Being a restaurant owner, it might be frustating to attend all the un-ending calls and messages.
In such cases, having an online reservation system that can help you get rid of those un-stoppable calls is important.
With an online reservation system, you can schedule employees and restaurant capacity according to customer traffic whereas customers have freedom to book from anywhere anytime.
But before looking out for a way, you need to check whether the system you are exploring meets your restaurant's demand.
To qualify your demands, the system must be:
- Able to collect all the necessary data
- A PCI and GDPR compliant
- Easy and handy to use
- Able to provide proper alerts and notifications like email to both Admins and as well the customers
Checking these key features and benefits before choosing for an online reservation system or an inbuilt plugin is important as systems may be many but the one that suits your requirements may be a few.
THE RESERVATION PROCESS
With everything on digital spree, making an online reservation is usually getting much more demanding and important feature for guests. Thus choosing a reservation system that makes restaurant operations and services - smooth and seamless is vital.
Take a step further with a complete solution that has inbuilt reservation management system plugin to help you organize your reservations, customer service and waiting list a less painful.
HOW RESERVATION SYSTEM CAN BOOST YOUR SALES AND PRODUCTIVITY?
Dreaming about a great reservation system, you might be wondering how can a single reservation feature help in increasing your business's growth?
Here we have explained, how an online reservation can help to:
1. Improve wait time:
The most important thing that rules a hospitality business is the waiting time and the one that provides less waiting time is the winner of the game.
With online reservation feature, customers can reserve their tables before hand which would help them to avoid killing of time, once in restaurant.
Along with that, they can visit the restaurant even during peak hours without any worries of fully occupied tables.
Now customers can get out of their regular thought, "Oh God! That restaurant might be full, what should I do?", and reserve the table before hand.
A simple feature can save yours as well as your customers time.
2. Increase traffic and sales:
Who doesn't want to have more traffic and sales? No one!
Leveraging your website with exciting offers and special deals with a booking widget can bring you more profits.
Up of that, self-service reservations can assist patrons to reserve a table by simply filling up a form without forgoing conversation with the restaurant owners, hereby saving time, miscommunication, and peace of mind.
Instead of focusing on increasing customer traffic, you can focus on improving service and sales.
3. Reduce customer addition costs:
As people prefer digital solutions for all their needs, an online reservation tool is a great feature to bring new customers in.
Customers get a freedom to book a reservation without having to call restaurant, so providing them with an online portal for reserving table would improve customer acquistion rates.
On contrary, maintaining an online portal is more effective and affordable than a team to handle reservation calls and orders.
You can accept bookings 24*7 without doing a thing; a widget on your website and you're set to get more customers inside the door.
It's like getting a double bonus, a cost effective solution for bringing in more sales.
4. Enhance customer satisfaction:
An online reservation system helps restaurant avoid wasting time and hours on making bookings via calls and than confirming it again.
With auto generated emails, customers and restaurant can directly get the confirmation notification of the booking details.
Instead of missing out on detailing the requirements via call, customers can specify their each and every requirement while reserving via booking widgets whereas the staff can manage the reservations via dashboard.
This improves restaurant's efficiency, customers contentment, and operations hassle free.
When customer is satisfied with the service and the operational way of the restaurant, he/she is most likely to come back.
5. Strengthen streamline operations:
An online reservation system helps in making the operations smooth,easy, and fast.
With pre bookings and table occupancy, restaurant staff can plan the servings, presentations, volume of food- all in advance.
A rich guest data helps to ensure that customer demands are met more effectively; making them love the service and a second visit.
Isn't it amazing, how a single widget can do a lot of work?
Keep on reading for tips to manage and boost the reservation system...
HOW TO MANAGE RESERVATION SYSTEM?
Just having an online reservation system is not enough, you need to strategise your reservations with Dine-in customers because disappointing any one of these may not be good for your business.
Here are some tips to manage the reservation system:
1. Advance order booking:
A free table reservation is what customers love but a table reservation with their choice of meal is what goes beyond their happiness.
Save a great deal of work by providing them with a meal choice at the time of booking so that they can pre-order, giving you sufficient time to pre-plan the meals; keeping it ready before their arrival.
With advance order booking feature, you can save your and your customer's time, as all they would do is just arrive and eat without any hassle or having to wait for the order.
The advantage of this feature is that be it an individual or a group, customers can pre-order for everyone providing their names, so there's no confusion while serving.
Be it an individual or a group, you can handle easily without slamming your kitchen.
2. Confirmation message:
You can automatically send a confirmation message or a reminder message to the customer about his/her reservation with all the details so as to avoid any miscommunication as well table being left empty.
3. Spare some tables for walkin customers:
Don't reserve all your tables as you may miss out on a walkin customer who can turn out to be a regular customer.
Spare some tables for your regular guests who come unnoticed so like always they are delighted to find an available table.
HOW TO BOOST RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS?
Here are some cool tricks to bring potential customers to your doorstep:
1. Offer deals and special prices:
Customers tend to check out for a restaurant's website before booking a table.
Offering different deals and prices on your restaurant's website with a well-designed booking widget will allow more and more customers to book a table that too in a few steps.
2. Social Media Advertising:
Social Media is considered as the most powerful weapon to increase restaurant reservations. With billions of active facebook, instagram and twitter users, you can capitalize more via these platforms.
Post regularly on facebook, keep your audience updated with new offers and deals, fresh content, products, events, etc.
Most importantly, add reservation buttons to your social media account redirecting it to your booking widget. As all these would make your customers book instantly via social media account.
Along with it, you can promote your restaurant via social media channels through organic or paid mediums.
Facebook:
Editing the "Book Now" button on your facebook page with a link to your website's widget is the old trick. Instead, let your customers reserve from the portal itself.
Ensure them with the way of booking directly by providing booking widget on your facebook account with full control and access to your guest's data.
For example, share interesting articles, cultivate fresh discussions on some healthy and organic dietary foods, offer special discounts to those who book via social media account.
Instagram:
Increase the followers and viewers on your instagram account by posting attractive images and videos of your food, recipes, cooking styles, chefs, etc.
Offer video tour of your restaurant, special prices and deals, upcoming events and parties with a booking link to your website's reservation widget.
As with large follower base, the chances of maximising the table turn over doubles or may be triples.
Make sure that the instant customers check out your offers and deals on social media, they book the table without any delay.
3. Go Google:
When searching for places to eat, google is the first option that pops up in each and every customer's mind.
With online advertising tools like Google My Business, Paid Social, SEOs and SEMs, you can reach your pre-existing customers as well as the newer audience.
Register on Google My Business for free and get listed on Google Search, Google Maps, Google Plus with videos, photos, prices, reviews, GPS and links to your website.
Along with free google services, you can opt out for paid ads that will target potential customers and promote existing posts and offers.
You can even optimise google search with compelling and worthy content, optimised keywords, great user experience, etc.
Get googled with proper message and search terms.
Final Wordings...
Bringing on the customers is not a big deal, however having a right reservation tool is.
Don't just get swayed by other's advice, instead experience it yourself with SingFNB - a perfect solution for all your ingredients of problem.
To learn more, why not contact us on the details given below:
Phone: +65 6562 6050 | Email: [email protected]