Restaurant Technology that is Changing Customer Experiences

Restaurants both big and small are having to compete with many different dining options and changing customer expectations. In an industry that is customer-driven, it is even more important to use technology to stay ahead giving your restaurant a competitive edge while also improving profitability.
 
The pandemic has been a driving force for many changes in both technology and the customer experience. While tech has been proven to help with labor and food management, it has also shown how it can help an industry that already had a high turnover rate.

The current rate we are experiencing has caused many businesses to reduce their hours or close entirely because they don’t have the staff to run the business. The technology is two-sided in that it is improving the customer experiences and customer expectations while also addressing the problems many restaurants are experiencing – lack of staff, longer wait times, and food quality.

Let’s take a look at some different technologies that are improving the customers’ dining experience.

Kiosk ordering

The kiosk ordering platform provides a convenient option for customers to order food without the assistance of a waiter or team member. They are a perfect solution for any restaurant brand wanting to improve wait times, improve order accuracy, increase check sizes, reduce labor costs, and give customers an enhanced experience at their fingertips.

QR codes

The QR code had been declining in use before the pandemic hit, but after the pandemic, it received new life. For a contactless restaurant experience, the QR code enables a restaurant to collect customer data by having people sign up for rewards or loyalty programs. A QR code promotes engagement through the end customer’s device of choice, the mobile phone.

Mobile Apps

With a mobile app, you have the ability to have a branded experience in which a customer can order directly from their smartphone or tablet. This is for those customers that are on the go and want the convenience of ordering in advance while solving labor issues and increasing profits. Flexibility and order accuracy are two other benefits of a mobile app that also help meet customer expectations.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs do reward customers who engage or interact with a brand, but they also help a brand gather more information about its customers. We can learn what their favorite products are, what their order frequency is, order time of day, order history, and many more data points. Loyalty programs are a retention tool but also help boost profits, reduce costs, allow personalization, brings in new customers, and improves your brand reputation.

Data & Insights Enablement

With technology centered around kiosks, mobile apps, and loyalty programs, it is important to understand your data and insights. Data is the information around numbers while insights is the knowledge gained from the data generating a conclusion. The two combined help take guessing out of business to provide more action items to service your customers while improving your business.

CRM tools

A CRM tool is essential for all the data and insights you have enabling you to store customer information, identify product and sales opportunities, help with menu management, and run marketing communication campaigns.

In conclusion, technology is a key driver in improving customer expectations while also helping the back-end experience around labor, profit margins, and menu management among several other things.

EZ-Chow has solutions such as Online Ordering Solutions and Self-Ordering Kiosk Solutions that integrate into your existing POS systems. To learn how EZ-Chow can help you with these initiatives and more, get started by contacting us here.

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Author

Bernie Fussenegger
Bernie Fussenegger
Marketing,Branding & e-Commerce -Consultant
Click to learn more about Bernie Fussenegger

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