If you’re thinking about your QSR’s digital transformation and global expansion, you know there are many moving parts in the process. One of the core factors in both digital transformation and international expansion is your tech stack. Technology systems that are robust, flexible, scalable, and streamline are essential to continued growth. In this article, we’ll examine how you can create a tech system that will promote sustainable international growth.
Laying the Foundations of Integration
A unified tech system is essential to expanding your QSR to new markets. Not only does it simplify data analytics and reporting, it also makes delivering a unified brand experience much more effective. When all locations use the same tools, all locations’ data formats, training modules, and other features can be standardized. This leads to consistent operations, smoother change management, and enhanced customer experiences.
As we discussed in this post on international QSR expansion, it’s common for locations in different regions to use different software systems. This makes implementing changes across your entire chain difficult, as not all locations have the same tech stack. But when you concentrate on building your tech stack first and then growing into new markets, you can eliminate that particular hurdle.
So, what’s the first thing you should do to create a unified tech stack? Start by analyzing your current systems. How well are the different components integrated? Are there areas for improvement? Do you have any gaps or overlaps in your capabilities? If you’ve been using the same tech system for several years, have you recently investigated what other tools might serve your needs better? Is your current system robust and flexible enough to support platforms and tools in multiple languages and currencies?
If you don’t have an experienced and multi-faceted in-house tech team, you may want to consult with a company that specializes in digital transformation and international QSR expansion. They will help you avoid potentially expensive and time-consuming pitfalls.
8 Ways to Unify Your QSR’s Tech Landscape
Let’s assume your current tech stack is in good shape. How can you standardize and optimize it to support more growth?
1. Pay Attention to Data Flow
Find out how data moves through your system. It’s pretty common for data silos to form in departments or individual tools/platforms; when that happens, data is locked in place and can’t readily be shared with analytics tools or other parts of the tech system.
Many QSRs embrace data hubs and data platforms to ensure the smooth flow of data around their tech infrastructure. However you do it, the goal is to keep the data flowing freely and enhance the performance of your analytics—and your decision-making.
2. Leverage Cloud and APIs
Another way to enable smooth data sharing is to leverage Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs. These allow different programs or parts of your tech system to share data—eliminating programmatic silos and helping integrate your system’s various components.
And when it comes to scalability and flexibility, it’s hard to beat Cloud computing. Because Cloud-based software, infrastructure, platforms, and services are not run locally, it’s much easier to maintain them. It’s also easier to create a unified ecosystem that works across locations and borders. This paradigm lets you easily expand your tech system to new locations without having to install a complete suite of onsite hardware for each restaurant.
3. Craft a Customer-Centric Ecosystem
Consistent customer experience is another area that can be hard for a multi-national business to manage. Part of the reason for this is that customer data can live in many places: ordering systems, loyalty programs, etc. To collect, manage, and centralize customer data, many QSRs use Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. These combine data from various touchpoints and use it to build the most complete customer profile possible.
Once you have detailed and accurate customer profiles, you can begin to dig into personalization and developing the ideal customer experience. This sets your chain up for greater customer engagement, more effective marketing and customer loyalty programs—and happier, more engaged customers.
4. Harmonize Point of Sale (POS) Platforms
Point of sale (POS) platforms are a core part of your stack. But because they have to be aligned with local customs and regulations, they can also be some of the most difficult to standardize, as we mentioned earlier. It’s essential that locations use POS systems that both work together and work for that locality.
How you integrate and standardize POS systems will depend on many factors; it’s best to contact an experienced provider for personalized assistance. But POS systems also have to integrate with other systems in your tech stack, including order management, kitchen management, and inventory management. This will allow you to offer the best payment options for each locale while enhancing order accuracy, preparation, and delivery.
5. Integrate Financial Systems
Most of what we said about POS systems also applies to your restaurant’s financial systems. If you want to accurately track revenue, expenses, and restaurant profitability across your organization, you need to have an integrated financial system. On the other hand, your financial system needs to be flexible enough to accommodate for different regulations, currencies, and practices.
You should also be aware that some regulations around international or cross-border data compliance and reporting may come into play; this can make the storage, transfer, and processing of sensitive data more complicated.
6. Untangle Inventory Management
Inventory management is a well-known part of restaurant operation; we don’t need to explain its uses or sing its praises. But when you’re thinking about digital transformation, it’s important to ensure your inventory management tools can provide end-to-end visibility. This will help you minimize unnecessary expense (i.e., from wastage, spoilage, inventory duplication, etc.).
You can further your digital transformation by using AI-powered tools that trigger automated restocking when given items reach a certain threshold. This reduces the time restaurant employees spend checking and managing inventory and eliminates potential ordering errors. It helps each location be more profitable, which will boost the financial health of the entire organization.
7. Make Room for Change Management and Training
Not all the challenges to creating a good tech stack are tech tools; some of them are people.
Some in your leadership team may not be onboard with the changes needed, so it’s important to find change advocates (or change champions) in your organization. These are people with respect and influence in your organization—and, critically, who are convinced of the benefits of a strong, integrated, and scalable tech stack. They can help you build enthusiasm and momentum in initiating and carrying out these changes.
The other half of this equation is your in-store employees. Introducing changes to the current tech system can mean more work (and some frustration) for them as they learn the new components. To mitigate this, lean hard into training. Although your tech stack should be standardized, how you train employees should be adapted to their specific background, culture, and needs.
In other words, the topics will be the same, but the presentation should work for each region. This will make the transition easier for current employees and the onboarding process smoother for new ones.
8. Embrace Continuous Evolution and Optimization
The final secret ingredient to a great tech stack is your organizational culture. This goes beyond finding change champions; it’s about building an acceptance of data-driven change and continuous improvement. For your tech stack, this involves continuous monitoring, assessing, and refining its performance and your goals.
How will you know what to improve? Identifying the right metrics—and understanding how you track them—will allow you to see areas of improvement, measure the impact of your changes, and make better decisions on how to support your expansion goals.
Success Stories: Learning from the Frontlines of Unified Tech
Real-World Integration Triumphs: Explore how industry giants harnessed technology integration to achieve efficient global operations.
Extracting Insights: Uncover actionable takeaways from these case studies to inform your integration journey.
You Can Craft a Seamless Symphony of Tech Excellence
We’ve given you a high-level overview of how to build a tech system that’s fully harmonized and integrated. If you’d like expert help in setting up a tech infrastructure to support your QSR expansion goals, contact Tillster today. We’ve helped other chains grow their businesses across borders, and we’ll be happy to help you explore the possibilities. Also, stay tuned to this blog. We’ll be discussing more facets of QSR international expansion soon.
