Just back from vacation in France and was wowed by something unexpected – BI for waiters! (the wine impressed me too).
When the waiter showed up to take our order, he wielded a kind of Pen-computing/Palm device, not a pad of paper. I had never seen this before, at least not in NY-area restaurants. At my enthusiasm, the waiter proudly declared “C’est nouveau!” ... “it’s new!”
Imagine the possibilities: when I order mousse au chocolat, and it’s sold out, the waiter can proactively recommend an available alternative – crème brulee (not escargot). Whether or not his new device was yet smart enough to do this was not clear to me, but it’s certainly the direction his restaurant was moving in. The waiter benefits from not wasting time checking with the kitchen on what is still available, allows him to give better customer service, bringing higher tips. The restaurant benefits from increased sales of available menu items and less food waste at the end of the day.
BI for such front line workers is still in its infancy. Survey results from my upcoming book, Successful Business Intelligence, confirms what many already complain about – front-line workers are currently the most under served by BI. Technical innovations (the waiter’s pen device) solves only part of the problem. Creativity and recognizing how BI can be applied to such operational decisions is up to BI professionals.
For inspiration on applying BI to front line workers, Smart Enough Systems by Neil Raden and James Taylor is a must read. The authors clearly illuminate the value of automating these operational decisions and describe approaches on how to architect solutions. The book delves into why flexibility and user control in the decision rules are so important to sustaining these systems. (Crème brulee may be the alternative today, and tomorrow it may be chocolate éclair).
How are you delivering BI for your front-line workers? Have you even thought about it? Meanwhile, I’m trying to get re-accustomed to a breakfast of bagels rather than pain au chocolate. Yes, in addition to BI, food is one of my passions :).
Sincerely, Cindi Howson,
Founder, BIScorecard, a website for in-depth BI product reviews
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