Adapting to a changing world: Bespoke booking systems for pubs, restaurants & more
Our world is changing. Again. As owners in the hospitality space, we’ve never been hit harder than now, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind. Remember booking a taxi by calling someone? That changed. Remember trawling the yellow pages for a tradesman? That changed too.
We’re facing the biggest changes to our industry for the foreseeable future. No more allowing customers to walk up to the bar, rubbing shoulders with that friendly stranger. They’ll even have to watch their ‘social distance’ when nipping to the loo between courses.
Our phones are an extension of our selves now, and here’s where they can help us as business owners to get ahead of the pack and thrive. Forget notebooks and pens; they’ve gone the same way memorising an order went. Our customers constantly spend their time on websites and apps – why not make that your own website of your own venue?
You might think it’s difficult to implement, but look at the upsides. Maybe you could reduce your biggest overheads and most prominent causes of headaches….your staff. At a time when space is now at its’ most premium, and revenue is being slashed, we have to change the way we trade. We have to change the way we interact with our customers and how we take bookings. It’s that simple.
Imagine being able to tell the customer that it was actually them who got the order wrong! With the right application, neatly integrated into your website, or as your own standalone web app this could be as easy and more productive than a simple swipe right or left. Orders could be neatly queued and processed, saving time and reducing human error.
Setup the right system and forget the hassle of the late night cashing-up. Forget walk-ins or phone calls; you could have your tables booked through your website which then guides them to into your venue and allows them to order whatever they want, whenever they want. No more relaying what you’ve sold out of. No more hassle.
No one cares more about your business than you, and this platform can be an extension of your ethos. No more relying on staff to upsell. Apps don’t have ‘off-days’ and nor do they fall out with each other! They don’t feel hard done by…or dip their hands into the till, either.
Streamline not just your operations, but your longer-term perspective as you see what is and isn’t working for you. With the right integration, you’ll even be able to see how often a specific person comes in and what they order differently on Sunday compared to Friday.
Let’s look past the operations of the business for a second. Use this data wisely, with the right permissions, and you’ll have all of the marketing tools at your disposal to build the customer base that you need for your business to excel even further. Imagine if your favourite restaurant could congratulate you on an upcoming birthday, and suggest a new drink as the perfect way to celebrate.
Control your own branding. Control your own message.
We have enough on our minds at present. Not just when can we open up, but how. How do we facilitate a queue? With the right booking application this will be as arcane as that decorators 2 tone spread in the yellow pages.
How do we reduce the exposure of our staff to potential hazards? Let your website be the perfect link.
How do we meet government guidelines (whatever they might evolve into) for the rest of the year? Reduce the number of ‘touch-points’ by using technology.
How do we make sure that ever-precious table space isn’t going to be wasted?
Technology.
The star of your team might no longer be Alfred with his incredible customer service skills, it might be Dan, the 19 year old university student who understands how you could better adapt to the changing environment by allowing technology to lead the way.
Let’s make no bones about this – either we take action now or become one of those business failure statistics that barely catches our eye in the Financial Times.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how we can implement the right system for your business – 01621 466209
