These days you can order your take-out or delivery with just a few simple clicks through online ordering systems. This new way of ordering is growing rapidly among the younger generations. Many internet users would likely use a smartphone or tablet for ordering take-out and delivery if possible, with 74% of millennials expressing interest in doing so. It’s needless to say that if you own or operate a restaurant that offers take-out or delivery, you should consider an online ordering system. Here’s why:
1. Higher Employee Productivity
Think about all the time your employees spend taking orders over the phone and making sure that the order is correct. When taking orders over the phone, there is a higher likelihood of miscommunication, in turn, compelling employees to stay on the phone longer to ensure that they have gotten the correct order before hanging up. By implementing an online ordering service, employees will spend less time taking phone orders and can spend more time actually preparing those orders for pick-up or delivery to the customer. Another great benefit of online ordering is the ability for the customer to pre-place large orders and set a specific pick-up or delivery time. This allows the restaurant employees time to properly prep large orders in advance.
2. Order Accuracy
Going back to the miscommunication that often occurs when taking orders over the phone, online ordering systems allow the customer to select and modify their food order exactly the way they like it. This order will then be sent directly to a restaurant printer with no misunderstanding or miscommunication. Being able to take an order straight from the printer to prep will cut back on order inaccuracy and will save the restaurant from wasting money and bad reviews.
3. Grow your Business
Sometimes people don’t want to be bothered with calling and placing their take-out or delivery order over the phone, and opt for a restaurant that provides an online ordering service instead. Convenience is key when it comes to customer service. Providing a seamless and easy-to-use online ordering system will create a better experience for customers, resulting in an increase in sales.
4. Ability to Build a Database
When your customers order through an online ordering service, this creates an opportunity for you to capture information, such as an email address, and use this information to create a database. This database can then be used to communicate with your customers and encourage them to come back through loyalty programs, email marketing, mailing coupons, and more. When taking orders over the phone, you often times only receive their phone number and delivery address, which usually does not allow you to reengage with the customer after the transaction is complete.
5. Powerful Analytics
Once you’ve built your database of customers, you can then use analytics offered with online ordering services to track the ordering patterns of your customers. This will allow you to offer tailored promotions to customers based on what they frequently order or how frequently they order. You can also use this information to adjust, add, or remove menu items based on what your customers are ordering.
Implementing an online ordering system can bring endless benefits to your restaurant business. You may consider using your own, or partnering with an existing online ordering app. Whichever you choose, Star Micronics is there to help you seamlessly integrate online ordering into your restaurant by providing cloud-based point of sale technology to help that order go straight from the cloud, to your restaurant, and then out the door.
Better Customer Support
Since the restaurant delivery system gives you more control over the operations, you find yourself in a much better position to deal with customer grievances. It gives you access to all the information you need to determine what went wrong and address the issues.
Customer support is a key element of the industry. Happy customers can bring your business into the limelight overnight. On the other hand, a few grumpy customers can make a big dent in your bottom line, a lot bigger than you expect. So leverage the capabilities of a restaurant’s online ordering software and surround your business with happy customers.
Gives You an Edge Over Competitors
The pandemic turned out to be a great proponent for online food ordering systems. Restaurants and food businesses worldwide showed a lot of interest in going online, and it has now become almost a necessity.
However, a lot of businesses still don’t have in-house online food ordering software. They might be on an aggregator platform to keep up but haven’t gone the extra mile. By creating a food ordering system for your business, you can put yourself ahead of most of the competition out there.
There is no doubt that you need to deploy food delivery dispatch software as soon as possible. But how? Developing such a solution from scratch can be costly and doesn’t make much sense.
But worry not, Creative Media has got you covered. It’s an online ordering solutions can get you started in no time. So get started with setting up your online food ordering system, and experience these benefits yourself.