The restaurant industry is one that always is changing. However, restaurant technology is one aspect that is sure to stick around. In particular, technology impacting guests’ experiences is incredibly important. For instance, customers would like to have greater convenience during their dining experience. Mobile reservations are especially crucial in terms of having a high-quality management system.
According to a poll conducted by OpenTable for their “Technology and Dining Out 2015” report, 83 percent of the individuals stated that they wanted to have their names added to a waitlist before they arrived at the restaurants.
According to the Toast “Restaurant Success in 2017 Industry Report”, 36 percent of guests find online reservations to be the most important technological feature, 23 percent find free Wi-Fi to be the most important, and 19 percent are most interested in mobile or online ordering.
It is clear from these statistics that there is a growing demand among customers to be able to make mobile reservations. Your restaurant is sure to become more efficient and you will give guests a better experience, which overall will improve your business’ bottom line.
The following details how a restaurant reservation system will provide you with optimal benefits.
Manage Your Restaurant with More Efficiency
Restaurant reservation software will make your restaurant more efficient in general. This starts with your staff, including how many employees you will need to have to work each night. It also will allow you to determine when there likely will be a rush so that you can make sure your kitchen staff will be prepared.
Your host stand will improve as well, as the host can focus more on incoming customers when they do not have to answer the phone as often. You will avoid losing customers due to missing their calls. When you can communicate with customers through text regarding their reservations, you will keep the phone freed up.
When you have the ideal software, you will no longer deal with double booking and overbooking since you will have your desktop, call-in, and mobile reservations in one place. If your customer wishes to cancel their reservation, the reservation slot will be opened back up so that it can be reserved right away. This way, you always will know your reservations are up-to-date.
Create a Better Experience for Your Guests
Guests will experience greater convenience at your restaurant when they can use a streamlined reservation system. They can book reservations using an app or website with ease. Since 36 percent of customers prefer making reservations online, it makes sense that this is something you would include in your system. Customers can place reservations in advance, and access real-time wait lists, hours of operation, contact information and more.
In order to be sure that your bases are covered, you should consider placing a booking widget on your website. Returning customers will have an easier time making reservations. The guest management system should keep their information in the system so that each customer only needs to choose their desired reservation time. This can include allergies, favorite dishes, and birthdays. Any top-notch guest loyalty program would help yours tremendously with your business.
