While many bars across the globe are restricted amid coronavirus lockdowns – when the drinks and good times do finally flow again, new technology is set to enhance the experience for punters and patrons.
Waiting in line for a beverage is not necessarily a bad sign for businesses; it may signal strong demand for a particular beverage.
But queues coupled with slow service times and warm beer can affect the customer experience, leading to lost sales.
It’s an experience IntelliCUP startup co-founder, Brian Stockdale wants to change.
“Customers who receive an unsatisfying drink feel unloved, undervalued and slightly ripped off,” he says.
“The customer event experience is subpar with queues and time wasted.”
IntelliCUP aims to provide a fast, reliable, automated solution to improve the customer experience around beverages.
The IntelliCUP system uses automated technology, replacing a traditional draught pouring tap to automatically dispense beverages at the right volume and temperature.
“Traditional draught beer serving has slow pouring speeds, which dictate volume and create serving counter backlog, queues and crowding,” says Stockdale.
“It can be staff intensive and costly, and also prone to wastage or spillage.”
While bar operators pulling a lager from a draught handle can only move as fast as the stream of liquid pours, the IntelliCUP system can dispense a chilled beverage at a speed roughly 200 percent faster, while minimising spills and wastage.
But Stockdale says the benefits extend beyond the consumer.
Merchants have access to the data capture capabilities of the platform, which shows a history of purchases throughout the course of an event or the types of drinks customers prefer, as well as in-app brand messaging, special offers, ticketing information and advertisements directly to the consumer’s phone.
IntelliCUP’s automated solution, data-tracking and customer traction features have attracted the interest of a number of major potential clients, inlcuding AEG Worldwide, Levy Concessionaires, and NASCAR.
‘Won’t replace trained staff’
Stockdale says despite the automated advantage, a key feature of the product is that it won’t replace the need for trained staff.
“We actually don’t advocate that our clients change all beer taps,” says Stockdale.
“We think it makes more sense to change the volume of beers or beverages to the system.
“This keeps crowds away from counters and allows bar staff to focus on mixed drinks, cocktails and customer relationships while the volume beer flow is digitally managed and dispensed.”
“Brewers I know around the world are trying to find ways to talk to customers at point of consumption,” says Stockdale.
“But our system provides benefits for each of those entities in the value chain.”