Every day, more and more consumers are taking advantage of restaurant takeout. A night in is becoming just as popular as having a night out. This trend has been accelerated primarily by the pandemic but also by an ever-increasing demand for convenience. While many restaurants implemented takeout operations to stay in business amid stay-at-home orders and shutdowns, they will undoubtedly continue to offer these services well beyond the pandemic. With a bright future in the cards for takeout, it’s essential for restaurants to amp up their takeout operations, if they haven’t already, with a takeout POS system. Whether to save on costs or hesitant to try new technology, those who refuse to advance their operations will fall behind the competition sooner than later. What many don’t realize is that a takeout POS system has a lot to offer customers, but perhaps even more to business owners. Keep reading to find out what those benefits are.
Provide Convenience to Customers
Many restaurants are currently running their takeout operations over the phone. While the concept is similar, restaurant owners can offer a more convenient experience to their customers when they can order online through a takeout POS system. In truth, taking orders over the phone may repel some customers; talking to another person over the phone is more inconvenient than simply making an online order. Phone calls require more energy from both parties and usually take longer, slowing down service.
While providing convenience to customers may seem like it only benefits the consumer, it reflects positively on your business. When you provide your customers with convenience, they are more likely to do business with you, leave a positive review, and even tell their friends about their great experience.
Streamline Operations
Internal operations also benefit from a proper takeout POS system. Running takeout operations over the phone is not only inconvenient for customers but also inefficient. As mentioned earlier, phone calls take longer, requiring staff to spend more time on the phone taking orders.
Additionally, spotty connections and loud restaurant environments can cause staff to be on the phone with customers for longer than necessary to ensure they get all the information they need. With a POS meant for takeout, a customer’s order, when made, will go directly to the kitchen, saving time and allowing staff to focus on other tasks.
In addition to speedier service, order accuracy improves when customers can order online. Misunderstandings can occur as staff tries to decipher takeout orders over the phone, leading to incorrect orders. This decreases customer satisfaction and can cost restaurants even more time as they correct their mistakes. A takeout POS system will work to reduce these issues as customers enter their orders themselves.
Increase Revenue
While a takeout POS system is an investment, it will work to increase restaurant revenue. Taking takeout orders over the phone limits your business to how many orders it can fulfill at a given time. When the phone is ringing off the hook during peak hours, you may be leaving many potential customers with a busy dial tone, forcing them to take their business elsewhere. When customers can order online through a takeout POS system, you can maximize revenue by allowing customers to submit more orders at one time.
A takeout POS system further contributes to increased revenue because historically, customers who order online tend to spend more as they have more time to browse the menu undisturbed. Your business can also take advantage of upselling and cross-selling to increase the average ticket size, tactics that are harder to do over the phone.
Leverage Data with Takeout POS System
Restaurants don’t collect much if any, data through over-the-phone orders. Without this crucial information, restaurateurs must make decisions based on gut instinct and through time-consuming, manual methods. By implementing the right POS system for takeout, restaurateurs can back up their business decisions with their intuitive POS’s hard facts.
By collecting customer data and identifying behavior patterns, your takeout POS system can help you create and plan marketing efforts, including targeted ads, social media campaigns, and more. It can also help you personalize repeat customers’ experiences and follow-ups to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. Leverage your POS data to grow your business through valuable insights that are unattainable with over-the-phone takeout operations.
At this moment and looking to the future, takeout POS systems are becoming less and less of a luxury. Instead, they’re very much a necessity for restaurant owners everywhere. Without the benefits and valuable insights that accompany the right POS system for takeout, restaurants can count on falling behind their competitors this year.
If you’re a business owner searching for a takeout POS system but unsure where to start, NCC is here to help. Reflection POS from NCC is the most reliable point-of-sale solution for business owners looking to launch online takeout operations. Contact our team of experts today to get started on growing your business.
