Today we’re exploring how restaurants can use tech to operate more effectively.
From online ordering to QR codes, technology is a game changer for restaurant owners and operators. Great tech can help restaurants save more, operate more efficiently, and offer their customers a better, more pleasurable dining experience.
For restaurant owners and operators looking to maximize their restaurant’s efficiency, we’re going to discuss 3 key ways tech can help:
- Delivery service integration
- Capture analytics to better understand your customers
- Utilize feedback to improve
Delivery service integration
First, tech can help restaurant owners and operators run more efficient, effective businesses through better order management with delivery service integration.
These days, most restaurants offer delivery and takeout through third party service apps like UberEats, GrubHub, DoorDash, and Postmates. Third party services are great for restaurants that do not have the time, staff, or cash to invest in an in-house delivery service program.
But, trying to manage multiple third party delivery services, apps, and even devices without a delivery system integration can be nightmarish for restaurant owners and operators. Think: missed orders, duplicated orders, unnecessary manual labor, and kitchen inefficiency.
That’s where a platform like Dash can help. Dash streamlines the entire order-to-delivery workflow, by consolidating all orders, from all platforms, into a single feed.
What’s the benefit of delivery integration? The elimination of human error. With a streamlined order-to-delivery system, there’s no competing devices, no extraneous manual labor, and less wasted inventory. Dash also integrates directly with online delivery systems and services to sync order activity across your kitchen and POS.
In short? Streamlined delivery integration can save restaurants more money and improve operations. We’ll call that a win-win.
Know your customers
Another huge benefit of restaurant-focused tech is the ability of services to capture customer data. When customers place orders, Dash can help you easily capture customer data like:
- Name
- Phone number
- Total number of orders
- Total spent at your restaurant so far
- Average spent per order
- Segment customers into status groups like: new, loyal, VIP, lapsed
- Segment customers into dining groups like: lunch, dinner, happy hour
With this kind of personalized, up-to-the-minute data, restaurant owners and operators can create detailed customer profiles to improve engagement, loyalty, and hyper-target marketing efforts.
For example, a few ways to customize marketing to specific customers, based on their analytics:
- Offer repeat customers enrollment in a digital loyalty program
- Offer promos or coupons on slower days or low-volume times to drive visitors
- Send targeted ads or reminders to customers to purchase food or drinks at a certain time of day (i.e. the 3 pm slump)
- Enroll customers in your e-newsletter
- Create specials based on your most favored, cost efficient menu items
For restaurant owners and operators, capturing analytics on buying preferences and patterns adds up to more efficient marketing and a better experience for your customer.
Utilize feedback
Finally, one more huge advantage of using restaurant-focused tech to improve your operations is the opportunity to communicate more effectively with your customers through private feedback and messaging.
Restaurant owners and operators know review websites can improve – or tank – your business.
For example, according to Food Truck Empire:
- Yelp has more than 178 million unique visitors per month
- 45% of Yelpers check restaurant reviews
- Positive online reviews generate an 18% boost in sales
Those are some staggering stats. Then, there’s social media. Social media channels also function as another way for diners to “review” restaurants.
What does all this mean for restaurant owners and operators? Customers want to share their feedback on their restaurant experiences. But, if reviews are negative, it could harm your restaurant’s reputation.
However, there is a simple, tech-based solution to the feedback conundrum. If your restaurant uses a private feedback mechanism, like a survey, on every order, you can invite customer feedback only you can see.
This kind of private customer communication helps restaurant owners and operators in 3 key ways. First, a platform like Dash allows owners and operators to reply quickly and privately to individual customers about less-than-stellar reviews or comments. This helps owners and operators to identify issues or successes and resolve them quickly.
Private feedback also helps to prevent negative reviews from living forever on review sites like Yelp.
Finally, by responding quickly and politely to customer feedback in a private message, you can increase customer loyalty and your restaurant’s reputation.
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Ready to streamline your restaurant’s operations? Dash can help. Learn more here.
