The battle for efficiency in hospitality: Digital checklists vs paper-based processes
Are you a hospitality business owner, manager, or team leader looking to improve efficiency and productivity in your operations? If so, this article is for you.
Our product specialists at Trail understand the importance of optimising daily tasks and driving efficiencies in hospitality businesses and help hundreds of businesses implement new digital processes in their operation daily.
In this article, we delve into the advantages and disadvantages of both digital checklists and paper-based processes, including looking at the ease of use, accuracy, accessibility and cost - enabling you to make an informed decision about the best option for your business.
What is a digital checklist?
Digital checklists are used by businesses to manage and organise daily tasks, processes and procedures to ensure essential tasks are completed throughout the day. Unlike traditional paper checklists, digital checklists can be accessed and completed through a software application on a smartphone, tablet or computer.
A benefit of digital checklists is that they can be shared and communicated more easily with relevant team and reports and data can be analysed remotely. For larger organisations this means being able to centrally manage daily tasks and easily access performance data from different sites to see if teams are on track or if they potentially need extra support.
How do digital checklists compare with paper processes?
Both digital checklists and paper processes have advantages and disadvantages for hospitality businesses. When deciding whether to make the switch from paper to digital for your own business, you might want to consider a number of factors including price, reliability, ease-of-use and necessity. To help you do just that, let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of digital vs paper checklists.
Advantages of using paper-based checklists
Though we think there are significant benefits in opting for digital solutions over paper, there will of course be advantages for some businesses in sticking with traditional paper processes.
Training
Where digital tools might require some level of tech literacy, traditional paper processes can be easily understood by all team members regardless of their ability to engage with digital tools. Using paper-based checklists requires little to no training for staff members.
Set-up
While digital solutions can help to save on time and cost in the longer term (more on that below), if your business is just getting started there are fewer initial costs involved when setting up paper checklists over the costs of setting up software.
No internet connection required
While this is not an issue for most businesses, if your hospitality operates in a place of little or no connectivity, paper checklists might be a better or more reliable option for you.
Disadvantages of using paper-based checklists
Inefficiency
Where digital tools allow for central management, quick reporting and easy changes across the business - paper processes can make those things time-consuming and clunky. This means that some team members will inevitably waste time on repetitive tasks.
Cost
Alongside the cost implications associated with inefficient operations, the literal cost of sticking with paper processes can be financially significant on businesses of all sizes. A ream of printing paper alone costs on average around £32.50 - when you factor in how much it costs to print, distribute and store paper records vs that of a digital solution, this can add up to a substantial amount of money over time.
Inaccuracy
When using paper checklists for operations, any issues are often identified at a later stage through a manual audit. This can lead to simple mistakes due to human error that are not picked up and actioned in the speed they are with live-reporting functionality when using digital tools.
Benefits of using digital checklists
There are lots of advantages to opting for digital checklists over using paper. When deciding if it will you want to make the switch from paper to digital, think about these business benefits:
Cost and resource
Digital solutions can help to save on costs if utilised correctly. Using a digital solution means tasks and reports can be automated, audits can be easily performed using centrally stored data and teams can stay on top of mandatory compliance tasks that would otherwise need to be actioned manually if using paper processes.
Live reporting
When tasks are completed from checklists or tasks are overdue, digital tools can alert the relevant stakeholders in the business who can then take any appropriate action. This means that teams have full oversight of site performance within a few clicks, something that would not be possible with paper processes.
Training and onboarding
As well to manage day-to-day tasks, digital checklists can also be used to manage training and onboarding for new staff. Relevant videos, images and other instructional content can be added to digital checklists for different teams. This is especially helpful for an industry like hospitality which sees a high turnover of staff.
Equipment monitoring
Equipment monitoring including maintenance, temperatures and upkeep procedures can be managed using digital checklists. The benefit of a digital option here is that any issues with the equipment can be automatically flagged in the system and the relevant teams are then alerted, allowing for a quick fix which potentially would be missed with manual paper reports.
Ultimately, opting to digitise your operations with the use of digital checklists means:
- Lower costs
- Less staff resource
- Better internal communications
- Manageable audits
- Automation
- Real-time data reporting
- Customisable and easily modified checklists
- Improved efficiency
- Ability to use data to spot trends
- Streamlined operations
- Better visibility
Disadvantages of using digital checklists
As with anything there is no one size fits all when it comes to running your hospitality business and depending on your needs, digital checklists might not be the best decision for you at this time.
Buy-in from team members
Adopting a new software or way of working is only successful if the wider team are engaged in doing so. Digital checklist tools rely on staff members updating and using the software for the reports to be useful.
Initial costs
Though digital checklists will help to save money and save on team resource, there might be additional costs to consider when setting up. These could include internet connection, devices for access or potentially extra training for staff members.
What next?
When it comes to the battle between digital checklists and paper-based processes in the hospitality industry, we think the answer is clear: digital checklists are the superior option. While paper checklists may have been the traditional method for managing daily tasks, digital checklists offer several benefits, including improved accuracy, real-time data tracking, and the ability to assign and delegate tasks to team members.
Through this article, we have explored the role of checklists in the hospitality industry, the areas where checklists are commonly used, and the advantages and disadvantages of both digital checklists and paper-based processes. We have also discussed how digital checklists can help businesses streamline operations, improve efficiency, and increase productivity.
If you're interested in implementing digital checklists in your hospitality business, Trail is a hospitality checklist app for productive teams. With Trail, you can create, assign, and track tasks in real-time, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.
Watch a 2 minute demo video to see how Trail can guide your teams through their day.