A growing number of inbound tourists and increasing disposable income has led to changing trends in the restaurant industry of Singapore. The industry is so competitive that new restaurants are opening up every single day. Restaurants are trying their best to retain customers since it adds up to the overall profitability. Let’s discuss what measures can fine-dine restaurants in Singapore take for customer retention.
Want To Increase The Number Of Your Regular Customers? Here’s How!
A fine dining restaurant works differently from the rest of the restaurant formats in Singapore. Working on your customer loyalty requires you to think about everything from the customer’s perspective. Customers in Singapore are not very brand conscious and tend to stay loyal to a particular brand if they like its experience. They also want to experiment and willingly adopt any new trends that flow in. Taking advantage of these factors, you can create a detailed strategy to grow your clientele.
Technology Creates The Right Impression On Your Customers
Long queues and longer waiting hours are an inevitable part of the Singapore restaurant industry. It’s almost as if people are happy to queue for things they know are worth the wait. A report called the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) highlights the level of customer satisfaction in Singapore on an annual basis. The report stated that longer waiting times lead to lower scores in terms of satisfaction and loyalty among customers.
Fast food restaurants and coffee shops have a statistically higher satisfaction rate than fine dining restaurants. However, if the wait time increased more than 10 minutes, the customers began to become restless, the report found.
Bringing in the right technology partner can transform the way your restaurant works. This is because customers waiting outside can now place their orders beforehand. An automated system also lets the customers know the exact time they need to wait for their table. Adopting an SMS queue management system gives your customers a precise idea of how many people are ahead of them.
This way, they are served right after they are seated at the restaurant, thus creating a positive impact on their loyalty. Along with reduced wait time, technology helps to increase the efficiency of your restaurant operations, right from the kitchen. During peak hours, every second counts. This means the more time you save, the more money you make.
Loyalty Programs
When it comes to customer loyalty, multiple factors come into play. From customer experience to your food quality to the value you generate for your regulars, every aspect is essential. According to the report, perceived quality and value have risen substantially in the past two years. This means that guests are becoming more willing to pay for an experience than a couple of years before.
This is an ideal time to incorporate loyalty programs at your restaurants. Rewarding your customers for their loyalty by giving out personalized offers, sending invites on particular occasions, and so on.
Act Of Kindness Can Do Wonders
Customer experience starts from the minute they enter your restaurant. There is no alternative to excellent customer service. Be it the way your staff speaks, or the presence of the manager on the premises, good interaction with your customers helps to boost your brand name in their eyes.
Prioritize Staff Training
A fine dining restaurant works differently than other restaurant formats. They cannot rely on just gaining new customers but must focus equally on retaining the older ones. The reason: A regular customer is more likely to spend more in your restaurant than a newly acquired one! And since people pay for an entire experience and not just the food, they mostly remember the staff members. It is, therefore said that staff retention eventually results in customer loyalty. You need to train your staff, and then keep them happy with your brand to retain them.
Strengthen Your Marketing Game
The first move towards branding your restaurant is to offer customers something unique. It’s not just the food you present, but also the way you present it. Customers see what you want them to see. The customers you want to target are going to like a particular kind of interior, food, and service. Make sure you identify that by specifying the exact target audience.
The next step is to engage your target audience. Be it through multiple social media campaigns or your next food tasting event, you must capture customers at each stage. Use influencer marketing and their impact on social media to get into the limelight, and then start advertising fiercely.
All in all, customer retention is one of the most crucial aspects of growth for fine dining restaurants. Keeping up with consumer trends, ensuring that you serve excellent quality of food and service consistently are the starters. Along with that, adhering to these five tips would accelerate the game for you.
