Sodexo
Catering and services provider Sodexo has embraced digital technology across its various sectors, but has had success raising meal uptake through its introduction of School Food United in education.
Charlotte Burrows, the senior digital marketing manager for schools with Sodexo UK & Ireland, says: “School Food United is a user-friendly pre-order and payment platform that provides a convenient school meal ordering and payment service for families to access on the go via any digital device.
“Launched four years ago the platform is helping increase school meal uptake by 9% at the school’s where it has been deployed. It has been developed to ensure every student is served the meals they have chosen every day, by enabling parents and carers to effortlessly pre-order and pay for their child’s school lunches, wherever they are.
“For schools, it reduces admin, improves kitchen efficiency, removes the need for cash on site and helps to reduce food waste. It also helps remove the perceived stigma of free school meals as all transactions are completed via the platform.
“Although pre-payment is an important tool, its primary feature is a communication tool to both schools and parents who want to know more about the school’s catering services and menu offerings including planned theme days and offers.
“The platform enables multiple children to be linked to a parent account, it flags dietary requirements and allergen information and has a dedicated customer service resource for parents to resolve queries efficiently.”
She adds: “For us the platform provides a wealth of invaluable insights. By harnessing the power of data, School Food United enables schools to make informed decisions about menu development and service enhancements.
“From pinpointing popular dishes to driving uptake of free school meals, School Food United’s data-driven approach ensures no child goes hungry and helps empower schools to deliver a school meals service that students enjoy.
“Currently the platform is live at 157 schools with 35,000 parents/carers registered and school meals for some 42,000 pupils being ordered through the platform. To date over five million meals have been preordered, with a monthly average of 300,000 meals served.
“As technology continues to evolve, so too is school dining. Our School Food United digital platform provides a glimpse into a future where cashless transactions and enhanced communication redefine the school dining experience.”
CRB Cunninghams
Meanwhile, supplier CRB Cunninghams, which provides cashless catering, online payment and ID management solutions to UK schools, has announced the launch of the new iPayimpact online payment app.
The app is designed for schools to offer parents an easier way to pay for all school items directly from their mobile phones.
Tom Wheeler, product owner at CRB Cunninghams, says: “Whilst parents may not be our direct customers, their experience with iPayimpact is crucial for a successful school payment offering. With over 90% of online time now spent on mobile apps, creating a dedicated app for parents was a clear choice.
“Our goal is to ensure that parents experience a simple, fast, and reliable service anytime, anywhere. This launch is a major step in our mission to set the standard for parental experience in the market.”
He said more than 460,000 UK parents used CRB Cunninghams’ iPayimpact online payment system to pay for all school payments online and that the company had launched the iPayimpact app ‘due to an overwhelming demand’ from schools.
According to research there have been more than 80,000 Google searches for ‘school online payment app’ over the past two years from users looking to offer parents an easier way to pay for school items directly from their mobile phones.
Wheeler added: “The iPayimpact app offers a convenient way for parents to pay for all school items, including meals, trips and clubs. The IPayimpact app offers a modern way to manage school payments that reflects how parents pay for out-of-school items.
“The iPayimpact app enables parents to view all their children’s online payment accounts in one place, top up their accounts with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card payments, and manage consent forms. The app can be downloaded from the Google or Apple Play Store by iPayimpact customers. Schools wishing to download the app can request more information on iPayimpact from us.”
Lolly
Lolly, the hospitality software house, has revealed its new FacePay platform, which creates a quick, seamless and secure way for customers to make payments. The alternative payment solution uses facial authentication that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The technology allows customers to log into their account and use their pre-loaded wallet with their face. They can earn and spend loyalty points, view their order history, the calories consumed over a relevant period and the carbon impact of their meal choices.
Peter Moore, chief executive at Lolly, said: “AI is changing industries significantly and the hospitality sector is no exception. Facial recognition will dramatically improve the customer experience, from the way they log in, to making purchases and checking their account balance – creating a more seamless experience. This technology can also be used to verify a person’s age, which can be useful when selling age-restricted items.
“Our aim is to continue innovating to increase business efficiencies, and to give our clients the time and the tools to run their business.
“FacePay will speed up the payment process, helping to reduce queues. AI is the future, and FacePay marks another exciting launch from Lolly. Given all our technology integrates and provides reporting across relevant devices, it also represents another first for hospitality.”