In today’s highly competitive world, an all-in-one restaurant management system lets you perform multiple functions such as reservations, billings, supply chain management, running loyalty programs, and a lot more.
Key benefits of an all-in-one restaurant management software
Let’s delve deep into how you can boost sales at your restaurant with the help of the software.
1. Lure customers with Contactless Dining
Restaurant customers have become quite hygiene conscious. As per the survey conducted by Appetize, 45% of Americans preferred to view the menu, order, and pay with their phone rather than interact with wait staff during Covid-19. We know for the fact that customers continue to do so even now. Now you can easily offer all this and more with the help of a digital, cloud-based restaurant management platform such as inresto contactless dining.
With the platform, now your diners can reserve seats at your restaurants on their mobile app. On reaching the restaurant, they just have to scan the QR code on their phone and place orders for food using a digital menu. They don’t have to touch the paper menu anymore, which is used by multiple people. After having food, they can make payments using digital wallets. Hence inresto offers your diners a contactless dining experience.
2. Personalised services to make the difference
Get detailed insights on customer preferences using the all-in-one restaurant management software. For example, assume that a particular diner prefers to be seated on the extreme left-hand corner of your restaurant. During the first two visits, he ordered his favourite Schezwan fried rice. The next time he/she visits your restaurant, reserve the table of his choice. Your waiter can suggest the same Schezwan fried rice. As a side dish, he can recommend Chicken 65. Thus, cross-sell dishes effectively with the help of data provided by the restaurant management software.
Keep in mind that recommending dishes of their choice will no doubt prompt customers to make repeated visits to your restaurant—the software stores valuable customer data such as customer age, date of birth, address, etc. Send personalised messages to these customers on occasions such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Such steps would definitely lead to customer delight.
3. Foster customer loyalty
The study by Oracle hospitality shows that 65% of consumers are already members of one or more restaurant loyalty programs. If you don’t have a robust loyalty program at your restaurant, then it’s high time to introduce one. Keep your customer loyalty program so simple that any customer can easily understand the redemption process. Define the loyalty program based on your customer retention goals. Set the criteria based on the number of visits to your restaurant or the amount spent during the visits. Come up with an option where your diners can redeem rewards for discounts, freebies, or points.
Inform customers about the reward points earned with timely notifications. Promote last-minute offers and rewards for your diners and give them an extra reason to visit your restaurant.
4. Act upon customer feedback
Improve your restaurant’s food and service by listening to customer feedback. A negative review in social media can tarnish your brand reputation. As per the report by BrightLocal, 93% of customers at restaurants/cafes look for reviews. Adopt feedback management software that helps you collect the reviews of your customers. Unlike the paper-based feedback forms, now you can customise the questions.
Before the diners leave your restaurant, they will be notified to share their feedback. Get instant feedback on various parameters such as food, service, and overall dining experience. In case of negative reviews, you can take corrective measures immediately. Assure the customer that such unfortunate incidents will never recur. Such gestures leave a lasting impression in the minds of consumers.
5. Engage and re-target your diners
Engaging your customers helps you boost your business enormously. As there is cutthroat competition in the market, you need to attract prospective diners to your establishment. Identify your target audience and launch targeted marketing campaigns. With the help of restaurant management software, choose one among the various communication channels such as SMS, E-mail, or push notifications. The platform also lets you automate the marketing campaigns. With a single click, send promotional messages to a huge audience and promote your offers easily.
Personalising the content is the key to running a successful marketing campaign. Assume that you are offering a limited period discount offer for a buffet lunch. To reach out to many people, run a promotional campaign among the working professionals in banks, IT companies, and other corporations in your city. In the same way, you can run multiple promotional campaigns for different segments at the same time. The restaurant software will also help you assess the impact of the promotional campaign. Evaluate the Return on Investment (ROI) for each campaign that was launched. In case a campaign is not working out, tweak the program and run again.
Parting Words
Gone are those days when restaurateurs used to depend upon the legacy billing machines. You can no longer survive in an industry with an outdated system. Hence the need of the hour is an all-in-one restaurant management software. As discussed earlier, it aids in managing multiple functions at your restaurant, runs marketing campaigns, promotes loyalty, and boosts sales enormously.
