A happy customer impacts your business’ bottom line more than anything else. The happier your customers the more likely they are to come back and recommend you to friends and family looking for a tasty meal. One of the easiest ways to keep customers happy is to meet them where they are and meet their needs.
Online ordering is probably the most important thing you can do to meet your customers wherever they are. It’s quick and easy to set up and a great way to drive business through multiple channels.
Online Ordering is Convenient
People are busy. Between work and family commitments, the average American eats out anywhere from 4-5 times a week and is constantly on the go. Online ordering allows customers to hop online or or an app and quickly place an order. Popular options during the week include carry out and pick up.
You can even add custom options like “no contact delivery” and “curbside” pick up.
A user friendly online ordering system is something that even your less computer savvy customers can use, which means you can easily accommodate customers from a wide range of demographics and backgrounds.
Ease of Use
On-demand. We hear that term when it comes to music, TV, and now food. Online ordering gives consumers the easiest ordering experience possible. Instead of having to hunt down a take-out menu or call for menu options, patrons can simply hop online and place an order using your interactive menu.
And, if something isn’t available for the day you can easily remove it from the menu and then add it when it comes back. This saves customers the frustration of hoping to get a specific meal, only to find out after the fact that it isn’t an option.
User friendly online ordering systems make it simple to completely customize how your customers can interact with them.
Improve Efficiency
Online ordering can often help restaurants create a streamlined process of food preparation and delivery. Because you’ll have orders coming in from various outlets (in-house, online, and over the phone), your restaurant will quickly develop a process to fill orders and get them to customers in the least amount of time possible.
Knowing your restaurant will be taking orders through various avenues makes cross-training staff even more important. As your team learns new and existing roles, you’ll be prepared to fill staffing holes as they come up.
Online ordering will help streamlining by:
- Reducing back and forth between the bar and kitchen
- Applying a process to all points of service
- Better rounding of managing your kitchen, dining room, and online presence
Additionally, online order systems aren’t prone to human error (unless a person inputs their order incorrectly). This translates to happier customers, far less food waste from incorrect orders, and a more efficiently run restaurant.
Data, Data, Data
One of the perks of an online ordering system is the amount of data you get. You’ll see what customers are ordering, what they aren’t ordering, and even when they are ordering. This is good news for you and for them.
As a restaurant owner you can use this data to market your business and provide a better online experience to customers. Whether crafting menu options and specials that appeal to your audience or simply knowing when to send an email, data is truly your friend.
Looking for an online ordering software for your restaurant? eHungry is trusted by thousands of restaurants to offer a quick, user friendly online ordering experience to their customers.
