How restaurants create exceptional customer service with VoCoVo
‘It’s all about the experience…’
This is not the most earth-shattering revelation for those in hospitality. As diners, we want great food, but it has to come with all the trimmings. Food tastes better when you have a triple side of great atmosphere, smiling staff and discreet, but attentive service. Achieve the perfect restaurant experience and not only will you keep your customers happy, but they're likely to pay more and keep coming back.
Despite stating what may seem obvious, only 1% of customers feel that companies consistently meet their customer service expectations. Why is this? Well, customer expectation is not a constant. In some people’s eyes, what might have been seen as exceptional service in the past, may now be expected as standard.
This might explain the surge in restaurants that try to deliver a novel, niche concept to freshen things up and bring back the shine using anything from open-plan kitchens to green botanical interiors, quirky typography and interior design concepts that even include on-brand bathroom soaps.
Here’s the problem; by its very nature, novelty doesn’t last. These visual perks enhance the atmosphere but do little to strengthen the core deliverables of great food and quality table service that will keep people coming back. Restaurants need to give customers as little reason to find fault as possible. Unless your operation is military, ‘waiting’ is a potential weak point at almost every stage of the dining experience.
How to create a seamless dining experience
A study by Deloitte entitled ‘Through guests’ eyes’ claims there are 5 basic requirements that restaurants need to deliver to get customers to set foot in their restaurant: quality, value, cleanliness, location, and staff. Here are some methods that help restaurants achieve superior service to make sure customers come and then come back.
Technology
There are lots of factors that contribute to excellent customer experience. It’s clear that technology is one, and technology that improves team communication is the highest priority in hospitality. Here are a few examples…
- VoCoVo’s wireless headset system for restaurants makes team communication more efficient and easier. Teams who can communicate clearly are happier, highly accessible and able to offer proactive service to customers as a result.
- VoCoVo KeyPads empower diners to curate elements of the experience themselves. With a range of fully customisable buttons, keypads sit at the diner’s side enabling button pushes to request ‘menus’, ‘drinks’, ‘deserts’, ‘the bill’ and so on. Each button press is translated to voice messages routed to allocated staff headsets or handsets. Staff can respond quickly to remain attentive and paying guests enjoy a smoother experience less punctuated by the intermittent waiting and finger-snapping that ultimately leaves a bad aftertaste.
Word of mouth and customer reviews
Hospitality is the single most review-dependent industry out there. People forget what you say, but they’ll remember how you make them feel. Leave your customers feeling let down, and they’ll also feel compelled to discourage others. Make them happy by responding quickly, and being attentive, they’ll remember and tell their friends.
Resolve queries quickly and reduce waiting times
Waiting to be seated, waiting for drinks, waiting for orders to be taken and waiting for the bill. Remember what we were saying about remembering how you’re made to feel? Waiting doesn’t feel good. Quick and attentive service is paramount when it comes to exceptional customer service. One of the simplest ways to delight customers is to make sure there are no long waits and that their queries are resolved quickly. Find out more here.
If you want to facilitate a team that serves customers exceptionally, makes repeat visits and spreads this great experience with their friends, you need to try out VoCoVo. Contact us today for a free demo, or check out some of our case studies.
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