It’s fair to say that it takes a certain person to get excited about changing business software. After overseeing more than 100 restaurant tech roll-outs, I’ll admit to being one of those people
The decision to use new restaurant management software is often driven by necessity, and the path to going live can be difficult — particularly in an industry with large front-line teams like hospitality.
With the right prep, training, and management, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some of the best practices I’ve learned from my time in the industry.
Key lessons I’ve learned from over 100 restaurant tech roll-outs
Clear communication is crucial
One of the biggest barriers to successful roll-outs is lack of understanding. Employees need to know why changes are happening, how the new system benefits them, and how it will affect their daily tasks. A well-structured communication plan that reassures staff and addresses concerns early on helps eliminate resistance and uncertainty.
Training should be ongoing, not one-time
Effective change management requires continuous support. Training sessions should be more than just a one-off event — they must be ongoing to ensure everyone is comfortable and confident with the new system.
Phased rollouts minimise disruption
Trying to implement everything at once can overwhelm staff and create unnecessary stress. A phased rollout, starting with pilot locations or specific functions, allows teams to adjust gradually. Running the new system alongside the old one for a period also helps reduce the risk of immediate disruptions while staff acclimate to the changes.
Effective onboarding sets the foundation for success
Proper onboarding of new technology is essential for long-term adoption. It’s not just about getting the system up and running, it’s about ensuring that everyone understands how to fully leverage its capabilities.
A structured onboarding process that includes hands-on training, clear documentation, and access to ongoing support helps teams feel empowered and ensures they get the most value out of the new tech from day one.
Start small before launching across all sites
To think big, start small. In larger and more complex rollouts, it’s always best to start with one or two locations. This allows you to identify issues early on and rectify them before expanding to other venues.
For example, you might notice gaps in staff training, like employees missing key steps when entering orders. Overcoming this challenge across two locations is much easier than doing it across your entire location network.
Involve your managers early on
Front-line managers are your eyes and ears on the ground. Getting them involved early on will give them a sense of ownership around the success of the project.
As the main day-to-day users of Nory, they will often have feedback around workflows and processes that your team in HQ may not have.
Communicate the ‘why’
No one gets excited about a system change, but your team will probably care about the reasons behind your decision.
If you’re implementing a system that saves time and makes admin easier for the team, it’s worth shouting about. Remember to always communicate the ‘why’ – and celebrate the wins along the way!
Clean your data
Don’t wait ‘til spring for that spring clean. A change of systems is the perfect time to clean house. Use a tech change to analyse data, evaluate what’s truly essential, and remove outdated records.
This proactive cleanup not only improves data accuracy and integrity but also has a knock on impact on making the system more usable for your team. It stops them from scrolling through irrelevant information that is no longer required by them.
How does Nory approach onboarding?
Since joining Nory, streamlining onboarding has been one of our key focusses. Our aim is to get our customers up and running on the software as efficiently and quickly as possible.
To us, business is personal. That’s why we assign every customer a dedicated Onboarding Manager, who’ll partner with them on every step of their onboarding journey. All of our Onboarding Managers (like Matt Greenwood) began their careers in the hospitality industry before moving into technology.
This background allows them to better understand the challenges your business faces because they’ve been there themselves. It also gives them vital know-how on how best to use solutions like Nory to drive positive change in your business.
Now, let’s talk about the onboarding process.
Where it all begins
Our process begins with a focused kick-off session, where we tailor the implementation journey to your needs, define clear roles and responsibilities, gather key information, and establish expectations and timelines. From there, we configure your system for optimal performance, ensuring a smooth and successful launch.
Then, we structure our onboarding into four key milestones:
- POS is live and forecasting
- Scheduling is up and running
- Food ordering and waste management is live
- Stock counting and reconciling launches
Each phase is designed to take as much pressure away from your team as possible and get you up and running ASAP. In other words, we do the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.
Let’s walk through these milestones in more detail.
1. POS is live and forecasting
We integrate your POS system with Nory and train your admin team on forecasting and budgeting. This creates a strong foundation for data-driven decision-making across your organisation.
2. Scheduling is up and running
We onboard your team onto Nory’s time and attendance management system. Our specialists provide thorough training, ensuring every employee masters the platform and giving you complete visibility into your labour costs.
3. Food ordering and waste management is live
We streamline your inventory ordering and food waste management processes, ensuring your team excels in efficient stock ordering and waste logging. This gives you unparalleled visibility into purchasing patterns and waste reduction opportunities.
4. Stock counting and reconciling launches
We introduce precise stock counting procedures and real-time cost of goods sold (COGS) reporting, helping your team establish consistent routines for accurate and efficient inventory management. This ensures data-driven purchasing decisions and greater control over food costs.
What happens after onboarding?
Nory’s commitment to your success goes beyond implementation. After setup and launch, the team offers:
- Regular check-ins to optimise performance
- Continuous training opportunities
- Dedicated support when needed
- Strategic guidance to maximise your ROI
What makes Nory’s onboarding different?
Implementing new restaurant technology is more than just rolling out software — it’s a shift in how teams operate. A well-structured onboarding process is critical to ensuring smooth adoption, minimising disruption, and maximising the value of your new system.
Here are some of the ways Nory’s onboarding stands apart from other tech platforms.
A custom onboarding process
Off-the-shelf onboarding solutions often fail to account for the unique needs of each business. Every restaurant has different workflows, processes and its own set of challenges.
We understand that every restaurant is different. That’s why we work with you to design a custom Onboarding Plan in line with your needs. For example, with multiple venues, we can create an onboarding plan that supports each venue based on their existing tech knowledge, processes, and so on.
This overall process generally takes between 4-8 weeks, depending on the complexity of your menu and existing POS setup.
And you should start seeing results quickly. Take a look at Roasting Plant Coffee as an example. After going live with Nory, the cafe saw huge improvements in efficiency, reducing labour costs by 18% in just two months.
“The level of service we’ve received from Nory has made implementing the system so much easier. Whenever we have questions, we get quick and helpful responses from the team.” – Kallie Kocourek, Vice President of the UK Market at Roasting Plant Coffee
Creating clear communication plans to overcome resistance
Employees may be apprehensive about change. If they don’t know why change is happening, how it benefits them, or how it impacts their roles, they can get nervous. They start thinking, “Is technology going to replace me? Will it cut my working hours?”
To address this, Nory works with the project lead to develop a clear communication plan. The plan outlines the purpose, benefits, and expected outcomes of the rollout, reassuring employees in the process.
The project lead manages ongoing business communications, providing regular updates to all stakeholders and addressing concerns in a way that resonates with frontline staff, management, and executives.
The project team also identifies change champions (known as Nory Senseis) who lead by example. They support their peers at the location level by offering hands-on guidance, answering questions, and demonstrating best practices for using the new system, ensuring a smoother transition.
Effective training and ongoing support
Without adequate training, users may feel overwhelmed by the new system. This can lead to errors and frustration, making users hesitant to fully adopt the software. As a result, rollout timelines are delayed and overall adoption suffers.
Nory overcomes this hurdle by preparing teams effectively. We offer comprehensive training and ongoing support to ensure that all users are confident using the software.
Here’s what we provide:
- Structured training programs. Offer hands-on training sessions (in person where situation allows), tutorials, and workshops tailored to different user groups.
- Accessible resources. Nory’s online help centre is up-to-date and has all FAQs covered – in addition to the Nory Onboarding Portal which key members of staff involved in the rollout have access to.
- Post-implementation support. In larger rollouts, Nory operates ‘drop-in’ support sessions at key project phases. This allows Nory users to get one-on-one time with our team. For smaller rollouts, we offer enhanced support to the project team during go-live weeks, with prebooked one-on-one time as needed.
If you have any questions or concerns throughout onboarding, reach out to your Onboarding Manager. They’ll be happy to help with whatever you need.
Minimise disruption to daily operations and workflows
Existing processes are familiar and comfortable. Changes can disrupt established routines, potentially reducing productivity and causing stress during the transition period.
Nory really cares about minimising this stress and disruption to ensure a smooth transition. For example, we run Nory alongside the old system (if applicable) during the transition to minimise disruption.
With larger and more complex rollouts, we also introduce Nory in stages (starting with pilot locations) to allow for a gradual adjustment.
Implementing new tech is scary, but it doesn’t have to be
I’m not going to lie and say change is easy. It’s not. In fact, it’s hard. But with the right preparation, communication, training, and strategic support, you can successfully transition to new systems. Throw a well-structured onboarding process into the mix, and you’re on your way to ensuring smooth adoption across multiple sites.
At Nory, we go beyond just setting up your system — we partner with you every step of the way, providing tailored solutions and support that empower your team.
