Since the pandemic, our global economy has become increasingly cashless. Some businesses stopped taking cash, the line between physical and digital is blurring even faster, changing the way we shop and pay people.
Going cashless is affecting the hospitality industry, particularly in countries like the United States where tipping is a significant part of the culture. As a result of this, people have turned to mobile-payment apps to leave tips. Venmo, Revolut, PayPal, Zelle and Apple Pay all offer ways to send money quickly and easily. Mobile-app tipping methods are sometimes preferred to credit-card gratuity as credit cards charge businesses a small percentage of every transaction, and for an independent restaurant or shop, this can be a big expense.
Certain businesses have started to implement other types of mobile-payment digital systems that have recently come into the market. In a time when there are serious staffing shortages, it’s important to find ways of keeping employees engaged and reinforce employee recognition and these solutions do just that.
We interviewed tipping solutions hifive and Applause at HITEC to find out how they make rewarding good service simpler and fairer.
HIFIVE
hifive, formerly known as TipX, was created to help hourly employees receive cashless tips and earn recognition from customers wanting to express their appreciation for an individual's hard work. Imagine Google Reviews and Venmo combined but for employees in the service industry.
The web application enables service employees to receive contactless forms of gratuity and receive recognition through guest ratings and reviews. With no app-download required, guests who want to leave a tip simply scan a QR code located at the business they are visiting and select the employee or employees they would like to leave a tip and optional review for.
As well as automating tip distribution for all employees, hifive also supports pooling of tips. Currently, hifive guarantees that employees receive 100% of the tips that are sent.
APPLAUSE
Relatively new to the cashless tipping scene is fintech start-up Applause. Their goal is to "help companies motivate and retain service workers by boosting appreciation and providing better financial benefits & incentives to their employees."
Applause is accomplishing this by giving customers and managers the tools to recognize and reward hourly workers through easy-to-use software.
BENEFITS OF CASHLESS TIPPING APPS:
Cashless tipping is one form of technology that will benefit both customers and employees.
- Improves guest experience as it doesn’t leave guests feeling awkward when they do not have cash at their disposal
- Staff are getting cash in cases where they would not have otherwise
- Drives positive reinforcement towards employee recognition and engagement
- Customers receive prompt and friendly service
- Collects valuable insights and data on employee performance
If you would like to see more of our HITEC interviews please check out the Snapfix YouTube channel here.
