Winning the trust of customers and getting repeat business begins with remarkable customer experience. Some of the most successful restaurants owe their success to establishing stellar guest experiences that yield customer loyalty and sets them apart from the competitors. The restaurant industry is more competitive than ever, which makes it vital for restaurateurs to implement the right strategies. This will, in turn, enhance the customer’s experience with your brand and turn them into regulars.
5 Ways To Ensure Better Customer Experience And Repeat Customers
A better customer experience means a higher customer satisfaction rate. Follow these five small yet useful things that will help you offer a stellar experience to your customers.
1. Prioritize Service
The services that a restaurant offers to its customers dramatically affects the overall customer perception. Offering hospitable service to the customers from the moment they walk in until the final payment is essential in elevating the customer’s dine-in experience. A highly trained staff that values the expectations of the customers and caters to their needs is critical for this to happen.
To ensure that your customers become regulars, make sure your restaurant staff takes note of any feedback or orders usually placed by them. Promote frequent training sessions for your team to maximize their productivity and customer service etiquette. This will keep them aligned with your restaurant’s service standards and help them in providing impeccable services to the customers. Efficient order delivery is another factor to encourage repeat visits from customers.
2. Deliver Quick and Efficient Service
Long queues outside your restaurant, delay in taking orders, customers waiting for orders to arrive on their tables, are all examples of how not to run a restaurant. Some of these aspects will surely make for a negative customer experience. Inefficient services can lead to dissatisfaction among customers. They are less likely to prefer a restaurant where their needs are ignored.
Customers equate optimized order preparation times and deliveries with quality and exclusivity. Investing in technology speeds up your restaurant’s daily operations and helps staff in delivering quick and efficient service. Handheld order-taking devices, KDS integrated with POS systems greatly helps in reducing the table turnover time and ensure smooth order management.
Taking care of basic things such as adequately scheduling employee shifts, maintaining adequate levels of inventory and incorporating a healthy environment are minute yet effective ways that will help in swift order management, more footfall, and increased repeat visits.
3. Be Consistent
A unique dining experience always attracts customers. But what elevates their experience each time they choose your restaurant is impeccable food and service. A recognizable brand is established by maintaining uniform standards of consistency. When customers enjoy the same quality and taste in food in every visit, they feel more confident about the brand.
While you must keep a steady focus on menu innovation and the food presentation, the prime importance should be given to maintaining the quality and consistency standards while preparing food. Ensure that the kitchen staff is following standard practices in preparing dishes, and the raw materials are of the highest quality.
4. Implement Loyalty Programs and Offers
For a restaurant business to be successful, retaining customers is a top priority. Loyal customers are assets for restaurants. They play a crucial and integral role in a restaurant’s success. Incorporating loyalty programs to reward loyal customers is one of the best ways to retain them and guarantee repeat visits. Loyalty program rewards can be anything that your customers can utilize at their visits to your restaurant. CRM database integrated with POS plays a vital role in creating loyalty programs.
It captures all the necessary information of your customers, such as their ordering preferences, order history, customer details, etc. It helps in customizing specialized offers and reward points, according to the customer base. Based on the ordering habits of your customers, you can run Email and SMS campaigns, informing them about the upcoming offers and discounts in your restaurant.
Similarly, you can send personalized offers, coupons or discounts on special occasions such as marriage anniversaries, birthdays, etc. This can be a great way of showing appreciation to your customers and elevating their experience with your brand.
5. Capture The Feedback
How do you know if you are doing everything right in delivering a stellar experience to your customers? A simple and straightforward answer to this question: Ask your customers!
Encouraging customer feedback gives real-time insights about the likes, dislikes, and expectations of your customers with your restaurant brand. Customer Feedback is a great tool for effectively increasing the standards of customer service. Based on the customer’s reviews and opinions, restaurateurs can work towards delivering a great dining experience. This not only helps in building repeat clientele but also helps in boosting the brand image.
An active flow of communication with the customers can be maintained by keeping a keen eye on things throughout their dine-in experience. The restaurant staff can capture the customer’s feedback on the restaurant’s floor with a digital feedback form that is synced with the centralized CRM system. Collecting complete customer data such as order details, feedback, suggestions, provides great insights for taking appropriate actions and improve the services. Similarly, you can understand how customers perceive your brand by building a strong presence on online review websites and social media sites.
The most successful restaurants ensure that they continuously assess and improve their customer’s journey with the brand. Providing a remarkable customer experience leaves the customers coming back for more. Utilize these little pieces of advice and create a lasting impact on the minds of your customers.
