The past two years, the hospitality industry has seen a lot of changes. Many restaurants were allowed to stay open only under strict measures, and some even had to close. This was a major setback not only for the restaurant owners, but also for the staff. Part of the staff was fired and had no job elsewhere. According to Statista, roughly 62 million jobs were lost in the hospitality and travel industry worldwide. Fortunately, restaurants are now allowed to open their doors again, but many are now faced with a problem: staff shortages. A lot of the former staff is not coming back due to the uncertainty that is now going on within the industry, so how can we solve this problem? Therefore we have 3 tips to address staff shortage:
Set priorities
First, examine where your guest experience is suffering due to a staffing shortage. This could be in the kitchen, at the front desk, or in service. Select the most important areas, those with the greatest impact on guest satisfaction, and look for ways to solve the problem here first. Then work your way down the list.
Manage expectations
Guests often like to know what they can expect in advance, and this can be managed well by mentioning the current situation when booking. Specify which services are currently limited or unavailable. This prevents disappointment during the visit.
Use the latest technologies
Nowadays, technology helps to streamline and automate countless processes in the hospitality industry. And during the pandemic, it was used to deal with staff shortages in the hospitality sector. Keep in mind that the goal is not to replace people with machines. Instead, new technology should support your team by making their jobs easier. Let technology take over repetitive and boring tasks so that your staff has more time for the more important work of providing a great guest experience.
These examples can help you:
- Book online: Today’s guests like to make reservations online. It is easy and fast, and guests can immediately see whether a table is available. This not only makes a welcoming impression, but also leads to more reservations. And the biggest advantage is that you don’t have to constantly be on the phone taking reservations.
- MasterTAAG digital menu: One of the tasks of the staff is to collect the orders. This is a task that consumes a lot of time. By using a digital menu you remove this task and you can deploy your staff elsewhere. MasterTAAG is a digital menu that allows your customers to view and interact with your menu, order and pay directly from their mobile devices. Streamlining the operation of table service, you will see a huge improvement in efficiency and stress management for staff and management. Try the DEMO here! If you want to know more about MasterTAAG, this video explains it in more detail.
Get your restaurant or hotel ready for a better future today!
A shortage of staff can have many consequences for your hotel or restaurant, including bad reviews from guests and overworked teams. However, there are ways to deal with the problem. Obviously, there is a lot to consider and it is clear that the problem will not be solved tomorrow. But it is important to take up new technological solutions now and to invest in new as well as current staff.