During the last year, the service industry was hit hard by the social distance mandates of the global pandemic. While many restaurants suffered losses due to the changes in routine protocols, new technologies not only saved numerous small businesses in the restaurant industry but empowered them to thrive. Thanks to customer loyalty and diligent entrepreneurship, the tools used to keep commercial kitchens up and running are now welcomed by industry standards. Here, we will look at some of the new technologies that every modern restaurant needs.
A New Era of Delivery and Pick-Up
In order to maintain a healthy bottom line during the pandemic, restaurant owners adopted new protocols for delivery and pick-ups. With in-house seating no longer an option, usage of industrial online ordering systems quickly grew in popularity. With a given restaurant paying a small setup fee with one or more online food delivery mobile apps (such as GrubHub, ChowNow, or Upserve), their company profile allows customers to browse the menu, then place orders on mobile devices. In turn, customers instantly pay by credit card. They also have the option of allowing the mobile app to retain their customer data for future takeout orders. With the integration of the best restaurant online ordering systems coupled with standardized curbside pickup, the industry successfully made it through the longest periods of the pandemic. Many small restaurants were able to grow their customer base thanks to the ease of use that the mobile app protocol allowed.
Point of Sale and Inventory Methods
Mobile orders have been slowly growing in popularity over the past few years but, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the trial-and-error strategy is now fine-tuned into a new template for a thriving service industry. According to at least one of the biggest restaurant equipment suppliers on the West Coast, The Restaurant Warehouse, online ordering systems and “point of sale” (POS) inventory technologies could change the way most popular eateries handle their food ordering system entirely. As the best-known Seattle restaurant store, The Restaurant Warehouse provides almost many popular restaurants in the Seattle area with new and high-quality, refurbished industrial equipment, like cabinets, refrigerators, and ice machines. In addition, the staff also follows the trends of the service industry. In recent months, more digital POS systems and mobile ordering licensing has taken place, making these two elements a “must” for successful modern restaurant entrepreneurship.
With an integrated POS system, your kitchen staff and management have the easiest, streamlined means for monitoring inventory. As part of your restaurant’s POS account, your full kitchen and pantry inventory is input into your record-keeping system. Once the POS is in place, the software’s unique automation functionality begins to keep track of your needed orders and expenditures right away. Not only that but for each unique sale (both in-house or through mobile app online orders), the raw materials used for the order are deducted from the inventory database within your restaurant’s account. In recent years, this form of POS has also become an industry standard, being used by restaurants of all sizes. Advanced features on some forms of the licensed software even allow your eatery to keep track of needed restaurant supplies, as well as make reservations for those loyal customers who insist on dining in-house. With the power of technology balancing your inventory and table reservations, a reputable POS system is a perfect modernized method for high-volume restaurant traffic and workflow.
Customer Service and Ongoing Loyalty
Even the best restaurant model will have to face customer service issues with service or food, or some form of an inadvertent mishap with credit card payments. When issuing various coupons, discounts, or promotions, there is sometimes room for error. However, among the best practices of any successful business is addressing those customer service issues correctly and with a quick turnaround. With so many independent restaurants now utilizing mobile apps as an integrated tool for pickup and delivery orders, a reputable vendor for call center solutions, such as ServiceNow call center, is the ideal cloud-based software for small businesses and larger chains alike.
While an online ordering platform can be an incredibly efficient means of handling delivery orders, promotions, and loyalty programs for new customers, there are key features with call center software that work hand-in-hand for a perfect, streamlined ordering process. For example, a call center is the best complement to your re-vamped delivery system and curbside pickup strategy. Among the key features is remote functionality, which allows your customer service agents to handle issues while at home or on-site. With access to your POS system, as well as your restaurant website, a remote customer support representative is in a unique position to solve any problems for your customers before or after delivery or pickup in real-time.
No matter the company, any entity within the service industry is dependent upon solid customer service. While you’re factoring online ordering and a new digital restaurant POS system into your new regular protocols, the best choice for an improved and modernized business strategy is a cloud-based customer service call center.
