With the introduction of review sites and social channels, restaurants have become even more focused on the customer experience and driving loyalty through exceptional service.
It’s important to find ways to ensure a positive brand experience so you not only deter negative feedback online, but also drive repeat business that maximizes your restaurant’s revenue.
In order to help your restaurant’s efforts, we’ve compiled 3 ways to create an exceptional customer experience:
Listen to Guest Feedback
Feedback is an important tool for restaurants to better understand their customers and tailor services or products to their needs. Whether you talk to your customers one on one or have a kiosk where they can rate your service, feedback is a great way to gain insight into service quality and operations.
According to Gallup, “Knowing customers’ expectations as they experience a restaurant through its different service channels is vital to understanding the performance of all segments of the restaurant”, so you know where to make adjustments to reach optimal customer experience.
With a platform like Loop Pulse™ you can gain insight and performance data from your customer-base in real-time. With an incorporated scoreboard, team members can then immediately change behavior based on the ratings they are receiving. In addition, managers can get a comprehensive view of who is coming into their restaurant, what services they asked for, what they liked, what they didn’t like, and so on.
Gamify The Workplace
Great customer service stems from a positive and motivating work environment. Your staff’s attitude directly reflects your customers experience so it’s important to make sure that employees are thriving in the work place.
Gamification brings an element of fun to work by introducing elements of game playing such as competition and point scoring. According to a research paper entitled: A Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Gamification, gamification can also support “user engagement and enhance positive patterns in service use, such as increasing user activity, social interaction, or quality and productivity of actions”. Introducing gamification then generates a more positive customer experience by rewarding positive patterns and creating efficiency through competition.
With a platform like Loop Pulse you can gamify your workplace by using an integrated scoreboard. With it, your team members can see their performance in real-time at the back of house, allowing them to make changes instantly. In addition, having other locations use the same scoreboard creates friendly competition, driving team members to consistently do better.
Improve Operations With Analytics
Over the years, the operational aspect of restaurants has changed immensely. From the traditional dining experience of seating and serving, to the addition of online takeout and delivery options, running your business has become more complex than just serving food.
The operations behind your restaurant is important not just in terms of team member efficiency but also for your customers experience. This means your restaurant should be keeping tabs on how long it takes to fulfill an order, what items are in stock, what services are available, and so on.
These metrics can help team members become aware of what to suggest, while also keeping online orders consistent with what is in stock. According to the same study by Gallup “a focus on customer needs, expectations and convenience, ensures that a restaurant can shift its delivery methods without affecting valuable customer experiences. With new channels comes the need to revise standard operating procedures and update old systems and process.”
Improving operations with a platform like Loop can help employees decrease wait times and keep them informed on how their performance is doing.
With the rise of digital outlets, customer service has become more important than ever in the restaurant sector. In order to see your revenue grow, and your customers consistently coming back, it could be time to make changes to foster more exceptional customer experiences.
What are some ways you could improve customer experience? Let us know in the comments, or on social media.
