Monday, January 15, 2018

As a restaurant owner, your life can be quite chaotic. You're constantly juggling problem-solving, putting out fires (metaphorically and physically) and keeping your customers and internal team happy. To mitigate the operational chaos, you need affordable, time-saving tools that can simplify your internal communication and improve customer service.  

Here are four easy-to-implement tools that can help you streamline your restaurant operations and contribute to your success.

1. Online ordering

If your establishment offers pick-up order options, consider integrating with an online ordering system. An online ordering system can take orders from customers without the need for a live agent to get on the phone. This will save employee time and increase productivity. And since the average online ordering check is 23% larger than in-store checks, using online ordering can boost revenue as well.

2. Text messaging

Text messaging is an affordable mass communication solution that helps you improve your customer service and overall team communication. Text messages are opened by 95% of recipients, making texting one of the most powerful communication tools for businesses. Text marketing is also efficient as you can send a message to thousands of contacts simultaneously in under a few minutes.

Send customers text messages regarding restaurant updates, new menu options, special promotions and discounts to increase foot traffic and keep your establishment top of mind. Enhance your internal team communication as well and save time on manual calls. For example, if you have a company update or emergency notification, send a text message to your entire team simultaneously instead of making individual phone calls.

3. Voice broadcast

Voice broadcast is another affordable mass communication tool with efficiency and engagement benefits similar to text messaging. The difference between the two, however, is that voice broadcasts are sent via voice messages instead of text. Voice broadcast adds a human element to mass communication and is preferred when a dose of authenticity is desired. For example, maybe you want to send your team members an inspirational message or your customers a motivational company update. In these instances, voice broadcast may be a more effective communication solution.

4. Interactive voice response

Interactive voice response, or IVR, works in tandem with voice broadcast and allows the call recipient to interact with the phone message by pressing a key or speaking a voice command.  

Send customer surveys and notifications to gather customer feedback by using IVR for outbound calls. Use this data to inform your product and marketing decisions going forward.  

Use interactive voice response to automate incoming calls and eliminate employee-wasted time and improve the customer experience. Set up phone trees and a virtual receptionist to field calls and answer frequently asked questions. Allow customers to make reservations and get directions, hours and company information without monopolizing your employees' time. If your customer needs to talk to a live person, the menu can also include an option for callers to be transferred to a live agent. 

Streamline your restaurant operations

Streamlining operations and increasing efficiency are critical for restaurant owners who want to eliminate unnecessary chaos and increase efficiency. With interactive voice response, text messaging and voice broadcast, you can automate your customer service and team communication and cut costs in the process. If you would like to try one of CallFire’s mass communication tools for restaurants, sign up for free here.