As the QikServe team continues to grow, we are delighted to welcome Ethan Martin to the team as Chief Experience Officer. Ethan has packed in a wealth of experience and success to his career so far as Founder and CEO of ROUND – a UK based table service app. Ethan was featured in Forbes as well as being nominated for TechRound’s 29Under29 and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021.
Ethan started ROUND in 2018 whilst he was studying at the University of Sussex where he spotted a gap in the market to revolutionise in-venue dining experiences. His vision was to be the ‘Uber’ of in-venue ordering by providing a one-stop-shop to purchase food and drinks at your fingertips, wherever you may be.
Continuing his journey in hospitality technology after winding down with ROUND, Ethan joined QikServe in Summer 2022 to build on his passion around enhancing in-venue experiences for consumers and operators alike. Sharing our vision of ensuring QikServe prevails as the trailblazer of hospitality technology, Ethan is working with both our significant UK estate as well as our rapidly growing operations across America.
“I am incredibly proud and excited to join QikServe. Having been involved in the hospitality technology space for several years, I am hugely inspired by QikServe’s international growth – with our products now being used by many thousands of businesses globally, every day. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire QikServe team, and I look forward to being a part of the many more successes to come.”
What led you to your role as Chief Experience Officer at QikServe?
I was the frustrated customer – able to do anything and everything on my phone, yet unable to order food and drink when sat metres from bar. I quickly realised that the role of technology is to enhance the in-venue experience. Staff must be invested in the tech through a deep understanding of how these systems can benefit and supplement their role and the overall operation of the venue; whilst guests need a seamless and enriched experience when using the technology. My focus at QikServe is to ensure that we are constantly listening, improving, and offering the best possible in-venue experiences across the hospitality industry.
What is the golden ticket to Customer Experience?
A great operator once said to me that “Our job is to ensure our customer leaves happier than they arrived.” The golden ticket is to ensure that we make it easier for staff to provide a seamless and best-in-class experience for guests. In turn, we enable guests to spend more time enjoying venues with friends and family. The golden ticket is the skill of listening – we can only provide the optimum experience if we are constantly listening to our customers’ needs.
How do you ensure you truly understand in-venue experiences?
We spend a lot of time talking and listening to our customers to truly understand their needs. We also ‘secret shop’ in our venues – the key is to witness a standard service so we can pin-point the gaps for improvement in order to gain clear insight into how our platform is being used (or not) and where the opportunities lie. Many of the QikServe team often work in our customer’s venues to gain first-hand experience of how the venue operates and where our technology can streamline and improve processes.
What advice do you have for venues to improve their operations?
Use technology in the right way for your venue – from small to large, fast to fancy, there is always a way that technology can improve your operations and boost your business. Invest time at the beginning of your journey with us to clearly lay out your roadmap so that all potential solutions are discussed, and we build a bespoke and optimum tech stack to achieve all your goals.
