The digital transformation makes for a better customer experience

Written by Anna-Sofia Jonsson | 23 Oct 2019

Gone are the days when guests expected to come to a restaurant and wait. Wait to be seated, wait to order drinks, wait to look at a menu, wait to order food, wait to pay so they can leave… well, you get it.  No one knows exactly where digitization and technological innovation will take the food and hospitality industries, but one thing is certain – the status quo has already been tipped over and thrown out the window of a passing food truck.

 

Endless possibilities for a digital restaurant

There’s a myriad of digital solutions that are quickly becoming commonplace. The following are a few examples.

  • Online reservations
  • Tablets & KDS integrated with POS
  • Pagers
  • Kiosks/Self-service
  • Apps

When you arrive at the bakery, your baked goods, which you paid for on your phone, will be waiting on the counter.

Online Reservations

Online reservations were the start point of the digital transformational journey that restaurants are now embarking on. Today, most customers expect restaurants to offer online reservations. If not, the customer may select a different restaurant.

Tablets & KDS integrated with POS

At a restaurant, your server will greet you by name (since you made an online reservation and put in your name) and be ready to take your order on tablet at your table when you are ready. Are you ready right away? Lets order! The order is then submitted to the POS system, which in turn has an integrated kitchen display system. In a matter of seconds after the order is submitted it shows up on displays in the kitchen and the chef can start preparing your order.

Pagers

Some lunch restaurants and restaurants with a more casual approach may use pagers to alert customers when their food is ready for self-service pick-up. This includes guests dining in, as well as take-out.

Kiosks/Self-service

Perhaps a fast food restaurant/café/boutique will install a self-service kiosk by the entrance (or exit) where guests can put in their own orders, complete with personalized options.

Apps

Apps can be used for bookings, orders and alerts. A food truck may offer a service where you can follow the trucks location on a map, put in an order and take advantage of loyalty program savings. You could even pay through the app instead of at pick-up.

 

Personalize the offer

Awareness technology and data insights are means that can be used to enhance the customer experience. It allows your staff to suggest personalized specials based on previous orders, avoid allergies and stick to a customer’s overall preference. The system might also include recommendations based on a customer’s preferred seating, payment method, and home address for deliveries.

The system is completely adapted to improve customer satisfaction.

 

Your next steps

  1. Analyze your segment from a customer point of view. Is there a long line during lunch hours? Do you have a lot of take-away customers walking in an ordering? Have you considered self-service? Third-party delivery?
  2. Offer online ordering. A growing number of customers prefer ordering online. And when they do, studies show they generally also spend more money.
  3. Consider a loyalty program generating rewards and/or savings. According to research conducted by NDP Group, consumers will use restaurant apps to access savings, which in turn result in increased app usage.
  4. Allow for customized, digital orders. Apps are an effective way for customers to customize their orders and reduce waiting time.

Trivec’s self-service kiosks allow customers to order completely by themselves. These kiosks are an excellent mean for additional sales, a place where you can easily communicate with guests about specials, campaigns and such. In addition, the Trivec POS system contains a customer loyalty module, giving you the chance to add a customer database where you can collect loyalty points and link them to discounts and special offers which can also be displayed in the self-service kiosk. Trivec also offers systems that alert customers when their food is ready to be picked up, either via large display screens or pagers. Read more about Trivec’s solutions here »

 

The digital restaurant

Download the Digital Restaurant to learn more about the new generations and how to attract them, improve customer experience as well as the processes behind the scenes (the kitchen) and how to optimize your business and save & make more money.