The Broadway Cafe from My Grandfather - Research Paper Example

? The Broadway Cafe (College) The Broadway Cafe The Broadway Cafe I inherited from my grandfather is not equipped with any modern devices though it is located at a strategically important location; the downtown. Though the place was a local hotspot for many years with a variety of specialized coffees, teas, sandwiches, salads, and soups, presently, the business has gone down. There can be many reasons behind the downfall. However, here I would like to explain how I intend to promote the business and to incorporate latest information technology in the process. The first step in running the firm according to the needs of twenty-first century is to computerize the coffee shop. As it is mentioned, presently, most of the operations are not recorded, and the ones recorded are done so manually. Though businesses normally rely on lots of different spreadsheets, notes and data, the coffee shop, fortunately, has very little information on record. So, the first step would be to develop a database of all the items of the coffee shop, ranging from different specialized coffees, teas, bakery items, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Though Broadway Cafe has years of tradition and accumulated knowledge, they all lie in the hands of my grandfather. So, a Knowledge Management system will be introduced to prevent the loss of that information for good. Furthermore, the recipes of all items will be stored on computer, and only selected staff of the coffee shop will have access to the recipes, though information on items and their prices can be accessed by everyone. The next step will be to make the payrolls of the employees computerized. Using grandfather’s memory and employees’ help, the work history and payment of each employee will be stored on computer. The next stage will be to place computer kiosks so that all sales and purchases are recorded. Thus, all the transactions of the bakery will get computerized in the beginning. Here, help will be sought from accounting staff and IT experts as to what kind of information is required to be stored and assessed for smooth functioning of the firm. At this stage, I intend to introduce a special IT-based collaboration system for Broadway Cafe. This will help the sharing of knowledge and information among employees, customers, suppliers, and all others who are interested in Broadway Cafe. The best collaboration system for the cafe, in my opinion, will be a groupware system. This Groupware software will allow group interaction events such as calendaring, scheduling, and video-conferencing. It is very evident that having this system will allow the cafe to communicate with our customers and suppliers. In addition, this will help complete various tasks in time by properly listing things on an e-calendar. However, database backup is very important for the cafe. So, care will be taken to ensure everyday backup of information. In addition, there will be weekly back of important information. In addition, to ensure computer safety, employees will be allowed access only to limited areas of information that are needed for the smooth functioning of the cafe. Now, customers will have many options to order a product from Broadway Cafe. They can directly order at our counters, they can utilize the kiosks placed inside and just outside the cafe, or they can order from home by visiting our site. For easiness of payment, we will be introducing PayPal. Now, it seems that there are certain necessary renovations to be introduced at the cafe. The first one will be introducing an attractive menu, attractive uniform for the staff, and television screens and music in the cafe. In addition, internet facility will be made available in the cafe so that even the busiest business executive gets a chance to have a coffee while doing his business. After introducing these basic changes, it is time for the cafe to move on to think about developing its business using Information Technology. Now, after having computerized the cafe, it is time to use latest technology for attracting customers. For that purpose, a Customer Relationship Management system will be introduced. This system will be used to for a variety of purposes: a) identifying purchasing patterns, b) identifying the coming and departure of regular customers, c) identifying regular and irregular customers, d) identifying any change in purchasing patterns, and e) collecting customer feedbacks Identifying the purchasing patterns of customers will help the cafe identify what products are popular among customers and what products require modification or improvement. In addition, if there is a considerably low sale of a particular product, the cafe gets a chance to look into the reasons behind it. The reason may be that yet another cafe started selling that coffee at a considerably lower price, or the quality of that product has declined considerably. Thus, observing purchasing patterns is very vital for any business. Another very vital feature of introducing this system is that it will be possible to observe the purchasing pattern of regular customers. For example, if a particular client who used to shop at regular intervals has started taking considerably long intervals of absence, or another customer started spending considerably less amount at the cafe than he used to spend, or another customer who used to purchase a particular item has given up purchasing that item, and most important of all, some regular customers are not at all appearing. Observing all these things in time is very important for all businesses. The next point is collecting customer feedback. Through this, it becomes possible to perform according to customer expectations. Customers may get a chance to comment on the quality of products, service, ambience, and any other suggestions on improvement. Moreover, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will have many more advantages too. To illustrate, it provides a chance to gather Business Intelligence information. For example, customers can be categorized into different groups based on their spending habits. The loyal customers can be offered special discounts and gifts, thus providing the entire business a personal touch. In addition, potential customers can be attracted through surprise gifts. In addition, there will be provision to identify the peak-sale day of the week and peak-sale hours of the day. This has a lot of advantages. For example, by ensuring adequate number of staff during these hours, customers can be better served. Another very vital introduction will be a full-fledged website. This website will contain details of items, special items, special events that are scheduled to take place at the cafe, ordering facility, and comments section. In addition, the ones who voluntarily reveal their identity and become members of the Broadway Cafe net community will be offered free access to the section that contains special recipes, and special discounts. Such a website has a major role to play in making the cafe customer-friendly. To illustrate, the customers will be able to review the meals and specials from the cafe. They can comment on the quality and price of items and quality of service. Allowing online orders has a lot of benefits. First of all, customers get a chance to save their time as they can order online and get their meals ready by the time they reach the cafe. This can satisfy the customers as is evident from the case of Papa John’s Pizza. As Kalakota and Robinson (2001, p.38) observe, customers consider speed of service as a key factor for deciding to do business with a company. Another very vital point is to set up an unsecured wi-fi connection for customers to surf the internet. As is reported in BBC News, cafe’s are places that provide not only sandwiches, and coffee, but also live music, social gatherings, and poetry readings. If this free internet access is listed in online directories like Wi-Fi Free Spot (Wi-Fi Free Spot). There is a high possibility of getting additional revenue through advertisements. Thus, through both kiosks and wi-fi connections, it is possible to keep some customers loyal. However, during peak hours, there will be a time limit for each customer to use the internet. An example, as reported in BBC (June, 2003) is the Starbucks coffee chain that introduced wi-fi connectivity. Yet another step will be keeping the cafe’s website search engine friendly. For that purpose, Search Engine Optimization Techniques will be utilized. This will help the cafe’s website come on top of different search engines like Yahoo and Google (Brewer, 2009). Once the website starts functioning properly, the next stage will be sending regular emails to each customer giving details of items, specials, and offering discounts. In addition, internet will be used to check the competition from other cafes. In addition, the website of the cafe will be equipped with chat rooms. It is clear that allowing private chat rooms and discussion boards will help attract and retain customers. Furthermore, the website will be utilized to identify customer navigation pattern. To illustrate, information like which pages are visited by customers, if there is an increase or decrease in the number of visitors, and how many of the visitors leave the site without any business will be collected. Yet another point is ensuring the presence of the cafe in social communication networks like Twitter and Facebook. As a part of this marketing strategy, communities will be started on Twitter, Facebook, Orkut, and all other such social interaction networks. In addition, as a part of the online publicity campaign, individuals who send referrals to a particular number of others will be offered special monetary benefits. A certain percentage of the cafe’s income will be utilized to ensure the cafe’s presence on such networks. However, utmost care will be taken to ensure that regular mails from the cafe are not considered by the customers as spasm. Another very vital step is the introduction of M-coupons. Mobile coupons have better redemption rates than paper or e-coupons because the mobile coupons are not forgotten at home, and they will be with the customer all the time. There are many more advantages of the M-coupons. First of all, it is observed that such coupons enhance impulse purchases. To illustrate, the presence of this easy option along with perfect service will make many customers purchase something when they are downtown. In addition, it is observed that through M-coupons, delivery and redemption costs can be considerably reduced. However, there are certain issues to be considered at this juncture. First of all, for this purpose, the customer should be within a 15 foot radius of the cafe. When people have their right to remain anonymous and have the right to remain undetected, it is unethical to identify their presence, detecting their mobile number, and to send the M-coupons. Customers might consider it as a blatant violation of their privacy, and many might abhor the cafe for this illicit intrusion into their privacy. Yet another concern is that there is the possibility of fraud. For example, some might resort to fabricating the coupons. In this case, there is the possibility of a potential backfire. In addition, another serous issue is the form of the message. It is very clear that sending an MMS to people will be gravely unjust. Instead of saving people’s time, it will eat up their time as it requires customers to access the net and download it. This, instead of attracting customers, it will lead to revulsion. Another concern is how such a regular message will be accepted by the customers. The perception of the customers is crucial for the success of the campaign. If the messages are considered by people as another spam, the entire system of mobile coupons will collapse. So, it is necessary to make sure that the coupons are not sent very regularly and that the coupons are sent infrequently. However, as already said, it becomes necessary to modify the mobile coupons technique as far as this kind of information gathering is considered unethical. The best option is to have those customers who wish to receive a mobile coupon opt-in to receive a coupon. This system is successfully adopted by McDonald’s. In this system, the customers voluntarily give their details to receive an M-coupon. As Dominicus and Aligner (2007) observe, in future, such a broadcasting technology will be available without an invasion into privacy. Until then, it becomes necessary to adopt the McDonald way. A positive feature of this system is that it allows the cafe to collect information on customer behavior. For example, new entrants can be easily identified. As Knight (2008) notes, it is possible for an M-coupon campaign to identify the regular customers who have not been in the cafe for a long time. There are other benefits too. When people forward these mobile coupons to their friends and relatives, cafe can identify networks of customers. When such groups are identified, they can be asked for suggestions and inputs. In addition, forwarding a mobile coupon means liking it. Thus, the cafe can identify those customers who love the coupons, and can ensure that there is regular dispatch of M-coupons to them without the fear of rejection. Furthermore, if the M-coupon is connected to sales record, it will be easy to identify what items are preferred by customers and what items require further improvement. This can help in effective decision making. At this juncture, the cafe can think about special events at the cafe. It can be a musical program or a food festival. In such cases, advertisement will be there to attract the public. In addition, these events can be utilized to enhance the relationship with the existing customers. Each of the regular customers will be sent an invitation mail and a special discount coupon for the day. This will certainly help develop a personal touch in dealings. The last thing to introduce will be Loyalty Cards. This is considered as a relatively recent form of sales promotion. This will offer special discounts for customers on their subsequent visits based on the purchases they made on their previous visits. This will compel the customers to come back to the cafe on a regular basis. Thus, in total, it can be said that without these modern techniques, it is quite difficult for businesses to survive as is evident from the history of Broadway Cafe. The cafe, established in 1952, was once a hotspot. It had a number of loyal customers, a vibrant menu, and long years of tradition. However, as time passed, due to lack of care about incorporating modern technology, the business went down. Presently, it is necessary for any business to introduce technology for knowledge management, customer relationship management, and business intelligence. At present, in the case of Broadway Cafe, it is important to store and incorporate the knowledge and skills of old generation into its present day operations. At the same time, it is necessary to modernize the operations according to the needs of the twenty-first century. By merging the cafe’s traditional delicacies into the modern technological set up, the cafe has a good possibility of having a great business in future. In total, it is evident that incorporating modern technology is an inescapable inevitability for Broadway Cafe for its future decision making. By taking the above discussed steps, the cafe will be able to meet the requirements of the customers in a satisfactory manner. Reference Brewer, D. (2009). Top ten search engine optimization techniques. Dustinbrewer. Retrieved from http://dustinbrewer.com/top-10-search-engine-optimization-techniques/ Coffee ‘wi-fi’ break for shoppers: high street shoppers in Scotland are being offered wireless internet access in the latest technology drive. (June 2003). BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3022638.stm Dominicus ,S & Aligner, M. (May 2007). Mcoupons: an application for near field communication(NFC). IEEE Xplore: Digital Library. 2, 421-428. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?reload=true&url=/iel5/4221005/4224052/04224141.pdf?arnumber=4224141 Kalakota, R & Robinson, M. (2001). E-business 2.0: Roadmap for Success. Canada: Addison-Wesley. Knight, K. (November 2008). Timing is everything with mcoupons. BizReport. Retrieved from http://www.bizreport.com/2008/11/timing_is_everything_with_mcoupons.html# Wi-Fi Free Spot. (n. d). Retrieved from http://www.wififreespot.com/ Read More