Restaurants
How Fiserv's Clover Kiosks are saving restaurants, impressing customers
Self-service kiosks can boost restaurant profits by increasing order value and reducing labor costs. Clover Kiosk is an all-in-one system that integrates ordering, payment, and kitchen management for a seamless customer and staff experience.
May 24, 2024 by Sandra Carpenter — Editor, Networld Media Group
The restaurant industry is facing a double-edged sword: rising costs and difficulty finding staff. In this challenging landscape, technology plays a crucial role in streamlining operations and keeping customers happy. Self-service kiosks come into the picture as a cost-effective and service-oriented solution. Self-service kiosks also boast a higher value per transaction than a traditional counter: the average order total at a kiosk is 15-20% more than a traditional counter transaction, according to a Kiosk Marketplace report.
Fiserv's Clover solutions, including the Clover Kiosk and Kitchen Display System (KDS), are designed to address these challenges by offering a cost-effective and feature-rich platform that enhances both customer experience and restaurant efficiency. Kiosk Marketplace talked with Mark Hennin, senior vice president and head of growth at Fiserv, in an e-mail interview about Fiserv's Clover Kiosk's role in moving QSR and fast casual ordering experiences forward.
Lower costs, higher efficiency: the secret behind Clover's success
This Spring, Fiserv issued a press release stating that the Clover Kiosk boasts "up to 40% lower total cost of ownership." The first question that pops up for business owners is: how? In the case of Clover, the answer lies in its all-in-one approach.
"Clover provides an integrated hardware and software solution," explains Hennin. "This means restaurants don't need to purchase separate systems for tasks like online ordering, employee management, bill payments or even securing capital. This bundled approach reduces overall costs and simplifies operations."
Furthermore, Clover is backed by Fiserv, a Fortune 500 company with a strong financial standing. This translates to reliable technology and a commitment to ongoing innovation, ensuring restaurants using Clover have access to future-proof solutions.
Clover Kiosk: empowering customers, streamlining operations
Self-service kiosks have become increasingly popular in restaurants, and Clover Kiosk is at the forefront of this trend. By allowing customers to browse menus, customize orders, and pay at their own pace, kiosks offer several advantages:
- Improved Speed and accuracy: Customers can take their time reviewing the menu and making selections, reducing the pressure and potential for errors that can arise during interactions with busy servers. "With self-serve technology like Clover Kiosk, customers can place an order at their own pace. They are free to browse the menu and choose the modifiers they want, reducing order errors and, by extension, increasing customer satisfaction," Hennin said.
- Enhanced control: Diners can personalize their orders exactly how they like them, leading to greater satisfaction. "Clover Kiosk improves the speed and accuracy of the ordering process and gives consumers more control over their experience," said Hennin.
- Reduced wait times: With kiosks taking care of order taking and payment processing, staff can focus on other aspects of service, leading to faster overall turnaround times. Clover "also empowers kitchen staff to optimize order fulfillment processes, reducing wait times and enhancing overall customer satisfaction," Hennin added.
The benefits extend beyond the customer experience. Hennin told Kiosk Marketplace that restaurants using Clover Kiosk report:
- Reduced labor costs: By automating the ordering process, kiosks free up staff for more value-added tasks like table service and ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Minimized food waste:Fewer order errors mean less food gets wasted, positively impacting a restaurant's bottom line.
- Increased efficiency: Streamlined operations and reduced food waste contribute to a more profitable restaurant business.
Clover Kitchen Display system: orchestrating orders for peak performance
One of the challenges restaurants face with online ordering is managing the flow of orders alongside traditional dine-in service. Clover KDS solves this problem by integrating both online and in-house orders into a single, easy-to-use interface for kitchen staff. This eliminates the need to monitor multiple devices or paper tickets, leading to:
- Unified order processing: All orders, regardless of origin, are displayed in one place, ensuring kitchen staff have a clear view of what needs to be prepared. Clover "seamlessly integrates online and dine-in orders into a single intuitive interface, providing kitchen staff with a centralized platform to monitor and fulfill all incoming orders effectively," Hennin said.
- Prioritization made easy: Restaurant managers can set up the KDS to "prioritize orders based on factors like type, timeliness, and kitchen capacity," according to Hennin. This ensures both online and dine-in customers receive their food promptly.
- Real-time updates:Kitchen staff are kept in the loop with real-time order updates, including modifications, cancellations, and new orders, Hennin added. This allows them to adapt to changes and minimize delays.
The Clover advantage: a winning combination for restaurants
In today's competitive restaurant landscape, technology is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. By offering a cost-effective and feature-rich solution, Clover empowers restaurants to streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. With the Clover Kiosk putting control in the hands of diners and the Clover KDS ensuring smooth order fulfillment in the kitchen, Clover provides a winning combination for restaurants looking to thrive in the digital age.
About Sandra Carpenter
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