"We [deployed the] Octopus [payment system] a few years ago, making payment much easier and faster, which is essential for the fast food business," said Tse.

According to Gartner's report, contactless payment like Octopus has a moderate effect on ROI. But the stored-value card has also demonstrated a positive effect on the overall customer experience, as well as productivity by speeding up transactions. The system also builds a foundation for the company to collect market information to develop loyalty programs.

Fairwood has also expanded its business in party catering, which is a seasonally-based service. To capture business during the peak seasons, the company set up an IP-based unified communication system from Cisco to replace its traditional PBX fixed-line system.

The deployment of the IP-based communication system has enhanced its customer catering hotline services significantly during the recent festive seasons of Christmas and Chinese New Year, said CK Ng, executive director of Fairwood.

"The company's revenue in catering services during the festive season increased by 40 percent in 2006, as compared to 2005," he said.