Improving Processes with Inspection Data

The following are some examples of insightful takeaways based on the information you may choose to monitor.

Food safety. If temperature monitoring devices consistently show that your restaurant locations are adhering to requirements, but just barely, it may be a wise choice to calibrate approved equipment in every location in such a way that ensures temperatures are well within safe parameters all the time.

A cross-contamination issue identified early is a great insight to use when developing employee training programs, or when redesigning kitchens or other food prep areas.

Food waste. Looking at how food is being prepared or consumed across all locations can help optimize everything from order size and frequency to how much of a certain item is needed for the lunch rush—helping reduce food waste and increase profitability.

Building condition. When a dangerous situation is identified in a single location, you’ll be well positioned to see it as a red flag and preemptively address the issue in every location before customers or employees are harmed.

Consumer response. If consumer-impacting signage gets a great response in one area of the country, it may indicate that region is a good candidate for a targeted campaign that further drives in-store sales and increases profitability.

Security. A system or building security infraction identified in one location is likely an organization-wide security risk, and you’ll be glad a quality management software was used to see trends and correct the issues before a larger problem has a chance to propagate.

Corporate goals. Marketing departments love introducing new ideas that affect your locations and/or suppliers. Prepare for new program implementations by gathering the impact insights needed well in advance of marketing program launches.

There is never a shortage of corporate goals to save money while driving revenue and profitability. Why not think through the information needed to gather this year to achieve goals next year? The insights proactively gathered give an inside edge to meet the requirements your corporation sets for you, quickly setting you apart from your peers and competitors.

If you’re a corporate franchisor, you can also gather information on franchisee consistency to ensure they are carrying out contractual obligations from their franchise agreements.

Putting Food Service Technology in Place

Most companies quickly outgrow tracking these details with a manual pen-and-paper process. After reaching more than 10 locations, it’s time to think about getting a technology solution for data collection. As your business grows, it’s imperative to gather quality measurement data digitally. If paper and pen, spreadsheets, or other antiquated checklist apps are used at any stage of the process, that can equate to hours wasted transcribing data from paper and pen to spreadsheets and emails. The time-consuming transcription process also increases the chance for errors, and slows down the time to remediation—if corrective action happens at all—once the form hits an inbox or file cabinet.

Another reason top brands harness technology for QSC programs is the built-in ability to quickly delve into the data, identifying insights in minutes not months. It’s these insights that will drive corrective actions, helping you move from a reactive model of dealing with problems to a proactive model that addresses issues before the conditions impact your customer experience.

Using the latest quality management systems available can also securely share your operations manuals with locations and suppliers, and receive compliance documentation and signatures from contacts at the intervals needed to stay compliant.

Lay a foundation for future success by identifying the technology needed for QSC measurements today.

It’s not easy to track all the information across dozens, hundreds, or thousands of locations. But with the right technology in place, you’ll be able to mine company data for the insights needed to drive the corrective actions most important to your organization today. Whether aiming to take your quality program to the next-level or launching a new QSC initiative, technology is a critical component of any food safety program.