How to work in hospitality post-COVID

The hospitality sector has always been a heavy contributor to the European economy, which is no surprise considering that Europe consistently ranks as one of the world’s top tourist destinations. About 8.2 million people across all 27 EU member states are currently employed in hospitality, providing the most jobs in Spain, followed by Germany and Italy.

Despite the expected upswing for the industry as the world continues to reopen, some things about the industry have changed due to COVID-19. Whether you’re a restaurant, hotel, tourism agency, or a different hospitality business, the pandemic has made customers more wary when it comes to booking a trip or reserving a table.

In the hospitality industry, your customer service is the core of your business. That means you need to address new concerns customers have as a result of the pandemic –many of which have to do with safety – with the same air of friendliness and approachability that you did before.

That’s where SumUp can step in. Whether you're running a restaurant, café or bar, our products and services are geared towards allowing your business to accept cashless payments safely and expand the services you can offer your customers — so you can continue to grow your hospitality business whatever the circumstances.

Cashless payments with SumUp Card Readers

Using our card readers to accept payments by card and by phone gives you a faster, safer way of handling your customer's money than cash. You can even take them on the road with you, so you can get paid wherever your business takes you. 

All of our card readers accept debit cards, credit cards, contactless payment, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Customers only need a few seconds to insert or tap their card and verify the transaction for the payment to go through. You can choose the card reader that best suits your business needs, from our affordable SumUp Air to Solo — our most advanced all-in-one payment solution to date.

Cashless payment is secure and reduces your interaction with customers, helping you do business in a COVID-safe way. Contactless payment is particularly safe, considering payment fraud is much less likely.

Getting paid remotely with QR codes and payment links

Accepting payments by card is already a step towards a more COVID-safe business space, but thanks to remote payments, you can completely reduce face-to-face customer interactions.

SumUp offers various ways for you to get paid by anyone from anywhere, easily accessible from our free SumUp App. You can send payment links and QR codes to your customers with a few taps of a screen, and they can pay you comfortably from wherever they are. 

Payment Links

You can create a payment link by entering an amount in the ‘Checkout’ screen of the SumUp app, tapping ‘Charge’, and then choosing ‘Payment Links’ in the next screen. Then, you can send it to customers on any channel you want, from social media to WhatsApp to email. 

Your customers don’t need to sign up or register; they just click on the link and are redirected to a secure site to pay. Customers can pay with the same credit or debit card they would use at a card reader. 

QR Codes

You can create a QR code the same way you create payment links, only they’re in a different section of the app. Go to the ‘More’ tab and tap ‘QR Codes’. In just a few seconds, you can create a new QR code to send to your customers. 

You can set the price associated with your QR codes, or you can let the customer enter the amount themselves. You can also add a description to help your customer understand what they’re paying for. 

Your QR codes aren’t limited to remote payments either. You can easily add your QR codes to table displays, counters or walls at your business to speed up orders and payments.

Your business and SumUp

We want SumUp to be as easy for you to use as possible. That’s why when you buy a card reader or use our POS, there are no contracts and no red tape to hack through. We don’t charge you any hidden fees either – you’ll only ever pay a small fee per transaction, no matter whether you’re using a card reader, QR code, or payment link. 

Making your SumUp profile is free and once you have a profile, you can use the SumUp App to get paid remotely and manage your business. You can see all your transactions, invoice clients, and create gift cards to offer customers. 

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