She Spent Years at Uber Eats Watching Businesses Win and Lose Customers. Here’s What She Says Most Get Wrong.

She says most businesses are solving the customer problem in the wrong order.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Key Takeaways Define the guest experience, then build technology around that vision.

Data alone can’t determine what makes a great restaurant; you have to combine analytics with authenticity.

Businesses that own the customer relationship can create more meaningful experiences.

Before a customer places an order, the restaurant already knows it’s their 100th visit. A free cookie is waiting for them.

“That’s digital hospitality,” Deborah Matteliano, Global Head of Restaurants at Amazon Web Services (AWS), says. “It’s using technology to make somebody feel seen, understood and special.”

For Matteliano, that moment has nothing to do with the cookie. It’s about making a guest feel recognized before they ever take a bite.

After helping restaurants navigate the rapid growth of online ordering at Uber Eats, Matteliano joined AWS. Amazon’s cloud computing business was originally built to help Amazon deliver on the promises it made to customers. Today, it provides the technology and infrastructure that power companies around the world, including many restaurant brands.

“Amazon has always been obsessed with the customer,” Matteliano says. “It’s about delivering on the promise you make every single time.”

... continue reading