FoodZaps' Open-minded Culture Fuels Growth
Words by Earnest Lim

Huey Meng founded FoodZaps in 2014 after a less-than-ideal experience at a food & beverage (F&B) establishment. Long wait times, wrong orders, and flustered staff prompted him to speak to the owner to find out more about the issues behind the scenes.

Through his conversation, Huey Meng learned that the restaurant owner faced challenges balancing the various aspects of restaurant management, such as order management, inventory management and point-of-sale (POS) transactions. The automated ordering solutions available at the time were too costly and complicated. Sensing an opportunity, Huey Meng created FoodZaps to provide an efficient and affordable intelligent restaurant system built on the Android operation system. FoodZaps offers F&B owners cutting-edge restaurant management software and hardware that assist with operations management and drive sales through various omni-channels. The company has won many awards and has served more than 500 F&B businesses in Singapore and more than 100,000 businesses globally. FoodZaps also created a patent-pending fail-safe hybrid solution to handle situations where internet connectivity is unstable. The company empathises with restaurant owners and staff; hence, they made the Point-of-Sale (POS) platform accessible as a mobile application and significantly simplified the setup process.

Achieving Stable Growth Through Strong Partnerships

Thanks to its continuous innovation and customer-centricity, FoodZaps has grown significantly over the past ten years and now serves over 100,000 businesses globally and 500 F&Bs locally. The company had to expand its workforce to remain competitive and maintain the same high customer-service standards to sustain its growth. FoodZaps’ managing director, Ms Chan Sze Sze, attended an IMDA briefing where she learned about NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute’s (e2i) programmes that provide smooth career transitions for new employees. These programmes assist SMEs with hiring, salary support, and creating structured training programmes that adequately prepare new hires for their role. Working closely with e2i has allowed FoodZaps to scout for talent beyond the IT industry and onboard employees who bring various skillsets acquired in other areas. 

The company’s open-mindedness and comprehensive training programme allowed them to prospect potential candidates of varying backgrounds, industries, and experiences. Its training plan consists of four key areas that help to ensure employees are well-positioned for their roles:

  1. On-job training: The training plan uses a role-based methodology to immerse new hires into their roles.
  2. Technical training: All employees go through basic technical training that helps them leverage technology for improved productivity.
  3. Industry knowledge: Industry knowledge is imparted to all employees to provide the context of their operating environment.
  4. Monthly performance reviews: The reviews help guide employees and ensure their continuous growth.

The partnership with e2i helps the company manage its hiring pipeline’s quality and quantity. The efficient and productive programme reduces the resources expanded by FoodZaps to hire well-suited employees. 

From Food Manufacturing To F&B Technology

After working in the food manufacturing industry, Yap Lee Ern joined FoodZaps as a sales and customer service executive. She was motivated to make a career switch after learning about the career prospects at FoodZaps. Upon learning more about the company, she felt the career change would allow her to learn new skills in technology and sales. Additionally, her friends and family encouraged her to join a rapidly growing industry. 

Throughout her training, Lee Ern learned the ins and outs of FoodZaps software. She also learned how to work in a fast-paced technology company and the skills required to provide excellent customer support for the company’s clients. Although she was new to IT and sales, her colleagues and mentors guided her throughout the training. The guidance and well-structured training allowed Lee Ern to succeed quickly in her role as a sales and customer service executive.

Collaboration, Culture & Continuous Growth

Through its collaboration with e2i, FoodZaps can focus on growing its technology solution and provide top-notch customer service without constantly worrying about staffing issues. Furthermore, its culture of open-mindedness and emphasis on training allowed the company to hire candidates from various backgrounds quickly.

Learn more about FoodZaps by visiting their website.

Learn more about e2i’s business solutions at e2i.com.sg/businesses

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