How cloud-based ordering platforms are helping restaurants enhance customer experience

A popular restaurant, let’s call it Rodeo’s Pizzeria, gets about 120–150 calls every day, but 50% of them go unanswered. Why? “It’s next to impossible for an employee to answer all the incoming calls, especially during peak hours”, says the manager. But he also realizes that missed calls means missed revenue opportunities.

On the other hand, the customer who wants to order his favorite Mexican pizza with customized toppings would now have to look for an alternative.

Ugh, this can be so annoying! We all know that.

Restaurants that refuse to evolve alongside technology are the biggest losers in the present times. They are not just compromising with the deliverables that their customers expect of them, but they are also losing their customers in huge numbers, every day! Especially when a couple of thousands of new restaurants, with eccentric themes, delicious food, and impeccable service quality are being opened up every day in almost every city of the world.

The competition is fierce, and just depending upon the novelty and band value isn’t going to cut it.

So here we are, advocating in favor of technology, that by far, has set a trend in the restaurant industry that’s not going to slow down for another century.

Don’t be stuck in the StoneAge

Running a restaurant is not an easy feat, but that doesn’t mean you will keep it complicated to eternity. You can’t just sit in the back office and run operations with an outmoded desktop system.

In today’s world, where speed is everything, people are looking for your restaurant on their mobile phones. They find the website, place the order and want the food to be delivered in less than 40 minutes. Apparently, hot and fresh! Behind the scenes, a robust POS is tracking the order, updating the stock levels, and communicating the same to all concerned authorities.

But, if you are still living in the Modern-Stone Age, you are perhaps busy punching the orders manually. Hence, delaying the processes and significantly affecting the customer experience. One error, and you are bound to lose the customer forever!

CLOUD is the answer to all your worries and woes.

Executives, all around the world, are utilizing cloud technology to manage operations, sitting 3000 miles away from headquarters. So why are you still stuck in the back office?

We are no longer in an era where technology is expensive and inaccessible. It is becoming more user-friendly and affordable, available to suit all budgets. With new restaurants popping up on a daily basis, there are now more than a hundred cloud-based platforms for restaurants helping them survive and thrive in the competitive market.

“In order to stay ahead in the crowded market, quality and consistency is key to running a successful business, and keeping up with restaurant technological trends can increase operational efficiency while generating a better customer experience”, says Bharti Batra, Founder of Restolabs, a cloud-based online ordering software provider for restaurants.

Cloud technology means better management and enhanced customer experience

Cloud is gaining momentum in the restaurant industry, with 60% of the respondents in a survey agreeing that restaurants must use new and innovative technologies that can offer them seamless and efficient experience both offline and online.

Customers don’t have time or energy to spare on unpleasant experiences. They want things to move fast, and they have zero tolerance for errors. In simple terms, if there’s a problem playing a video on Netflix, there’s always a show or a movie on Prime Video that will satiate the need of the hour — customers seldom spend time fixing things. They simply move on!

So whether the goal is to double the reservation requests or increase average order size on the website/app, Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS) is a great model to invest in. It can tangibly improve customer experience by ensuring consistency in service.

Here are a few benefits of implementing cloud technology that can help eateries make business profitable while customers score excellent service quality. The restaurant software primarily helps in simplifying the crucial business processes, such as ordering, delivery, inventory management, payments, reservation, as well as communication.

Ensures product and service consistency to encourage loyalty

If there is one thing eateries need to get right, it’s consistency in service and quality across all locations. Think of it this way, if a diner’s favorite go-to eatery is Panera Bread for their Frontega Chicken Panini, they will expect the experience across all locations.

However, maintaining consistency and brand value can be quite challenging without the right technology. This is where efficient restaurant management software can help the restaurant get off the hook.

Access to real-time data for personalized interactions

One of the liberating aspects of the cloud-based infrastructure is the ability to access customer data in real-time. You don’t need a private datacenter to store and access the information on your customer’s likes and dislikes, their ordering pattern, abandoned carts, frequency at which they interact with the brand and so on.

Knowing how your customers behave creates the opportunity for marketing managers and strategists to reach them in an individualised manner. Through data stored in the cloud, customer behavior can be analyzed and segmented into different categories to create personalised deals and promotions.

24/7 Customer Support

Whether you want to keep an on-demand menu or run a restaurant 24/7, most cloud-based solutions provide 24/7 phone and email support, so you never have to solve urgent issues alone.

For instance, if your online ordering website crashes just before lunch hours, all you have to do is call the customer support of the service provider and they will handle the rest. Since all the data and transactions are stored in the dedicated server, the provider would upload data from backup and the system would start running in no time. Best of all, you won’t have to worry about losing the customer.

Meeting changing customer needs

With a cloud-based infrastructure, brands get the viable advantage of making certain, yet significant changes to their operations based on the customers’ demand.

So if the 2020 food trends tell you to add “Healthy Cocktails” to the menu, you should be able to do so in real-time, thus saving time and also eliminating the risk of manual errors.

Customers get the ability to control their orders

In the restaurant business, you can’t be profitable if you don’t keep your customers happy and satisfied. While there are a dozen things you can do to win their loyalty, giving them control of their orders and wait time is what will give you the much-needed edge.

Cloud-based ordering platforms allow customers to choose every detail of their order and pay using their preferred payment method. According to a study published by Deloitte, 40% of customers prefer to order online, and when they do, they tend to spend 20% more.

As consumers embrace technology as an integral part of both their personal and professional lives, Cloud has been a game-changer establishing a strong customer-restaurant relationship. Fortunately for independent and small eateries restaurants, cloud-based technology has become much more intuitive, affordable, and user-friendly. Always remember that when customers are happy and satisfied, they spread the word and bring more customers to your business. Thus, investing in the right product will ensure that you worry less about customer retention and spend more time enjoying your success.