Where Change is the Only Constant

According to a recent Consumer Spending Report, dining-out spending trends are up five percent over last November. There are a lot of changes happening right now in the restaurant industry, with one of the most noticeable changes being the calorie-posting requirement for chain restaurants. There are other more subtle changes taking place, such as the introduction of Call4Sure™ cellular messaging by JTECH. Call4Sure gives operators ultimate flexibility to use pagers and also to connect a patron’s personal cell phone. The top three reasons given by survey participants for why they are dining out includes: (1) they are traveling or are away from home; (2) they have less time to cook at home; or, (3) it’s cheaper to eat out than cook at home. Imbedded in all of these responses is the desire for convenience and simplicity. Call4Sure adds just that, more convenience for the guest. Call4Sure has the added benefits of adding convenience, efficiency, and value for the restaurant as well. The system is easy to install, easy to operate, and results in better efficiency in the “front of the house.”

Running the “front of the house” is a combination of art and science. Between waiters, bussers, runners, cashiers and hostesses, the sheer number of people can sometimes be overwhelming to guests and management alike. Call4Sure helps you streamline the reception and wait areas, and also gives your diners the opportunity to wait nearby as they see fit and be alerted via their cell phone when the table is ready. Restaurant efficiency is improved as waiters and hostesses are free to focus on the task in front of them, as opposed to worrying about blocked doorways, crowded corridors and elevated noise. Another added benefit is to those guests seated at the tables closest to the hostess station who may otherwise receive a less than peaceful meal when crowds are managed efficiently. Call4Sure provides a positive change for restaurant guests and operators alike!

Communication systems can sometimes cause the very problems they are trying to eliminate. This is often counterproductive and expensive for businesses. If your communication system is not integrated across departments and services, you are likely missing out on increased sales and profits, not to mention improved customer satisfaction. JTECH offers a suite of communication devices and systems designed to streamline your entire communication process. Guest-service establishments can never lose sight of their ultimate goal of servicing the client. Sometimes businesses get so wrapped up in their own minutia that they miss this target. By integrating communication systems across the entire business, service execution is streamlined and made significantly more efficient. For example, GuestPass™ pagers are a terrific addition for hotels where the check-in process can get bogged down during busy hours. By simply handing your waiting guest a GuestPass pager, you have freed them up to explore the property, visit F&B outlets or retail shops or simply enjoy the surrounding grounds. This is highly more desirable than asking them to stand in a chaotic line near guest registration. It is said that patience is a virtue, but in reality, many people do not handle waiting in lines very well. GuestPass pagers alleviate the stressors associated with waiting in line. Now if there was only such a thing for traffic jams!

JTECH’s communication solutions are designed to be incorporated virtually everywhere, so the very same type of pagers used at guest services are great for use in the restaurant as well. Again, with waiting in line being an undesirable activity, GuestPass pagers are ideally incorporated at the hostess station of your restaurant. Once again, simply hand the guest a pager and they are free to move with ease until their table is available. Similar uses occur in spa settings, concierge, valet, luggage handling, and anywhere else the guest might need to wait for a service. Streamlining communication has really never been easier.

Your hotel or resort is a place where your guests should feel like they are the most important people in the whole world. Sometimes an early check-in makes that a real challenge. With the GuestAlert® system from JTECH, you can meet this challenge (and others). Simply hand your early arrival a GuestPass™ pager, and give them the mobility and freedom to enjoy a cup of coffee or meal, a visit to the pool bar or a walk through the retail shops. When their room is ready, you can alert them at the touch of a button or even on their cell phone!

Applications for GuestPass pagers are plentiful. For example, JTECH’s wireless pagers are great for all areas ranging from the hotel spa to valet service, to a specialty buffet or other F&B event. Whenever there is a wait time for services, you can hand your guest a wireless pager, and they are free to go sit outside on the terrace or browse the hotel shops. This further provides you the opportunity to increase sales and profits in other areas of the operation.

Meanwhile, on a very practical note, JTECH pagers have a sturdy and tough design making them ideal for even the roughest environments. In addition, they are equipped with an out-of-range feature which simplifies usage and reduces the likelihood of pager loss. The turn-key installation process is a snap, and implementation is simple. GuestPass pagers are a direct and discreet way to communicate with your guests and better meet their needs, making them an all around solution for superior customer service.

The gross gambling revenue in 2010 was $34.60 billion according to the American Gaming Association. Gross gambling revenue is calculated as the amount wagered minus the winnings paid back to players, thereby making this a true representation of the economic impact of gaming. Casinos play a huge role in the economic viability of select cities and states by way of taxes paid, jobs created and tourism attracted. With casinos come other business avenues such as hotels and restaurants. People may come to gamble, but they have to eat and sleep somewhere. In a market ripe with competition, restaurants need to stand out in order to attract the attention of casino guests in an environment that is already extremely over-stimulated. JTECH’s GuestPass™ pagers as part of the GuestAlert® communication system will do just that – set your restaurant establishment apart from the rest.

One must remember that the real reason for being at a casino is to gamble, so providing these guests the freedom to do so while waiting for a table makes business sense. Your guests can put their name in with the hostess and return to their game of choice until their table is ready. GuestPass pagers are discreet, making them ideal for use at table games where people might be more focused on the hand or the bets being made. In addition, GuestPass pagers are equipped with an out-of-range feature, which helps reduce walk-aways and lost equipment. Giving your waiting guests the opportunity to gamble in the interim period before their table is ready will give the illusion that they waited no time at all. Their mind will be on the game, not on the fact that they’re waiting. As a result, when they show up at your restaurant when their table is ready, they will be hungry but not disgruntled, unless of course they just lost a bad bet. But, seeing that you cannot control their betting habits, focus on what you can control – seating your guests quickly while making the wait enjoyable with GuestPass pagers.

Flexibility in the workplace can make a business run smoothly and efficiently. Conversely, if flexibility is lacking the business may just run out of control. While flexibility is required within the workplace, it is also beneficial when integrated as an element of customer service. Giving guests the flexibility to wait in a convenient location while either their table is being prepared or their car is being summoned by valet will result in a more positive guest experience. JTECH’s Call4Sure™ cell phone “paging” application enables communication in a non-intrusive manner and at a time and place that is convenient for waiting guests.

Call4Sure is integrated with the GuestAlert® and PeopleAlert™ wireless messaging systems as a added means of efficient communication between the business and its guests. People appreciate the ability to stroll outside or browse the surrounding businesses while waiting for a table at a nearby eatery and JTECH pagers and wireless messaging solutions offer just that. Call4Sure is especially handy because guests can be reached on JTECH pagers or their personal cell phones, thereby reducing needs for extra equipment. An auxiliary benefit for business owners to use JTECH’s cell phone messaging is that the reduction of pager loss and replacement expenses. And, many people are comfortable doing business over their phones. It’s almost as if the cell phone has become an entryway to people’s time and attention. Tapping into this resource effectively can be a wise business strategy. As for some practical notes, Call4Sure is user-installable in minutes and doesn’t require any additional external power. At the end of the day, cell phones are here to stay…at least until the next technology comes along. It only makes sense to maximize the benefits of this technology where appropriate. Smart businesses meet their customers where they are at, and at this time, making cell phones another natural fit.

Guest pagers are a known reducer of walk-away business. For some reason, placing that pager in a guest’s hands drastically reduces the likelihood that they will grow tired of waiting and decide to go elsewhere. This is probably why so many businesses and restaurants have taken to using guest pagers for waiting patrons. JTECH offers a number of options for businesses looking to integrate guest paging. For example, JTECH’s coaster style Glowster® pagers have been extremely popular and have stood the test of time with a long history of successful industry use. The unique GuestPass™ and traditional PatronPass™ are other options for your business. Pagers seem to create an invisible tether between guests and the restaurant.

As your guests are feeling the benefits of top notch service, your business also gets to reap the rewards of improved efficiency. Guest pagers help you locate your guests faster, thereby enabling you to run a more efficient operation. Less time waiting for guests to be located results in you being able to service more people in less time. So, while you have not only created this invisible tether, it turns out to be more like a bungee cord with a quick return response. These pagers also have the benefit of having a place for a printed insert, which you can choose to use for additional advertising or to highlight drink and appetizer specials. JTECH pagers also have an out of range feature which will help protect against pager loss and missed paging to guests who have wandered too far away (including the unique voice alerts found in GuestPass!) JTECH’s industry experience will help you find the right communication and paging mix for your specific business. Whether large or small, there is a solution that is the right size for you.

People have grown increasingly less tolerant of spending idle time waiting. That’s why it’s even more important that businesses find alternative ways to accommodate their guests while they have to wait. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is through guest paging to cell phones. JTECH’s Call4Sure™ system allows your business to send a "page" to a cell phone, in effect, paging a cell phone, to alert your customer. Perhaps this is to alert them that their table is now available, or that a prescription is ready for pick up, or that their car is finished being detailed; the applications are practically endless. With Call4Sure, guests can also respond back, which in turn simplifies your business operations as well. The concept of “time management” used to be something heard of only in the business world, but with most households now being supported by two working parents, the concept of time management has spilled over into the personal realm.

A counter-argument is that busyness is who we are as Americans, that it’s not something that needs to be solved, but rather embraced. Sending your client off on their merry way while you get done what needs to get done for them is a win-win situation for all. They have the peace of mind that they will be contacted ASAP, and you as a service provider are free to focus on what you do best, whether it’s serve food or fix cars. Meanwhile, in the blink of an eye, businesses can be left behind on the technological front. The integration of a paging system will not only keep your business in the game, but with the added edge of being client-centered. It also sends a message of respect to your waiting guest, client, or customer. You are sending the message that you honor their time and understand that it’s often better for the customer if they don’t have to wait around your business while their services are completed.

Come on, who doesn’t feel better about life when using valet parking. Valet parking is much more on a psychological level than just parking a car. Studies have shown that people perform better when wearing better clothes, they walk taller when carrying that designer purse or briefcase, and they have more confidence when wearing luxury perfume or cologne. Using valet is more about emphasizing a way of life than merely avoiding having to walk to a parking lot. Treating your guests with a particular level of service will leave a far-lasting impression.

One way to up the ante a little higher is to use ValetAlert™ by JTECH. ValetAlert allows guests to silently and wirelessly notify the valet staff that they are ready for their car. While this will make your guests literally feel like the world is at their fingertips, it also has benefits for your business and your bottom line. Because guests can page valet while checking out or while paying their bill at the hotel restaurant or bar, there’s less of a chance for a gaggle of people waiting outside by the valet station waiting for cars. Cars will come and go on a much smoother basis allowing your staff to provide guests the supreme county club treatment including opening and closing of car doors. Curb service has never looked so good. Customer retention is all about giving the customer more than what they expected. Valet paging systems are like a butler in your pocket – one press of a button and your needs are met. And perhaps more relevant to the business owner, research indicates that engaged customers generate 1.7 times more revenue than “normal customers,” and engaged customers return a revenue gain of 3.4 times the norm.

The holidays are a very busy time for entertaining. Managing the crowds can be difficult and stressful. On the other hand, having the proper tools at your disposal can make for increased sales and profits. With approximately 85% of employers intending to hold a holiday gathering of some type, JTECH’s paging systems can be of great use. While the number of holiday parties is actually a drop of about 9% versus the year prior, the sales opportunity is still very great. Two particularly tough years for holiday parties include 2001 (following 9/11) when only 83% held holiday parties, and 1991 (a recessionary year) when only 82% held holiday parties. These results reinforce what many event planners already recognize: most employers remain interested in hosting an annual holiday party. That’s a given. These events are generally cost effective and are great morale builders.
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According to the Harvard Business Review, creativity is under threat. It happens whenever and wherever there’s a squeeze on labor, and it’s happening in many businesses today. According to the Labor Department’s most recent stats, productivity is up. But stretching fewer employees to cover ever more work in our job-starved recovery is dangerous. Without the creativity that produces new and valuable ideas, innovation withers and dies. Successfully creative people operate differently. Rather than getting trapped by what is already inside their heads, they voraciously consume new information and combine it in ways no one previously imagined. They don’t develop those habits of mind by following mandated curricula. In fact, communication with others in the workplace allows for creative collaboration beyond what can be achieved in traditional meetings. Onsite, immediate, real-time communication with other staff members enables creative problem solving. JTECH’s paging solutions are not only ideal for communicating with guests but also for enabling communication between staff members.

Under the severe pressure of the financial crisis, businesses are seeking new and creative ways to wow guests in the hopes that lifetime customers will be established. JTECH’s GuestAlert® paging system is a tried and true way of pleasing your guests. Sometimes the best solution is one where uncertainty meets certainty. The positive consistent results of using a JTECH system can be combined with additional cutting-edge ideas that might be a little bit more undefined in their rate of success. This is one way to prudently innovate, which although that sounds like an oxymoron, is actually quite effective for maximizing potential gains while minimizing potential losses.