Consumers rate phone use for speedy service ahead of social media

Consumers would rather use their phones for speeding up service, than posting photographs of food according to new research.

Of the 5,000 consumers quizzed by Peach Factory on behalf of Omnico Group, only 13% said they would use their phone for social media interaction in a hospitality outlet.

Over a third (35%) said they used their phones for special offers and vouchers, while 31% and 30% said they would use it for speeding up ordering and payment respectively.

Meanwhile, of the 173 hospitality business leaders quizzed, 87% said that they would prioritise investment in social media interaction outside the dining experience over other technology spend. Some 78% said that real time customer feedback on mobile devices was important, with speeding up service delivery and payment coming out low on the order of importance.

However, both consumers and business leaders agreed that bookings would be an important future use of mobile technology, with potential guests only placing voucher use ahead of reservations.

Matthew Cox from Omnico's hospitality division said: "While social media is an important channel for dealing with customer service issues, it seems that it's not something where hospitality businesses can join the conversation at the table. Consumers are more concerned with how technology can improve their actual experience and getting great deals, while business leaders were ranking these bottom of their priorities for investment.

"While priorities differ, it's clear that smartphones have an important role to play in delivering loyalty schemes and speeding up payment at the point of sale."