Fiserv Inc. has introduced a new solution enabling enterprise restaurants, retailers, and grocers to optimize delivery operations, reduce costs, and regain control of their customers’ delivery experience.

Via a new Delivery Optimization solution available to enterprises leveraging the Carat commerce platform, businesses are able to connect their digital commerce operations to more than 40 different delivery providers through a single integration, access functionality that simplifies multi-party settlement, and grow customer loyalty by retaining valuable influence over customer journeys. The solution pairs split settlement capabilities from Carat with a delivery management platform from Bringg to help businesses efficiently unify last mile delivery, fulfillment and returns.

Integrations with third-party delivery are driving 29% of restaurants’ POS upgrades,   according to HT's 2023 POS Software Trends report 

Through a single API integration, this service allows enterprises to:

• Optimize delivery across service-providers – With access to more than 40 different third-party delivery services, order routing across providers will occur based on rules set by the business, which can dynamically account for delivery times for each provider, cost for the business, and customer preferences for prioritizing fees vs. speed of delivery.
• Enhance Customer Journeys – Integrating Delivery Optimization into a business’s existing ecommerce infrastructure allows them to bring the delivery experience back within their own consumer-facing apps, enabling the merchant to retain more control throughout the customer journey. Doing so means the business can accept delivery orders in-app or online directly from consumers, accept payments via the merchant’s closed-loop gift card program, retain access to customer order data, and enable their customers to leverage the retailer’s loyalty, rewards, and marketing promotions while placing an order.  
• Split Settlement – Through a single authorization of a digital transaction, Carat will manage settlement on behalf of the business across a complex value chain of franchises, merchants, delivery providers, tips for drivers, and other service fees; and properly manage refunds when initiated by the consumer. The solution manages split settlement in variable amounts, across payment types, and eliminates 30-day invoicing timelines currently associated with multi-party settlement—allowing the business to get paid faster and reduce fraud, inflationary impacts and other risk factors.

QSR Automations and Curbit have teamed up to improve guest experience through optimized online ordering and pickup. Curbit coordinates between kitchen activity and online ordering systems to provide guests with a real-time order status and streamlined pickup process, while QSR Automations’ ConnectSmart platform maximizes kitchen efficiency by prioritizing orders based on order times and guests’ proximity. The result is happier customers and a more profitable business.

“Demand for digital ordering has resulted in a misalignment between order timing and kitchen activity,” said Scott Siegel of Curbit. “We use machine learning to synchronize arrivals with food production leveraged from QSR’s real-time data. "When we couple ConnectSmart’s order prioritization features, we’re able to make drastic improvements to the off-premise experience."

Curbit dynamically updates quote times in the digital channels based on kitchen capacity. Once an order is placed, Curbit’s technology provides the guest with an accurate ready-time using real-time data, which manages guest expectations. As the order progresses, guests receive updated pickup times, so they know exactly when to expect their meal, reducing the potential for quality items to go cold while sitting on a shelf. Meanwhile, ConnectSmart capabilities ensure order fulfillment is always based on priority, reducing kitchen waste and minimizing stress and strain on staff. 

Front-of-house staff is provided a clear view of when and where to deliver each order, while guests are queued in a virtual drive-thru to the desired handoff destination. This consistent process supports the demands of the modern pickup experience.  

Curbit is just one of several Solution Partnerships that QSR Automations has engaged with to improve guest experience. Click here to learn more. 

HotelKey, a cloud-based property management platform for hotels, announced a partnership with RateGain Travel Technologies Limited (RateGain), a global provider of SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality, to integrate RateGain’s global distribution, central reservations, and pricing capabilities into HotelKey’s PMS platform. The integration will roll out across HotelKey’s portfolio of more than 4,000 properties, with hundreds of properties already accessing the combined capabilities.

“We are excited to bring RateGain’s next-gen pricing and distribution capabilities to our partner hotels,” said HotelKey Co-Founder and President, Aditya Thyagarajan. “RateGain is an unparalleled innovator, and bringing their revenue-generating capabilities to HotelKey’s intuitive property management system is a huge plus for hotel owners and operators. We look forward to accelerating our partnership in the months ahead.”

Through the collaboration, hotels on the HotelKey platform will see RateGain’s pricing and distribution tools on the HotelKey platform. This will enable hoteliers to save time and achieve efficiencies, making better distribution decisions faster and, ultimately, saving money as well as building revenue.

“RateGain’s mission is to generate more revenue every day for hotels, and we are delighted now to include hotels on the HotelKey platform among our partners,” said Chinmai Sharma, President of the Americas at RateGain. “The HotelKey-RateGain partnership moves in the direction of providing a one-stop-shop for hoteliers looking for better ways to run their properties, train their employees, and maximize pricing, distribution, and revenue. We are excited to continue building out our collaboration with HotelKey.”

Along with other benefits, HotelKey and RateGain’s mobile-first API integration provides hoteliers with a seamless transition to the new offering, with each property gaining access to real-time inventory management and efficient oversight of third-party distribution and price parity across channels.

RateGain’s platform is designed to help hoteliers grow revenues by improving pricing, generating more bookings, and optimizing conversions across distribution channels. RateGain works with 23 of the industry’s top 30 hotel chains, and powers more than 191,000 hotels to unlock more revenue, acquire more customers, and provide outstanding on-property experiences.

Tattle unveiled the integration of Short Message Service (SMS) technology. With e-mail as the company’s main survey distribution channel, the addition of SMS as a method for survey distribution will bolster the Tattle’s ability to amplify survey participation, access a larger consumer base and drive more actionable feedback insights for their partners.

At the time of launch, Tattle’s SMS feature integrates directly with nine different POS, loyalty, ordering, and kiosk partners: Toast, Brink, Dutchie, Como, Cova, Paytronix, Flipdish, Treez, Bite and Square. The following integrations – along with the company’s API – are forthcoming: Olo, Punchh, Thanx, and Revel.

This level of integration also gives Tattle’s hospitality partners flexibility when it comes to collecting contact information from guests. Regardless of whether the POS / ordering system captured an email or a phone number, Tattle will be able to send an automated survey 90 minutes after the guest’s experience to gather feedback. The surveys will be pre-populated with order details to make the experience for guests as frictionless as possible.

Tattle is an improvement-focused customer feedback technology platform built with an open API in order to collect guest feedback and measure satisfaction across all-digital ordering channels. With nearly 30 integration partners across POS, digital ordering and loyalty sectors, Tattle can dramatically boost the feedback volume and completion rate for restaurant locations through automation and data centralization. Using AI (Artificial Intelligence), Tattle recommends the most high-impact operational area for improvement across restaurant and ghost kitchen locations to drive the greatest increase in guest satisfaction.

Interface Systems, a managed service provider of business security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses,  unveiled a new brand identity reflecting the company’s evolution. With a new logo and a new website, the rebrand builds upon the company’s 27+ years of strength, stability and growth, and underscores Interface’s mission to simplify operations, maximize ROI, and deliver relentless customer support for the nation’s top multi-location brands.

“Offering differentiated managed services using best-of-breed technologies has always been our strength. We pioneered the interactive remote video monitoring service that gives our customers an unprecedented advantage in securing people and assets. In the last few years, Interface has completely reimagined business security solutions by adding on business intelligence and strengthening our network offerings. Our suite of managed services are game changers for customers and we feel this is the right time to refresh our brand identity,” says Sunita Mani, SVP of Marketing at Interface. 

The new brand logo depicts the evolution of managed services using a series of vertical lines and a new set of brand colors that reflects Interface’s bold approach to deploying impactful solutions for customers.

“Business security is no longer just about cameras and alarms operating in silos. We have transitioned to a vertically integrated business security solution stack that’s designed to proactively address threats before they arise, leverage visual data streams and AI from cameras to measure customer experience, and deploy purpose-built connectivity solutions to enable digital transformation. Our refreshed brand identity captures the essence of what we are now offering to multi-location enterprises and franchise operators,” says Brent Duncan, CEO of Interface.

The brand refresh goes beyond just the brand identity. Interface is also streamlining its customer support processes, and is actively developing a new comprehensive customer portal for its extensive suite of services, highlighting its emphasis on delivering relentless support at every customer touchpoint.

Award-winning, concierge-level, audiovisual services provider Mills James is on a fast-track for growth. In 2022, the company’s AV for hospitality business exceeded pre-pandemic levels across all client venues, including hotels and convention centers servicing seven states and Mexico.

“In 2022 we saw corporate meetings of all sizes returning, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said John Watts, Mills James VP of Hospitality. “People are tired of not being able to meet face to face; they are ready to get back on the road, network with their peers, and see what they have missed over the last two-and-a-half years. While all of our meetings venues are now equipped to host hybrid events, live meetings is still what people know. It’s what they like. And it’s what has proven to be the most successful way to get messaging out to association members and corporate employees.”

According to the 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, virtual fatigue is real. The American Express study shows “attendees want to see each other in person. Organizations want their customers and employees to meet in person, too.” The Forecast states that the meetings and events industry is experiencing an unprecedented recovery, and all signs point to a busy 2023. Internal meetings will be the fastest growing category in 2023 across all regions, with the U.S. leading the way, followed by Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Last year, Mills James supported more than 5,500 events. Approximately 45% were groups and conventions, ranging from small meetings and virtual events to big concerts and destination weddings. The remaining 55% was spend supporting more than 3,000 weddings with sound systems, DJ services, LED dance floors, and video production services. Southasian weddings are a specialty for Mills James’ Mexico operations, a market that has been increasing at Mexican Resorts and whose AV consumption is higher than others because the event is a conjunction of rituals that lasts two to three days.

“Being able to capitalize on the exploding weddings market coming out of the pandemic helped us to exceed our year one revenue projections,” said Salvador Bernal, Mills James Vice President of Hospitality, Mexico. “Our divisional revenue generated during 2022 positioned Mills James Mexico with more than 25% market share in the resort AV space (in some of the destinations where we operate).”

Key to Mills James’ success is its service mentality. Unlike high-priced multinational AV corporations that have long held a monopoly on the market, Mills James manages every venue with a local ownership mentality. All technicians have superior listening and communication skills. They are passionate, professional, and come with years of experience in running the new, state-of-the-art, sustainable AV equipment sourced specifically for the needs of each individual facility. Mills James ensures that all inventory is dedicated to each property — not shared with other venues — to preserve the look and performance of the technology.

“Mills James reputation is built on its ability to partner with venues and provide concierge-level services,” Watts said. “We do that through identifying and training our team to make sure we are providing true hospitality, not just service.”

The company expects its hospitality business to be on a steady incline in 2023, with revenues growing by about 30% year over year.