Text ordering has emerged as a convenient and efficient way for restaurants to interact with their customers. By allowing customers to place orders directly via text message, restaurants can increase margins, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall customer experience. Over 78% of American consumers wish they could text restaurants. However, according to a study done by Twilio, only 48% of businesses are equipped to handle text messaging.
For restaurants, direct text ordering is a must, especially with the increase in pickup and delivery demand and the fees charged by third party sites.
So why should a restaurant invest in a solution for text ordering?
Texting restaurants is convenient and saves time
Convenience is a huge factor in determining where customers choose to eat. Even with in-house dining, your customers will appreciate the time saving and convenience of making reservations or placing orders via text. You’ll get more business and create happier, repeat customers.
Offering text ordering can make your restaurant stand out
Texting can give your restaurant the edge when customers are deciding where to eat. The ability to text can be advertised on search engines and reduce the friction of your customer’s ordering. Because of the high attention rate of text messages, customers are more likely to interact with your restaurant through texting than calling.
Taking direct orders via text can save money in third-party fees
One of the most significant advantages of direct text ordering for restaurants is the potential to eliminate costly third-party fees. By bypassing ordering platforms, restaurants can increase profit margins from each order, allowing owners to reinvest in the business, improve customer experience, and attract better reviews. Lower menu prices can also be a huge win-win for both restaurants and customers.
Text ordering for restaurants increases customer loyalty
We don’t have to tell you how important customer service is in the restaurant industry. Bad service is one of the top reasons why customers do not return to a restaurant. Make sure your business goes the extra mile to offer excellent service. The better service you offer your customers, the more likely they will be to return. Make it easy for them to communicate with you, and you’ll increase their loyalty.
Research a text ordering platform for restaurants
So how does a restaurant business transition to handling texts? A texting platform which allows employees to group-manage messages is a must. The entire team must have visibility into the text conversations from customers to ensure that no text message is missed. Many business texting applications only allow one-to-one messaging, meaning that responses depend on one person or one phone that is passed around. This can be both a hassle and burden. With a group-managed platform, multiple people can be available to handle texting from the same number from the computer, tablet, or smartphone of their choice.
As a restaurant owner or manager, you want to be able to two-way text with your customers, but where do you start? Here are a few simple steps you can follow to transition your business away from calling and onto texting:
Upgrade to a business phone provider with a group-managed texting platform
Texting should be a service that your business phone provider offers. In order to accept text messages on your main business number, this feature needs to be available and activated by your business phone provider. Not all providers offer this service, so be sure to ask if this is supported. Also, you’ll want to see a demo of how texting is handled through their platform, so you don’t end up with a feature that’s clunky and difficult to manage.
Implement the texting feature and train your staff
Group-managed texting and the individual, one-to-one texting are two different animals. You’ll want to have clear procedures and guidelines for how text messages are handled and ensure that all your staff is trained on the process. Will the messages be managed by a few individuals? Or do you plan to have all your staff available to answer? Will you allow staff to respond from their smartphone app or do you want to confine it to tablets or computers in your restaurant? Whatever you decide, make sure the procedure is clear and your staff are trained.
Advertise Texting to your Customers
Your online business profiles such as Google Business or Yelp are a great way to advertise to customers that you allow texting. Add on your business profile that customers can call or text your business number for reservations, questions, or orders. You also can advertise right in your business. Offer a text-in promotion to gather numbers from your customers and save them in your CRM for future conversations. You’ll gain more repeat customers because you’ve made it easy for them to reach you.
Vonix Flex is a fantastic platform for restaurants to manage texting and calling right from the main business number.
Interested? Learn more about Flex or schedule a demo today.
