items it chooses. In future, the app could be configured to offer a wider range of food and beverage options, or even to offer non-food items such as match programmes, memorabilia or even items from the club shop.

“This is a UK first in terms of the use of mobile technology for ordering at a football match,” said Martin McAvoy, Business Development Manager at Saltire Hospitality. “At Saltire, we look to make use of new and innovative technologies to help improve the customer experience and QikServe ticks all the boxes.”

The QikServe App, already proven in sectors including casual dining and hotel room service is available as a free download, and allows secure payment via credit card or Paypal. Supporters that have downloaded the app will be able to scan 2D barcodes (QR codes) on their seats to be presented with a menu offering a list of food and beverage options and will be able to place orders throughout the first and second halves. QikServe orders will be put on hold during the half-time period, while the concessions kiosks are at their busiest.

“The classic pie and Bovril combination is a British football tradition and that will never change, but our goal is to use mobile technology to bring that tradition into the 21st century,” said Dan Rodgers, Founder, QikServe. “The convenience of ordering from your seat is a perk normally reserved for the executive boxes, but QikServe makes it possible for everyone!”

The QikServe App connects to the QikServe platform over the internet using a mobile data connection. The QikServe platform is a highly available, cloud-based service which stores and processes orders, routing them to Saltire’s ordering systems. Currently available for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad), the QikServe App will soon also be available for Windows devices.

About Qikserve
Mobile technology specialist, QikServe was founded in 2011 by a team of mobile self-service experts with over 12 years mobile technology development and business experience. The company’s goal is to radically change and improve the casual dining experience for customers by providing a mass adoption self-serve system. For more information, visit: www.qikserve.com

-ends-

Note to media:
Images related to this story can be downloaded for media use at the following link: www.qikserve.com/index.php/contact/press/

Media Contact:

Danny Sullivan
Tel: +44 772 497 4255
Email: dannyjsullivan1@gmail.com
Twitter: @mrdannysullivan
Skype: mr.dannysullivan

 

BBC:
Radio 5 Live (approx 1hr 24 mins in)
Sky News:
Edinburgh Evening News:
Herald:
Daily Record:
Metro:
Mobile Marketing Magazine:
Yahoo News:
SBS (Australia):
Daily Times (Pakistan):
Belfast Telegraph:
Paisley Daily Express:
Heart FM:
Ayrshire Post:
LBC FM:
Sport Balla:
i4U News:
Scottish Enterprise:
Illustrated UK:
News 168:
Wales on Sunday:
]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/hearts-first-in-uk-with-mobile-app-for-food-and-beverages/feed/ 0 So, Mobile! http://qikserve.com/index.php/so-mobile/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/so-mobile/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:46:37 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=664 So, a new year is always a good time for a bit of reflection. One word springs to mind about 2012, WOW! It is clear that there is a mass consumer trend around mobile services and self-service. Recently, I have caught others and myself on a number of occasions walking past empty manned checkouts [...]]]> QikServe_Press_Hotels5wSo, a new year is always a good time for a bit of reflection. One word springs to mind about 2012, WOW! It is clear that there is a mass consumer trend around mobile services and self-service. Recently, I have caught others and myself on a number of occasions walking past empty manned checkouts in the supermarket to use a self-checkout. Is it because I am anti-social? Maybe? But no, it’s just more convenient even with the odd weight check hiccup or alcohol purchase. I feel like I am in control, not working to anothers expectation. I don’t have that pressure from the operator waiting for payment while I am still packing my bags for a start. I am waiting for the day I can scan my own shopping with my phone as I go round. And that I think is the next evolution.

hands_and_phones_01My smartphone goes everywhere with me and I’d much rather use my own device than someone else’s, and that is where QikServe comes into its own. QikServe lets the customers use their own device to access service. Self-service is already in play in the hospitality sector with terminals on tables. The stats are well known, 30% reduction in cost and 10-15% increase in sales, figures that are often quoted. QikServe lets the customer use there own device to order food and drinks using our patented Quick Response (QR) code method to deliver a menu and identify a micro-location. The surprising thing is that left to their own devices, pardon the pun, people spend more, up to 75% more, far higher than the 10-15%.

QikServe is a perfect solution for giving customers options to overcome service barriers. In 2012 we saw QikServe QikServe_Press_Hotels1wdeployed into a number of food and beverage service scenarios. The flexibility of QikServe means we can rapidly and conveniently deploy QikServe, and that is what we did. Restaurants for food service, bars, holiday parks, airports, hotel room service and we have also taken on the pie and Bovril at the football stadium. If someone told me 3 years ago I’d scan my own groceries at the supermarket I would have probably looked at him or her as if they had 2 heads. Ordering your pie and Bovril at a football stadium using your phone and getting it delivered to your seat is exactly one of those paradigm shifting statements.

By far the most powerful aspect of the smartphone, which no retailer should ignore, is its ability to connect. However, what retailers also need to bear in mind is that an individual’s screen ‘real estate’ is not easy to penetrate. A lot of brand owners are trying to get their own app on there. It is a hugely competitive space. To do that you are going to need a pretty compelling offer. The other way to go is the aggregator solution. This is much more appealing from a user perspective because they have one app to access many retailers. You only need to look at the success of one of my personal favourites, Booking.com, which seems like it lets you book any hotel in the world. QikServe gives the best of both worlds, a useful multi operator app that gets your brand on an individual’s device. QikServe lets you connect to a customer in a way that has never been possible until now. Imagine being able to understand the likes and dislikes of an individual, and imagine knowing more about their extended networks. Well you don’t need to imagine! QikServe can bring that to you today, at the same time delivering real value add service for your customer.

It is clear 2013 is going to be even bigger for the smartphone as more and more everyday transactions move to the little screen. If you would like to learn more about QikServe and the incredible opportunities it brings then please feel free to drop us a line.

untitled1-300x118

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/so-mobile/feed/ 0 QikServe®,wins the Great New Idea Award at the UK’s largest Restaurant and Hospitality Trade Show http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikservewins-the-great-new-idea-award-at-the-uks-largest-restaurant-and-hospitality-trade-show/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikservewins-the-great-new-idea-award-at-the-uks-largest-restaurant-and-hospitality-trade-show/#comments Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:25:21 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=503
Amongst stiff competition from over 300 of the most innovative hospitality brands from around the world, QikServe was voted the Great New Idea by the thousands of attendees at The Restaurant Show, Earls Court, 2012.

QikServe’s award winning product is a new and exciting way for customers to order food and drinks [...]]]>


Amongst stiff competition from over 300 of the most innovative hospitality brands from around the world, QikServe was voted the Great New Idea by the thousands of attendees at The Restaurant Show, Earls Court, 2012.

QikServe’s award winning product is a new and exciting way for customers to order food and drinks straight from their phone. The QikServe App, which can be adapted to work with most retailers, is set to revolutionise the casual dining, hospitality and leisure industry. With global aspirations, QikServe is a dynamic Scottish start-up poised to take on the world.

Daniel Rodgers, Founder of QikServe said; “We know we have an awesome product and we are over the moon at winning this award. For such a young company and new entrant into the hospitality sector to get recognition from the industry professionals is a massive achievement and testimony to all the hard work by the QikServe team”

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikservewins-the-great-new-idea-award-at-the-uks-largest-restaurant-and-hospitality-trade-show/feed/ 0 QikServe News!! http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-news-2/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-news-2/#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:35:40 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=457 We are pleased to announce that QikServe is now available at Bristol Airport, UK.  Bristol is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK moving 4 million passengers a year. Customers at Bristol’s Bar Zero 9, operated by SSP, can now use QikServe to order food and drinks from the [...]]]> We are pleased to announce that QikServe is now available at Bristol Airport, UK.  Bristol is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK moving 4 million passengers a year. Customers at Bristol’s Bar Zero 9, operated by SSP, can now use QikServe to order food and drinks from the comfort of their table. All they have to do is download the QikServe App, check into a table by scanning a QR code and then browse and order via the interactive menu. The Bar Zero 9 staff will then do the legwork for them.

It has been the culmination of a lot of hard work by staff at Bar Zero 9 and QikServe. Bar Zero 9 are taking their semi-counter service model to the next stage using of Smartphone technology to enhance the customer experience by offering the choice an convenience of self ordering via the customers own device, rather than going up to the bar.

We are looking forward to a successful deployment at Bristol Airport and wish them every success.

In other news, we have release new versions of both the Android and iOS Apps. The app is smaller for a start, meaning faster download speeds. Improved menu categorisation and the ability to add special instructions to an item on a menu. So, if like me you don’t like beans just say. Our next version will have the option to pay for your food and drinks within the App. I you already have the app be sure to update it. If not, what you waiting for? There will be a QikServe venue near you shortly.

In the next few weeks we will also be releasing a consumer website with loads of cool stuff on it. It will be great way to keep in touch and interact with us.

Don’t forget you can follow us of Facebook and Twitter, just search ‘QikServe’.

 Click here for our Facebook page and

 Click here for our Twitter page

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-news-2/feed/ 0 QikServe Big In Hospitality http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-big-in-hospitality/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-big-in-hospitality/#comments Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:25:16 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=441

Mobile restaurant ordering app using customer’s own smartphone launched in UK

by Peter Ruddick

Click on the link to read the article
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Mobile-restaurant-ordering-app-using-customer-s-own-smartphone-launched-in-UK

]]>

Mobile restaurant ordering app using customer’s own smartphone launched in UK

by Peter Ruddick

Click on the link to read the article
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Mobile-restaurant-ordering-app-using-customer-s-own-smartphone-launched-in-UK

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-big-in-hospitality/feed/ 0 QikServe Impresses Huffington Post @ NRA Chicago http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-impresses-huffington-post-nra-chicago/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-impresses-huffington-post-nra-chicago/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 16:24:48 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=373 Well, what a reception we got at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago! In the ever-growing technology pavilion there was a clear trend evident, and QikServe was bang on point. That was the move towards mobile. In an industry that has not yet [...]]]> Well, what a reception we got at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago! In the ever-growing technology pavilion there was a clear trend evident, and QikServe was bang on point. That was the move towards mobile. In an industry that has not yet reaped the benefits, for both operator and consumer, of self service and the convenience offered by leveraging mobile technology. Self ordering and media interaction has been a growing trend with adoption of tabletop devices increasing steadily, albeit a capital intensive exercise. 

The cost saving and increase in sales is now a well trodden path, with data showing a 15-18% increase in individual sales and 30% cost reductions. However, for me it is simply about choice and removing barriers to service. QikServe takes this to the next level and we were the stand out technology, both from the show representatives perspective and the Huffington Post, who said ‘..the most ingenious offering in this aisle was brought forward by three Scots who make up the burgeoning company, QikServe…’.  You can read the full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elysabeth-alfano/national-restaurant-association-show_b_1504885.html?ref=fb&src=sp&mimi=1&comm_ref=false. 

No hardware, no new device to learn, just a simple elegant solution leveraging the technology in most people’s pockets. QikServe, The Waiter in Your Pocket, allows diners with a QikServe app on their smartphone or mobile device to simply scan a Quick Response code at a table in a participating restaurant and begin ordering food and drinks straight away. It is that easy! The Huff Post said ‘How we order in restaurants is changing for the better and this was certainly a thrill for me.’ 

If you would like to know more about QikServe and how to get started just drop us a line.

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-impresses-huffington-post-nra-chicago/feed/ 0 QikServe™ @ NRA Restaurant Show #5666 http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-nra-restaurant-show-5666/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-nra-restaurant-show-5666/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:10:52 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=365 QikServe™ is a revolutionary product that enables diners to place food and drinks orders via a smartphone. We have a stand (#5666) at the National Restaurant Association NRA Show 2012 in Chicago and we would love to see you in person. Why not make an appointment to get our undivided attention for a demo [...]]]> QikServe™ is a revolutionary product that enables diners to place food and drinks orders via a smartphone. We have a stand (#5666) at the National Restaurant Association NRA Show 2012 in Chicago and we would love to see you in person. Why not make an appointment to get our undivided attention for a demo and discussion about how QikServe can delight your customers and turbocharge your business.

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/qikserve-nra-restaurant-show-5666/feed/ 0 The Complete Service http://qikserve.com/index.php/the-complete-service/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/the-complete-service/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:17:12 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=336 The benefits of customers self ordering in reducing costs are actually really obvious. It is the other stuff that can really impact your bottom line. We have all experienced this, service is quite good to begin with right up until you’ve been served your main course and then it falls away. It’s as if staff believe their job is done as soon as your main course has been served or they are just too busy to get to you. Restaurants are missing out on revenue, because of this!
Think of all those desserts and coffees that could have made it to customers via a second service and how much extra your operation could have made. Diners hate obstacles to service and not being able to catch the waiter’s attention or having to get up and order at a counter for a second time when you want to order dessert and coffee are just two examples of such obstacles. They usually make a choice here. Sit and get frustrated or get the bill and leave! Either way you end up with a ‘detractor’.
A traditional way to try and solve this would be to add more waiting staff at an obvious cost. A better solution would be to provide a service on demand solution. What if there was a way to give every customer their own waiter. Well QikServe does just that! It turns every smartphone into a waiter in the pocket.
Our research has shown that 70% of diners would place a food or drinks order using a mobile device in a restaurant where the facility existed. This is far higher than the National Restaurant Association poll which put this at 29% (still a significant number!). It now seems widely accepted that moving to a self ordering model can reduce your operating cost by 30% but the real power of QikServe lies in it ability to deliver increased sales by giving customer the opportunity to complete the service on their own terms, removing any availability obstacles placed in front of them.
To find out more about QikServe and how it can help drive your restaurant efficiency and sales visit our website (www.qikserve.com) or contact us directly to arrange a demo.
]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/the-complete-service/feed/ 0 That Elusive Second Service and Beyond? http://qikserve.com/index.php/that-elusive-second-service-and-beyond/ http://qikserve.com/index.php/that-elusive-second-service-and-beyond/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:38:02 +0000 admin http://qikserve.com/?p=315 The second service is a frustrating dilemma on both the part of the restaurant operator, and the diner. The operator looses a sale and the diner is frustrated that there was no-one to take that dessert order when the notion took them. QikServe offers the diner choice and convenience. Order what they want, [...]]]> The second service is a frustrating dilemma on both the part of the restaurant operator, and the diner. The operator looses a sale and the diner is frustrated that there was no-one to take that dessert order when the notion took them. QikServe offers the diner choice and convenience. Order what they want, when they want it. This doesn’t make the waiter redundant. QikServe is an enabling technology, it is about giving customers choices and freeing staff to take care of things that really matter in fast casual dining; comfort, speed and attention.

For decades, restaurants have struggled with how to capture every possible second service. And normally it is a staff numbers game. But more staff is more cost. When customers are looking for the value and convenience of fast casual dining, whether semi-counter or waited, adding more cost is not the thing to do.

Giving diners a waiter in their pocket is not the only way QikServe helps. The other way to get that second service is to offer customers things they really want. If they are just a coffee at the end of meal type of person, why not entice that order with a special offer. If they are the desserts sort of person, like me, learn about what they like and help them make that decision. QikServe helps you learn about your customers. Reward them with QikServes in-built loyalty capability. Find out more at www.qikserve.com and why not drop us a line. We’d be delighted to talk to you.

]]> http://qikserve.com/index.php/that-elusive-second-service-and-beyond/feed/ 0