One of the things that is most challenging for the human brain is to keep track of situations in which there are a lot of interdependent variables. We can really only keep about seven things in our minds at one time. So, give us something like a wedding reception, with the need to keep the menu, all the participants, the space, the flowers, the music, the photographs, the drinks, and the thousand and one tiny details all straight in our minds at once, and the result can be extreme stress.
Put the wedding reception onto a calendar filled with similarly complex and important events, add a large staff and numerous different venues, and you have the situation faced by RAM Catering, an elegant kosher caterer in Manhattan.
We’ve said that this is a challenge for humans, but the truth is, in many ways it’s more difficult for a spread sheet. No wonder many caterers rely on a barrage of Post-It notes, files bristling with notes, and a lot of extra time to sort everything out.
Ram took a different approach: they called Clevertech.
We built them a rich interface application that solved the problem. The interface has multiple screens that suit the way RAM’s managers like to work. Each manager has a dashboard — you can see an example at the top of this post — that shows the events coming up and has a project management element allowing a quick check that the contract has been sent, the contract and deposit have been received, etc.
From this dashboard, the manager can go in and set the menu:
The menu screen contains all the necessary details right where they’re needed, and it has drag-and-drop functionality connected with RAM’s extensive database of recipes. The manager can see at a glance how the dishes work together and how they’ll be served. A sudden change from chicken to lamb is no emergency: a click to bring up the lamb dishes and the manager can drag a new option into the menu.
Details of the arrangements are available from the dashboard.
Beyond the individual events, it’s also easy to pull out particular information RAM often needs, from the newest dishes to the valet info for the upcoming week’s events.
There are lots of little extra touches in this RIA that make it fit perfectly into RAM’s workflow. The calendar screen below highlights a few.
At the upper left, you can see that it’s possible to filter the events by location. At the upper right, notice that you can print the calendar, and choose to filter what’s printed in some useful ways. These features prevent information overload and allow staff to zero in on the information they really need.
The calendar shows the current month at the top, and the following two months in thumbnails. On the lower right, the search box — like all the search boxes — gives suggestions. Type in the first few letters of a client’s name and choices pop up.
There’s a lot of information on this one screen, but since it’s been designed and arranged with the specific company’s workflow in mind, it makes the whole process easy. Even so, the Legend at the side reminds users of the color coding so the learning curve stays gentle.
While this looks like a luxurious solution –and it is — the reality is that the savings in time, reduction of errors, and increased staff and customer satisfaction give an excellent return on investment for a custom solution like this one.
A RIA may be just the solution for your business, too. Call Clevertech at (516) 869-4970 to discuss the challenges your business faces. You may find that our technology offers the perfect solution.
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