One of the most valuable resources for restaurants is customer feedback. Surveys and questionnaires allow customers to give their opinion on how the restaurant performed, and the staff can use that information to enhance or maintain their service.
Technology has provided a way to shorten the time it takes between a customer providing his feedback and when the restaurant receives it. In some cases, a restaurant may be able to respond to feedback almost instantaneously.
Some table side devices can not only display menus and other data to the customer but can also prompt him to take a survey right at the table. This allows data to be gathered instantly while the experience is still fresh in the customer’s mind.
Further, using a paging system, a manager can be alerted when there is negative feedback. This means that it is possible for a customer’s concerns to be dealt with before he leaves the restaurant.
Social media can also be a tool for gathering feedback, but it does come with its perils. Often the data gathered on these sites are not tailored to allow restaurants to respond. A person may use these sites to vent about a negative experience but may not provide where or when the incident occurred.
It can be vastly important to sift through the clutter and respond to negative feedback on these sites. With comments and videos going “viral,” a restaurant can find their brand damaged by just one popular post. So finding a way to locate and respond to such feedback before it spreads can be essential.
Learning and responding to customer’s concerns is an important aspect of the restaurant business. A restaurant should show itself as a company a customer can trust and a company that cares. Put in the effort to be such a brand, and customers will likely reward you with their business.
Tags: customer feedback, customer loyalty, feedback, negative feedback, social media
Jim Balis' Blog 
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