As you already know, the expectations of today’s restaurant customers are higher than ever. Technology has streamlined many aspects of their lives, so from the moment they walk into your restaurant, they expect ordering at your POS will work as seamlessly as possible — and they don’t want to wait in line any longer than necessary. If you can reduce your customers’ wait times, not only will you increase customer satisfaction but you’ll also increase efficiency, which translates to better financial performance for your restaurant.
So, what’s the most effective way to cut down on your wait times, without sacrificing your staff’s accuracy and quality of service? The latest mobile POS (mPOS) systems will help reduce customers’ wait times, in a surprising variety of ways. Here are a few examples.
Make self-service kiosks an option
Over the past few years, providers of mPOS technology have made a lot of headway in the area of making customers’ wait time shorter, or even eliminating it altogether. The idea behind line busting is to take orders in addition to and outside of the fixed cash wrap. It lets you make transactions where the customer is, increases order accuracy, and reduces the risk of walk outs.
For example, enabling customers to order before they reach the counter allows your cooks to start orders before customers reach the cash register. If your customers would be happy to order via a touch-screen display, consider installing one right inside the front door. An alternative is to equip staff members with mPOS devices and have them take orders from customers already in line — so those customers can skip the wait and go straight to their tables or pick-up line.
Let customers order on mobile (BYOD)
An increasing number of restaurants are enabling customers to order via a mobile app on their own device, not just to place orders for delivery but even to order within the restaurant. At first glance, this approach may not seem as organized as traditional counter lines or table service, but mobile ordering saves your wait staff time. They don’t have to run back and forth between tables and the register as much, freeing up time for them to provide better service and to serve more customers.
Add an mPOS system to your drive-through lane
Using kiosks and mobile ordering systems inside the restaurant are not the only effective approaches to line-busting. Drive-through mPOS systems are also growing in popularity because they allow customers to input their own orders on a touch-screen menu in the drive-through lane. This approach speeds up the drive-through ordering process and avoids customer frustrations with placing orders through an intercom system.
Read on about more ways to reduce wait times for your customers as well as getting started with mobile point of sale in “Line Busting: A Guide for Consumer Industries”. This guide covers the current state of mobile transaction tech, and how to enable mobile point of sale, as well as tips on how to evaluate mobile point of sale systems to use in line busting applications.
