It's getting harder and harder to attract customers, especially if you work in the restaurant industry. The number of restaurants and cafes in Russia is increasing by 8-10% annually, and the competition is not only fierce when trying to attract customers, but also to convince visitors to come back again and again.
Of course, using new restaurant trends can be useful, although most of them tend to be short-lived.
However, there is one tool that can help you attract customers on a long-term, sustainable basis: the restaurant chatbot.
Advantages of having a chatbot in a restaurant
Want to know why your restaurant should have a chatbot?
Think about it: 40% of millennials say they interact with chatbots daily. Chances are, your target audience is already interacting with this type of messaging feature, and you're potentially missing out on a huge target market by not offering it for your restaurant.
Not only that, but chatbots have a huge impact on the customer experience. Up to 70% of millennials say they have a positive experience with chatbots. It's better than waiting for a restaurant to answer the phone, or worse, to fit in a call line. Chatbots provide customers with an immediate response.
How to use a restaurant chatbot to interact with customers
1. Reservation.
Table reservations are a complicated business for most restaurant owners and their customers. The standard process is to call the restaurant and ask one of its team members to tell you about available dates and times, while a chatbot smooths out the whole process.
Think of the chatbot as a new lead generation tool for your restaurant. It can handle online reservations-a feature that 33% of consumers want access to-just by using a pop-up that asks diners to enter the time that works best for them. The chatbot extracts data from your reservation system and looks to see if the requested time is available before booking it for the customer. If the requested time is not available, the bot will suggest an alternative.
And if that wasn't easy enough, chatbots can also manage the entire booking process, including reminding customers of upcoming bookings and offering a link to cancel. This handy feature prevents no-shows that would otherwise damage your reservation system.
2. Join the virtual queues.
If your restaurant doesn't take reservations, or even if you do, you probably still need a way to manage entrances, especially during busy periods. Having customers wait in line along the street in all kinds of weather or putting them in a waiting area is not exactly a great customer experience.
Instead, use chatbots to manage the checkout system. Ask visitors to scan a QR code to join a virtual queue, allowing them to wait where they want. The chatbot will send them a message when they are next in line at the table and ask them to come to the door.
3. Process your own food orders.
Did you know that 54% of millennials say that being able to order online improves the guest experience?
That's why McDonalds has begun introducing self-service machines in its restaurants. The fast-food giant's new system asks customers what they want to order, accepts payment and provides a receipt without making customers wait in line to order at the counter.
A restaurant bot can automate the entire ordering process. For example, you can place a notice on your tables asking the customer to go into the bot to place an order. Once there, a chat window will open with your menu.
The customer will simply click on what they want and form an order through the app. His order will be sent to your kitchen and payment will be automatically processed.
4. Processing take-out orders.
Not only customers in your restaurant can use chatbots to order. Takeout orders can also be managed through a bot.
Take it one step further by engaging potential customers who were thinking about placing a takeout order but left before completing the checkout process. Your chatbot can be set up to find these people before sending a message that nudges them to complete their order.
5. Ask for customer feedback.
It's no secret that customer reviews are important to restaurants. Up to 35% of diners said they are influenced by online reviews when choosing a restaurant to visit.
Chatbots are the perfect tool to collect all important reviews on autopilot. At the end of an existing scenario (such as taking an order or delivering takeout), ask customers to share their experiences with you. This can be a simple message that says:
"Hey! We hope you enjoyed your meal at [the restaurant] tonight. How would you rate our food on a scale of 1 to 10?
6. Retention with exclusive offers.
Not every person who visits your restaurant has to be a brand new customer. In fact, it costs five times as much to acquire a new patron as it does to acquire someone who has dined at your place before.
Instead, focus on customer retention and loyalty by using a chatbot to manage the process.
Focusing on the people who have already visited your restaurant helps increase customer loyalty. Studies show that 56% of customers stay loyal to brands when they are given previous customers exclusive eligibility for contests and unique offers.
There's no doubt that chatbots help simplify the management of your restaurant. Whether it's helping diners make reservations or asking questions, having a chatbot improves the overall customer experience - which can convince them to come back again and again.
