How can self-service technology business models be competitive in the café industry in Finland?
Markkanen, Armi (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022060816488
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022060816488
Tiivistelmä
The competition among companies in the restaurant and café industry is fierce. Yet however, the industry is currently suffering from issues hampering the growth of businesses, such as worker deficit and high costs. Additionally, it seems that the industry is losing its appeal among workers and students in Finland. In present-day competing markets the need to remain competitive is ever increasing. The need to cut costs and achieve higher efficiency has also modified the direction of services to become more customer interactive. Self-service technology (SST) currently provides companies in different sectors of the hospitality field with the possibility to lower costs and optimize service processes. However, it seems that SST is rarely utilized in the café industry in Finland.
To study the topic, qualitative research was conducted aiming to analyze how could SST business model be competitive in the café industry in Finland. The data collection was conducted with semi-structured interviews of entrepreneurs from the industry as well as potential customers of SST utilizing cafés. Additionally, the author’s observations as a customer of an SST utilizing café were utilized.
The findings indicated that when utilized as a tool to complement the customer service process SST can provide a company with the potential to increase competitiveness by lowering costs, increasing the ability to serve different customer needs, and reaching new customers. Additionally, it seems that of the different forms of SST, a self-service kiosk or a mobile application are the most likely to provide the most important qualities for a pleasant user experience.
To study the topic, qualitative research was conducted aiming to analyze how could SST business model be competitive in the café industry in Finland. The data collection was conducted with semi-structured interviews of entrepreneurs from the industry as well as potential customers of SST utilizing cafés. Additionally, the author’s observations as a customer of an SST utilizing café were utilized.
The findings indicated that when utilized as a tool to complement the customer service process SST can provide a company with the potential to increase competitiveness by lowering costs, increasing the ability to serve different customer needs, and reaching new customers. Additionally, it seems that of the different forms of SST, a self-service kiosk or a mobile application are the most likely to provide the most important qualities for a pleasant user experience.