As the hospitality business emerges from the economic downturn occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, Interswitch, said, there is a need for the industry to leverage on efficient technological solutions that aligned with the changing market trends.
The company gave the recommendation at the Hotel Expo Nigeria 2022, held in Lagos, which drew players from the various corners of the sector, including manufacturers, hoteliers, tourism, booking agents and top executives, among others.
With the disruption caused by the pandemic in hindsight, the two-day event focused on conversations around developing innovative solutions that will boost recovery and growth of business operations. The expo also served as a common ground where ideas were shared and a community formed.
As a leader in Nigeria’s technology and innovation ecosystem, Interswitch is poised to provide bespoke robust business solutions to players in the hospitality industry to support their business growth aspirations.
Representatives of Interswitch who spoke at the event as members of the panelists were the group head, Engineering, Interswitch, Abdul-Hafiz Ibrahim and business manager, Interswitch, Olatunji Lasisi, delivering insights into the role technology can play in boosting the hospitality business. Also on the panel at the event was the Head of DSTV Business, Abayomi Famakinwa.
During the panel session, Ibrahim noted that as the hospitality business emerges from the economic downturn occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to leverage efficient technological solutions that aligned with the changing market trends, adding that it was important for businesses to take note of the dynamic consumer needs, as this will help them stay ahead of the competition.
He said: “the hospitality sector has undergone unprecedented challenges in recent times; and there is a need to have conversations around business solutions that will revitalize the sector and improve efficiency. The Hotel Expo Nigeria 2022 is a relevant platform in this regard as it brings together critical stakeholders to drive the conversation.
“As a cross-sector player, Interswitch’s cutting-edge products such as the Quickteller Business Smart PoS and the Payment Gateway help organisations drive efficiency and boost service delivery.”
Lasisi, on his part, identified the Quickteller Business Smart PoS and Payment Gateway as innovations from Interswitch that have helped businesses make quick recoveries from the harsh economic realities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lasisi said, the Quickteller Business Smart PoS, by design, was developed to aid businesses in accepting and processing payments from all major local and international cards, availing customers with multiple payment options such as transfers that provide immediate payment confirmation right on the PoS terminals to USSD, QR and Verve Paycode, pre-authorization, completion and refund features, providing real-time business performance reporting, among other features.
At the same time, the business manager said, the Payment Gateway service will enable businesses to accept payments easily on their websites from international and local customers alongside other multiple payment options, adding that integration of the Payment Gateway is 100 per cent free and easy.