Restaurants are busy, crowded places. Most customers enjoy dining out at restaurants but they are often fed up with long waiting times even when they have a reservation. Sometimes, customers change their minds and switch places if a restaurant is overcrowded. Poor customer service is the number one reason that makes potential customers leave. Long-waiting lines at restaurants trigger walk-aways and don't make your customers happy. A virtual restaurant waitlist app could solve all of these problems and add an additional selling point to your restaurant!
To maintain or increase revenues, restaurants can leverage customer service and work hard on retaining customers. One old fashion way to reduce waiting times was using coaster pagers. But not only are coaster cumbersome but they don't necessarily reduce waiting times. In fact, they are pretty inefficient. Either the customers eventually leave or will have to wait a long time for their table to be ready.
A virtual waitlist app or queue management system developed by QLess can reduce many restaurant-related hassles including waiting times. Dive into the QLess restaurant waitlist app.
Why Customers Leave Restaurants
Customers who wait too long in restaurants simply leave. They experience frustration as the lines are too long or if the restaurants are too crowded. The success of any restaurant depends on excellent customer service. Long waiting times have a negative impact on customer service. Food and drinks aren't the only things customers focus on when going out to eat. Atmosphere and customer service also play a huge part in a customer's happiness at a restaurant. A restaurant waitlist app could help create a more relaxed atmosphere and lower wait times.
- Customer reviews impact the future of any restaurant. A one-star increase on Yelp, for example, is likely to generate 5 to 9% more revenues for a restaurant.
- After a negative experience, 51% of customers will never do business with a company again. A negative experience can be poor customer service, bad food, or lines that are too long at restaurants.
- If they improve their customer service, restaurants can increase their revenues dramatically. Clients are ready to pay for top-notch customer service.
A restaurant waitlist app can positively impact every facet of the restaurant experience.
If restaurants fail at being inventive to boost their customer service or provide a personal experience, customers may leave or give bad reviews. As a quarter of clients read reviews before choosing a restaurant, negative reviews or complaints can affect the business.
It's critical for any forward-thinking restaurants to improve their customer service and to offer the best experience to their customers. How can restaurants reduce long wait times that impede customer experiences?
Reduce Wait Times and Lines
A restaurant waitlist app has a positive impact on how customers perceive services. The way a virtual waitlist app works is different and better than a coaster pager on various levels:
- The queue manager app provides technology that resorbs wait times. Customers receive a text or call to make a booking. Once their table is ready, or their turn is coming soon, they are welcome to go to the restaurant. They don't need to stand in long lines anymore!
- Customers can make a booking in advance from the QLess app which will greet them with the restaurants' voiceover. They can schedule conveniently and receive instant, updated information about the number of customers waiting or how many people are in the queue thanks to the QLess restaurant waitlist app.
- The app liberates more time for customers to enjoy another activity before their lunch or dinner. They feel empowered and happier as they receive accurate information about their tables and waiting times. As a result, customers don't walk-away anymore or leave a restaurant.
QLess found out that using a virtual waitlist app provides restaurants 45% more seated customers. Customers can feel more informed about waiting times and adjust their own schedules. The notifications via phone calls or texts boost customers' experience and satisfaction. In short, using a restaurant waitlist app increases customer service.
Improve Communication with Customers
Everyone wins thanks to efficient waitlist management. In fact, 15 to 40% of reservations result in no-shows, and as a result, restaurants have stopped taking bookings in advance. But what if a waitlist app could help restaurants manage their bookings more efficiently while providing great customer service?
Another aspect to look at is communication with customers. Not only do customers feel more empowered with a restaurant waitlist app but also happier as they enjoy bilateral messaging with the restaurants. A waitlist app can benefit hosts and hostesses who are better able to provide perfect customer service.
- Hosts and hostesses can focus on their job by greeting customers and placing them at their tables. They no longer need to handle paperwork or phone calls dealing with unhappy customers. They no longer need to deal with walk-aways or complaints.
- As waiting times, no-shows, and walk-aways decrease, hosts and hostesses can serve customers better and manage reservations in the most professional way. With the QLess restaurant waitlist app, the staff feels less stressed and doesn't stress customers out in return. They feel better organized, too, as they know in advance about wait times.
- Good communication with friendly staff members is nearly as important as a good meal. If the staff welcome the customers and promptly communicate in a professional, friendly manner, they boost customer service scores. Customers seek out and are willing to pay more for amazing customer service.
With the QLess restaurant waitlist app, customers and restaurants are aligned to the same goals: enjoy a perfect time dining out with no hassle. With this technology, clients can understand more about waiting lines, drop a reservation, or reschedule at a more convenient time. In turn, restaurants can manage their schedules and services as they take control over waiting times.
It doesn't stop there. Restaurants can even implement new marketing tactics thanks to data collection from QLess.
Collect Data and Launch Innovative Campaigns
Understanding customer's behavior helps launch creative campaigns that will entice customers. Yet when restaurants don't even know how many customers wait on average and how long they wait, they can't leverage their assets. They also can't reduce inefficiencies or improve their services. With the QLess restaurant waitlist app, they can understand, for example, how many no-shows occurred, or walk-aways, which days are the busiest, and other helpful information.
All of this is possible through the QLess dashboard that captures relevant, accurate data about customers' wait times. Customers can receive a text that surveys their experience at the restaurant. This data can be useful for restaurants to collect information and understand where they can improve.
As a result, customers are also encouraged to launch personal campaigns for their customers that result in personal, one-to-one communications. Restaurants can also manage their operations better with the software. Using the QLess restaurant waitlist app allows restaurants to boost their marketing and focus on each customer. As they retain their customers and increase the level of customer service, they can, in turn, increase revenue.
Improve Your Restaurant with QLess
Walkaways are bad for restaurants: they result in bad reviews, which may negatively influence other customers and therefore impact your business. QLess innovative cloud-based technology reduces walkaways up to 75%. The Hospitality Tech Shift Report found that 60% of potential diners look at menus, photos or reviews before visiting. Using Qless helps ensure your initial customer interaction is informative.
Retaining customers is an excellent strategy as personal communications and great customer service boost customer satisfaction. Stop losing customers and dealing with unhappy clients. Generate more sales and get more seated tables each day. Liberate your staff from hassles and train them to provide the best customer service.
Thanks to the QLess restaurant waitlist app, your staff productivity increases by up to 90%. We know how important staff happiness results in great customer service. Work with the technology of the future and improve your business performance.
If you want to reduce walkaways, boost customer satisfaction, and improve your service flow, QLess has flexible solutions to fit any industry and tailored-solutions would fit restaurants of any size. Use the QLess restaurant waitlist app and increase your overall revenue.