It should go without saying that technology has made ripples in every industry you can imagine. In some cases, this is clear to see. For instance, you can’t walk into a supermarket without seeing self-serve tills. And, most high street retailers now do a vast majority of business through online retail.
In some cases, though, it’s a little harder to see how technology has changed things. You may, for instance, be wondering what it can do to benefit your food business. Aside from using tablets to take orders, you may be at a loss how to proceed. After all, everyone tells you tech is the only way to make a company work these days. But, you can’t exactly offer an e-commerce food experience. Or, can you?
Obviously, it wouldn’t be practical to develop an ‘online store’ as such. But, you could offer online takeout orders. Shockingly few restaurants make use of this capability. Hence why companies like Deliveroo in the UK are cashing on this opportunity and banking a cool $1billion. In case that isn’t enough to convince you, let’s look at a few other benefits of taking takeaway online.
Customer convenience
The customer is always right. And, customer habits at the moment reflect the need for convenience. Hence why ecommerce has become such a big deal in recent years. We’re all busy, and so take the chance to order online while waiting for the bus. And, your food services are no different. Customers are more liable to place a delivery if they need only to click a few buttons online. Heck, they could even order a pizza on their way home and have it arrive not long after they do.
Less room for error
Phone-based takeout services leave room for error. There’s a risk of staff mishearing orders, or writing them wrong. Then, there’s the age-old problem of slips going missing, and orders getting forgotten. Issues like these could be enough to turn customers away for good. You may then have to refund orders and lose money. But, by putting a stable IT system in place with the help of companies like ClearFuze Networks, you can eliminate mistakes altogether. All you need to do is find a reliable way to store orders once you receive them. Then, there won’t be any room for wrong recordings. You’ll receive exactly what the customer has input. And, once you get on top of order management, there’s no chance of losing anything, either.
Eliminate the ringing phone
Online orders also have the benefit of eliminating ringing phones in your restaurant. The chances are these have always been a problem. But, in the past, there wasn’t much you could do. Still, the continual ringing of a phone can pierce the peace of your restaurant setting. Not to mention that staff have no choice but to let calls ring through if they’re already serving someone. And, that meant lost orders. But, with online capabilities, orders can come through no matter how busy your physical restaurant.