Customers are an integral part of the restaurant business. At a time when there is intense competition, the kind of customer service a restaurant provides determines its success or failure. While customer service may be associated with dine-in facilities, it is an equally important part of online delivery services as well. Apart from receiving orders via the in-house online ordering system or third-party aggregators, restaurants also receive a significant number of telephonic requests. Typically in a restaurant call center, the orders are received through several service executives, who take orders and redirect them to the outlets nearer to the customer’s location. With an increased demand for online orders, the chances of losing orders may be often higher. Therefore, you must follow proper strategies that will be helpful for efficient call order management.
Proven Tips For An Efficient Call Order Management
For restaurants, speedy service is not only essential to elevate the customer’s experience but also a critical differentiator that provides a competitive edge. Restaurants having a call order management system in place are able to respond immediately to customer orders and requests. Restaurants usually employ multiple agents to serve customers better. If you want your restaurant to deliver the telephonic orders in a timely manner, follow these proven tips.
Manage Calls With Cloud Telephony
Cloud telephony services are considered most profitable for restaurant businesses where the demand for home delivery orders is at its peak. QSR’s, cloud kitchens, and small restaurant outlets that don’t have a spacious dining facility can make the most out of home delivery orders. Therefore, it is recommended that these businesses invest in a cloud telephony service to maximize profitability.
In the cloud telephony arrangement, a single helpline number is designated to the user, i.e restaurant. However, at the backend, it is connected to multiple servers where customer service operators receive the customer calls. If the first server is busy, the call gets automatically transferred to the next available server, where operators attend to the customer’s order request.
Given the fact that online ordering is permeating the market, telephonic orders are here to stay. Cloud telephony services ensure that even on busy days, no customer call goes unattended. Consider partnering with cloud telephony services such as Knowlarity, MyOperator, that will streamline your restaurant’s order management smoothly without losing any orders.
Use a POS
For restaurants relying heavily on telephonic orders, investing in a robust POS system that comes with a restaurant call center panel module is highly advisable. The Call-Center Panel will help in swift order management and provide a seamless ordering experience to your customers. Listed below are some features that explain how a POS drives efficient call order management.
These are the features to look for while investing in point-of-sale software for your restaurant.
1. Cloud telephony integration
Cloud telephony integration will allow you to keep track of the number of orders placed through the phone and seamlessly integrate it with other orders. Therefore, it is an essential feature to look for in a POS system.
2. Complete Transparency
A POS system integrates orders from all the restaurant outlets on an intermediate level. If there are any unavailable items in any outlet, they are displayed on the screens of customer delivery executives. This dramatically avoids any irregularities while taking the orders.
3. Integrated CRM
When customers provide their contact information while placing telephonic orders, service operators can view vital customer information (if any) such as order history, most ordered items, average spend, etc. Based on this information, the executives can provide menu suggestions and upsell by suggesting the profit-making items to customers.
4. Central Panel
One of the most significant advantages of integrating call order management with a POS system is that all orders are entered directly into the system. There is no need to add the orders received via calls manually. Moreover, all the calls are routed to a single central panel and then pushed forward to an outlet nearest to the customer’s location.
5. Simplified Order Tracking
The call center module on the POS system also allows the agents to track the delivery process and monitor the order status of each order. They can view if the order has been accepted, picked up, or delivered to the customer in real-time. Similarly, you can keep your customers updated about their order status by sending SMS notifications.
6. Comprehensive Reporting
POS systems provide an in-depth analysis of all the necessary information such as the total number of orders received, spend analysis, the average time taken to prepare and deliver the order, etc. You can also monitor the total number of orders placed successfully, and the number of calls dropped to gain better insight and bring improvements in the call management process.
Ensure Proper Scheduling For Effective Call Center Management
A surge in the delivery orders and increased call volumes can lead to stressful situations which may have a negative effect on the morale of your employees. If their shifts are not scheduled properly, they might begin to feel overworked, which will ultimately lower their productivity. This is where proper scheduling comes into the picture.
While creating a scheduling plan, consider factors such as team size, employee availability, peak and low hours for incoming calls, and a whole host of other factors depending on your restaurant format. Similarly, you can train the order taking staff in basic phone etiquette such as summarizing the particulars of orders quickly to confirm if the order placed is correct. This will avoid any confusion, prevent wrong order placement, and elevate the customer experience.
Having a call management system is extremely important for restaurant businesses to widen their delivery system and cater to a more extensive consumer base. Accept more phone orders by offering customers some discounts and multiple payment methods. At a time when doorstep food delivery orders are witnessing the highest demand, remember to continuously improve the speed of your service and make it easier for your customers to reach out to you!
