By Paul Damaren, Executive Vice President, Business Development at RizePoint

If there was a spinach recall, would you know – without a shadow of a doubt – whether the supply of spinach your organization received was safe to serve or sell?  Are you operating efficiently, automating tedious and repetitive tasks so your employees can focus on providing exceptional customer service? And are you using data on your customers’ preferences and buying histories to provide personalized products, services, and recommendations to enhance their experiences with your brand?

If you’re using the hottest tech trends of 2023 – artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, blockchain, augmented reality and virtual reality – you’d be able to do all of these things and more! These tech trends can boost safety, quality, efficiency, transparency, and accuracy, while also dramatically elevating the customer experience.

Whether you’re running a restaurant, hotel, retail brand, or other business, these hot tech trends will be instrumental, helping you improve your safety and quality programs and providing a host of other benefits, as well. Seven reasons that your organization should use these tools include their ability to:

1. Boost safety and quality. Panera Bread is using AI technology to improve product safety, quality and consistency across their restaurants, such as ensuring proper temperature control. Increasingly, more brands are using AI to

improve their safety and quality programs and reduce food safety breaches. For instance, machine learning algorithms can predict food safety risks based on various parameters, such as storage conditions, handling, temperature, etc. And IoT devices offer real-time monitoring of various safety and quality parameters to identify and mitigate risks, and provide constant feedback. This means brands are instantly notified about variations in temperature, humidity, and other issues so they can act quickly to prevent safety breaches and quality degradation.

• Improve operational efficiencies. Restaurants like Panera bread, hotels like InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and retailers like Lowes are using AI to automate tasks – which is resulting in a variety of benefits, from reducing waste (IHG brands reduced waste by 30%!) to providing extraordinary, high value guest experiences. Lowes uses their LoweBot to provide directions, answer questions, and help customers find the items they need. LoweBots also monitor inventory, identify items that need to be restocked, and replenish shelves. Increasingly, we’ll see more organizations adopting AI technology to improve their operational efficiencies and automate tasks like managing inventory, ordering products, restocking shelves, taking reservations, checking guests into hotel rooms, etc. This will help free up human employees so they can focus on enhancing the customer experience.

• Elevate the customer experience. Machine learning uses complex algorithms to learn critical information, then makes predictions based on historical patterns. Think of how Netflix uses information about the shows you watch, then provides new content based on your preferences. When McDonald’s used predictive technologies to analyze historical data about what customers ordered (and when), they improved their drive-thru operations. Predicting busier times allowed the fast-food brand to increase staffing to accommodate the rush, and knowing which items would be most popular throughout the day informed ordering and prep. As a result, McDonald’s was able to successfully shave off 30 seconds of drive-thru wait times to improve the customer experience. Hilton Hotel’s robot, Connie, the first customer service robot for hotels, automates hotel check in, provides directions, and answers questions, reducing customer wait times. Marriott International leverages machine learning to collect and analyze data and then uses those insights to provide personalized products, services, and recommendations for their guests. And North Face helps customers find their perfect North Face coat, using technology to ask consumers questions about where they’ll wear the coat and what activities they’ll be doing while wearing it. Then, North Face can make personalized recommendations to help customers find the perfect coat for their activities, which drives sales and customer delight. Hospitality brands are leveraging VR and AR to provide immersive experiences, like virtual room tours and walkthroughs of event spaces, which improves the way people can book their hotel stay as well as large-scale events like weddings and conferences.

• Improve decision-making. AI provides key insights on customer preferences and historical data to inform better decision-making. For example, AI-enabled software can track historical purchasing data, identify trends, and determine the proper quantities of supplies to order based on these insights. IHG uses intelligent camera, smart scales and AI-based smart meters to analyze ingredients during food prep and when plates are returned to the kitchen. They use this information to determine and track which food items are most wasted to inform future buying decisions, shape their menus, and minimize waste (and its environmental impact). Using AI helps brands easily and accurately determine what products they need, which food offerings should be cut due to low demand, what products they have in stock, and what they need to order. Using AI to inform decision-making helps brands have proper inventory in stock, while reducing food waste that often comes from overbuying. 

5. Reduce waste. Organizations waste an astounding amount of food each year, which costs them significant money and contributes to our growing landfills. Did you know that a whopping 22 to 33 billion pounds of food is wasted in US restaurants each year? Today’s hot tech trends can help reduce this waste (and the huge costs associated with it.)  For instance, IoT sensors can monitor kitchen equipment to improve food safety and prevent waste, and smart refrigerators can automate inventory tracking and use-by dates for more efficient food management. IoT can also help managers anticipate product needs based on sales, order new products based on historic demand, and avoid overstocking perishable items that will be wasted if not used right away. Businesses can also use blockchain to track supply levels and products’ expiration dates, which is a more efficient, effective strategy than manually using the FIFO method that many brands have historically relied on.

• Ensure product authenticity. IoT, AI, and blockchain are important in the grocery, retail, restaurant, and hospitality sectors, providing real-time monitoring of product conditions, predicting demand to optimize stock and reduce waste, and ensuring product authenticity. For instance, Walmart has been an early adopter of blockchain technology for food traceability. Other brands are also leveraging blockchain to provide food authentication through increased transparency and traceability, allowing them to be certain that the food they’re getting is safe, authentic, and high-quality. Blockchain can trace food back to its source to prevent food fraud and increase food safety. As foods reach different checkpoints along the supply chain, data is documented in blockchain ledgers, providing real-time visibility during every step of each product’s journey. This allows organizations to identify potential contamination, mishandling, and/or errors to mitigate risks.

6. Elevate safety training. Most food and hospitality businesses recognize the importance of providing proper, ongoing safety training, but they often don’t make it engaging, memorable, and compelling. Sure, you can use standard safety materials and posters to teach your staff about proper protocols, but when you use Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in your training programs, it boosts employee engagement and enjoyment, and makes critical information more memorable. Using VR and AR to role play common scenarios – and/or simulate emergency situations – will engage and motivate employees better than any safety poster or workbook ever could.

7. Reduce errors. Human errors are common, especially during busy periods when employees are rushed or during shifts where your organization is short-staffed. For example, a server in a crowded dining room might misunderstand a guest’s order and serve them the wrong dish. This could be devastating in the case of a food allergy, where a simple mistake could make the guest sick (or even kill them). Using AI to take orders means less chance of human error, which can protect your guests – and your reputation. Using tech tools to automate tasks, like taking reservations or room service orders, conducting inventory, and purchasing products, can also improve accuracy and reduce errors (and their associated costs, risks, and headaches).

Any organization that wants to improve their safety and quality programs, boost transparency, increase efficiency, make training more impactful, and enhance the customer experience should invest in these hot technologies. You’ll be able to justify these tech investments and show ROI, as these innovations provide many significant benefits, allowing your organization to protect your customers and your reputation.

For more information about how RizePoint’s solutions can help your organization strengthen your food safety, quality, and compliance programs, let’s talk.