These technologies have become commonplace in hotels, stadiums, large food service venues, and now restaurants. \u2013 and they continue to grow in popularity and effectiveness. To facilitate a competitive customer experience that will drive higher sales and ongoing loyalty, it\u2019s helpful to look at how you are building customer engagement and leveraging it with technology.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>POS Software Trends: A Buyer’s Guide<\/h3>POS technology is paving the way for better customer experiences<\/a> \u2013 but which trends are here to stay?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\nCustomers want convenience and consistency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
No one understands customer behaviors better than Kerri Linderboom, TASK Group\u2019s Plexure Division Customer Success Manager. \u201cDriving long-term engagement is all about growing your semi-loyal guests into super loyal brand advocates. That\u2019s your biggest opportunity for driving higher revenue \u2013 but it takes work to really understand that pool of customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s where Trevor Dee, TASK\u2019s Vice President of US Business Development, says businesses need to look at their speed and convenience of service. \u201cIt\u2019s all about making everything as easy as possible for your customer to get what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly what that means for your service offerings will depend on the nature of your brand and your customers. \u201cIf you\u2019re a stadium,\u201d says Trevor, \u201cthen you know that your customers don\u2019t want to leave their seat for anything if they can help it. So, that\u2019s where having a text-based ordering and pick up or delivery service \u2013 so that they don\u2019t miss a second of the game \u2013 will make a huge difference for your customer\u2019s overall experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For other brands, convenience might mean having a wider variety of platforms for ordering, or maybe having more opportunities for menu alterations, add-ons, and choices. To figure out what better convenience will mean to your specific customer base, you\u2019ll need to dig into who your guests are, what they need and want, and how they make decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Know how to tell if you\u2019re meeting customer demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not enough to just offer the latest and greatest in restaurant tech and hope that your customers will be satisfied. With every step of your digital transformation, you should be assessing, questioning, and collecting information about how it is performing and changing your customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re just starting with this auditing phase and wondering where you might need to put more effort, consider these questions about your current digital experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Do customers experience fast, seamless digital interactions across every channel?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are your customers engaging with your content? Is it the kind of information they are looking for?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is it easy and intuitive for customers to interact with your ordering touchpoints?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Do mobile and in-store experiences mirror each other?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are these experiences consistent?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ideally, you should be able to confidently say \u201cYes\u201d to all of these questions. And you should consistently come back to these areas following any new digital integration or additional piece of technology you add to your ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look especially at where there are friction points for your customers \u2013 whether they can easily customize their orders, how seamless the payment process is, and whether order delivery times are accurate and reasonable. \u201cA classic way to collect information about customer decision points is looking at abandoned online carts,\u201d says Kerri. \u201cIf you notice that people are leaving the shopping journey at a certain stage, that might indicate a friction point that should be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Invest in loyalty programs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital loyalty programs have exploded the potential when it comes to driving customer engagement. Using past ordering data allows brands to personalize future offers and the timing of those offers to each customer and their indicated routines and preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From pushing birthday offers to remembering delivery addresses, and automatically saving card details and loyalty points \u2013 embracing loyalty has never been more enticing for customers. Brands should take advantage of this opportunity and focus on delivering a comprehensive loyalty program that is easy to use and demonstrates obvious benefits to the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>The Power of Location-Based Marketing\u00a0<\/h3>Location-based marketing can foster more meaningful engagements<\/a> across all touch points in the customer lifecycle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\nImprove the experience across every channel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Customers expect brands to show up everywhere, including social media, email, and text messaging and app notifications. Taking an omnichannel approach doesn\u2019t just ensure that you\u2019re reaching your customers wherever they are, but also that you\u2019re taking advantage of every opportunity to increase engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reports show that 62 percent of millennials<\/a> say they are more likely to become a loyal customer if a brand approaches them on social media. At the same time, 87 percent use two or three different tech devices every day<\/a> \u2013 demonstrating just how important it is to be present throughout multiple channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOmnichannel engagement should be a priority both for your marketing and for your ordering experience. Customers should have a convenient and seamless ordering experience no matter what platform they choose to use \u2013 through mobile apps, self-order kiosks, drive-thru windows, over the phone, or on a website. All of these channels should present opportunities for order customization, integration with a loyalty program, and a range of payment options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This also extends to how you communicate with your guests. John explains, \u201cEvery single touchpoint in the TASK ecosystem is directly tied to one central database and the platform that we manage. What this means is you have a real-time, accurate image of your kitchen\u2019s operations and capacity. This trickles down to how you speak with your guest. You can tell the third-party delivery driver a totally accurate pickup time. That way, you preserve the service levels for each sales channel. And regardless of the channel, your customer gets their food faster, their order is warmer, and your business is working more efficiently.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gather customer feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Are you really listening to your customers? Do you have built-in systems for collecting and tracking feedback?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Kerri, absorbing customer feedback and using it to improve their experience is the cornerstone of building long-term loyalty and retention. \u201cYou have to understand your customer\u2019s biggest pain points \u2013 and then identify exactly where we can (and can\u2019t) help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether you implement a rating and review system into your ordering process, or you look closer at ordering rates and customer behaviors to uncover preferences \u2013 it\u2019s important to actively seek out feedback wherever you can get it. And most importantly, once you do know what is (or isn\u2019t) working, you need to implement the right changes to improve the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That process of cataloging and analyzing information is where data is so essential to building continuous improvement for your business and your guest experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leverage customer data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
POS technology is paving the way for better customer experiences<\/a> \u2013 but which trends are here to stay?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n No one understands customer behaviors better than Kerri Linderboom, TASK Group\u2019s Plexure Division Customer Success Manager. \u201cDriving long-term engagement is all about growing your semi-loyal guests into super loyal brand advocates. That\u2019s your biggest opportunity for driving higher revenue \u2013 but it takes work to really understand that pool of customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where Trevor Dee, TASK\u2019s Vice President of US Business Development, says businesses need to look at their speed and convenience of service. \u201cIt\u2019s all about making everything as easy as possible for your customer to get what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly what that means for your service offerings will depend on the nature of your brand and your customers. \u201cIf you\u2019re a stadium,\u201d says Trevor, \u201cthen you know that your customers don\u2019t want to leave their seat for anything if they can help it. So, that\u2019s where having a text-based ordering and pick up or delivery service \u2013 so that they don\u2019t miss a second of the game \u2013 will make a huge difference for your customer\u2019s overall experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For other brands, convenience might mean having a wider variety of platforms for ordering, or maybe having more opportunities for menu alterations, add-ons, and choices. To figure out what better convenience will mean to your specific customer base, you\u2019ll need to dig into who your guests are, what they need and want, and how they make decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not enough to just offer the latest and greatest in restaurant tech and hope that your customers will be satisfied. With every step of your digital transformation, you should be assessing, questioning, and collecting information about how it is performing and changing your customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re just starting with this auditing phase and wondering where you might need to put more effort, consider these questions about your current digital experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, you should be able to confidently say \u201cYes\u201d to all of these questions. And you should consistently come back to these areas following any new digital integration or additional piece of technology you add to your ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look especially at where there are friction points for your customers \u2013 whether they can easily customize their orders, how seamless the payment process is, and whether order delivery times are accurate and reasonable. \u201cA classic way to collect information about customer decision points is looking at abandoned online carts,\u201d says Kerri. \u201cIf you notice that people are leaving the shopping journey at a certain stage, that might indicate a friction point that should be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital loyalty programs have exploded the potential when it comes to driving customer engagement. Using past ordering data allows brands to personalize future offers and the timing of those offers to each customer and their indicated routines and preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From pushing birthday offers to remembering delivery addresses, and automatically saving card details and loyalty points \u2013 embracing loyalty has never been more enticing for customers. Brands should take advantage of this opportunity and focus on delivering a comprehensive loyalty program that is easy to use and demonstrates obvious benefits to the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n Location-based marketing can foster more meaningful engagements<\/a> across all touch points in the customer lifecycle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n Customers expect brands to show up everywhere, including social media, email, and text messaging and app notifications. Taking an omnichannel approach doesn\u2019t just ensure that you\u2019re reaching your customers wherever they are, but also that you\u2019re taking advantage of every opportunity to increase engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports show that 62 percent of millennials<\/a> say they are more likely to become a loyal customer if a brand approaches them on social media. At the same time, 87 percent use two or three different tech devices every day<\/a> \u2013 demonstrating just how important it is to be present throughout multiple channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Omnichannel engagement should be a priority both for your marketing and for your ordering experience. Customers should have a convenient and seamless ordering experience no matter what platform they choose to use \u2013 through mobile apps, self-order kiosks, drive-thru windows, over the phone, or on a website. All of these channels should present opportunities for order customization, integration with a loyalty program, and a range of payment options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This also extends to how you communicate with your guests. John explains, \u201cEvery single touchpoint in the TASK ecosystem is directly tied to one central database and the platform that we manage. What this means is you have a real-time, accurate image of your kitchen\u2019s operations and capacity. This trickles down to how you speak with your guest. You can tell the third-party delivery driver a totally accurate pickup time. That way, you preserve the service levels for each sales channel. And regardless of the channel, your customer gets their food faster, their order is warmer, and your business is working more efficiently.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you really listening to your customers? Do you have built-in systems for collecting and tracking feedback?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Kerri, absorbing customer feedback and using it to improve their experience is the cornerstone of building long-term loyalty and retention. \u201cYou have to understand your customer\u2019s biggest pain points \u2013 and then identify exactly where we can (and can\u2019t) help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you implement a rating and review system into your ordering process, or you look closer at ordering rates and customer behaviors to uncover preferences \u2013 it\u2019s important to actively seek out feedback wherever you can get it. And most importantly, once you do know what is (or isn\u2019t) working, you need to implement the right changes to improve the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That process of cataloging and analyzing information is where data is so essential to building continuous improvement for your business and your guest experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCustomers want convenience and consistency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Know how to tell if you\u2019re meeting customer demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Invest in loyalty programs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Improve the experience across every channel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gather customer feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leverage customer data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tasksoftware.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/CTA-Transaction-Management.png\"){kind=spacer}
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