Hospitality operators struggle to motivate staff
Hospitality operators believe the biggest challenge they face in 2013 is engaging and motivating staff, according to new research.
The Peach Business Leaders' Survey, conducted on behalf of Omnico, found that 88% of respondents thought inspiring their teams was the biggest challenge this year, closely followed by creating a high quality customer experience (86%).
Surprisingly, of least concern in 2013 was discounting and vouchers, with just 4% of respondents considering it a worry.
Asked what trends were going to make the most impact, over half cited chicken and craft beer as the two hottest trends of the year.
When it came to technology, respondents said it added most value for marketing and promotion (66%) and online reservations (55%). But the majority (83%) believed that hospitality businesses lag behind other sectors when it comes to understanding customers.
Commenting on the take up of technology, Steve Thomas, chief technology officer at Omnico, added: "The view from hospitality was eye-opening for us and we can see that there are opportunities to demonstrate the versatility of technology in helping brands deliver an outstanding customer experience.
"The majority of participants felt their use of technology was behind market - and businesses can ill afford to miss out on opportunities to engage with customers due to outdated technology."
The findings from the survey are available in a whitepaper from Omnico entitled 'How to harness technology for hospitality success'.
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