Tabletop Devices Part 2: 3 Key Considerations Before Installing in Your Restaurant

As discussed in a previous post, there are a number of benefits to installing tabletop ordering and payment devices in your restaurant. That said, there are also some considerations that you need to take into account before you take the leap. Here are a few of the biggest concerns.

Customer Security and Integration with Current Point-of-Sale Systems

The first, most important factor in the choice about installing tabletop devices in the restaurant is whether or not you can find a provider who can integrate those devices seamlessly with the current point-of-sale (POS) system. Beyond basic ordering and payment processing functionality, the tabletop device should be designed to look as much like the original POS as possible as well. This speeds up the amount of time it takes to educate servers, who in turn must educate customers, about how to use the device. When choosing a tabletop device provider, look for reliable pay-at-the-table functions, durability, lifespan and reliability of the unit, connectivity to Wi-Fi and the ability to expand ordering capabilities.

In terms of customer security, tabletop devices can actually help ease customer concerns. It gives customers some security to swipe their own cards and confirm their tab and tip amounts themselves, complete with a receipt printed from the bottom of the device.

Getting Server and Customer Buy-In on Restaurant Tabletop Technology

One key aspect of successfully using tabletop devices in the restaurant is getting server buy-in on educating customers about them. Around 65-70% of customers will use tabletop devices to place their orders—after the host has introduced them to the technology. Staff need to know that these devices can save time and can possibly make them more money. Several restaurants using the devices have actually seen a slight increase in the average tip left on a table with an ordering device. They also need to know that these devices are not a replacement for their skills, but rather a helpful tool that they can use. Since most customers are already carrying and using their smartphones all day long anyway, educating them about using the devices is often easy. They tend to embrace and even expect this sort of technological convenience.

Consider How Much Automation You Want in Your Restaurant

Another consideration you’ll want to take into account is how much automation you want to have in your business. The point is to enhance the customer experience, not alienate them or make them feel like they’re serving themselves. Some restaurants don’t allow full menu ordering from the device, following the philosophy that if customers do everything themselves they don’t feel like they’re getting service. The choice depends on the type of establishment you run. The take home message is that using tabletop technology should enhance, and not change, the guest dining experience. Humans are still the focal point; ordering capabilities have just gotten better.

The above factors should be taken into account before installing tabletop devices in your establishment. That said, restaurant operators who have taken the leap with tabletop technology are finding it a helpful and cost effective tool that enhances guest experiences, shaves off valuable service time and puts guests in greater control of their dining experience than ever before.

 

Tabletop Devices Part 1: 3 Reasons You Want Them in Restaurant

Tabletop devices are popping up in restaurants all around the country. These devices allow customers to order and pay from the convenience of their tables, along with perform a variety of other sundry tasks that are meant to enhance the customer experience. According to the NRN, 52% of all adults would use an electronic payment system at the dining table in a full-service restaurant, while 44% said they would use an electronic ordering system. Interestingly enough, less that 5% of full-service restaurants are currently utilizing this technology. Regardless of the type of restaurant you run, here are a few good reasons why installing a few tabletop devices might be a smart idea.

Tabletop Devices Enhance Restaurant Guest Experiences

Tabletop devices enhance your customer’s experience in a number of ways. One of the most important is that they improve the speed and quality of service. Customers are ensured that their orders are placed exactly right, every time. Guests can place and recall orders, customize selections and add extra items to their bills at their own pace; creating a sense of ease and convenience for patrons. Many restaurants include games and music on the devices as well, available for a small fee that gets added to the tab. Some establishments are finding that the games and music alone can make the devices pay for themselves. Music works best when offered as a modern day jukebox—where guests can pay a small fee to select the song of their choice to play through the restaurant speaker system.

Tabletop Devices Nurture Customer Relationships

Aside from ordering, paying and entertainment, tabletop devices can also be used to grow your relationship with your customers. This is the perfect opportunity to highlight all of the benefits of joining your rewards program, social media network or email lists. It’s also the perfect time to have them fill out a guest survey about the information you most want to know and get valuable, real-time feedback about their experiences. This is also a chance to let customers know what’s really special about your business. Providing history, as well as ethics and cause information, helps build trust and authenticity with your audience.

 

Tabletop Devices Are an Opportunity for Up-Sales

An obvious benefit of utilizing tabletop technology in the restaurant is the opportunity it represents to make up-sales with your customers. Aside from well-timed promo messages about that yummy dessert that just rolled out of the oven, you can also use tabletop devices to educate your customers about what is on your menu. If you were so inspired, you could go into extensive detail about the origin and nutrition of the ingredients used, the back-story about how some local favorite got created, or simply highlight which items are gluten-free or low-carb. Best of all, your menu is searchable, so guests can simply input the keywords for the information they’re looking for and menu suggestions with detailed information will come up.

Now, clearly, there are some considerations that need to be taken into account before hooking up your restaurant with all the latest tabletop technology—not the least of which is finding a provider who can integrate the devices with your point-of-sale system. That said, putting guests in greater control of their dining experience has a lot of benefits. All in all, tabletop devices stand to be a cost-effective way for restaurants to enhance the overall customer experience.

Valuing the Customer

It should be second nature to restaurants, but the simple things are always worth repeating.  A restaurant needs to value their customers.

 

This goes beyond just offering excellent service, though that is a big part of it.  Customers want to know that the restaurant they are visiting is not going to take advantage of them on any point.

 

This may include the pricing and transparency, as well as how they are treated when things go wrong.  They want to know that their business is valuable to the restaurant.

 

One way for a restaurant to show that they value their customers is to make it easy to customize their experience.  Prix fixe menus, easily allowing ingredient substitutions, and offering real values in meal portions are just three ways to go about it.

 

It would also be wise to make accommodations for those customers with an allergy or a special dietary need.  Train the staff in how to properly address allergy concerns and how to prepare meals accordingly so that the restaurant becomes a safe and enjoyable environment for customers to enjoy their meal.

 

A restaurant can also be proactive in helping customers find the deals.  Showcasing which meals is a good value for the money may attract more frugal customers to the door.  Showing the price on an online menu can also allow customers to determine if this restaurant is for them or not.

 

And, of course, taking care of customers when things go wrong is key.  If a problem erupts, the restaurant staff should take the time to listen and fix the problem.  Addressing concerns in a timely and polite manner can go a long way in showing the customer respect.

 

The customer’s business is important to the restaurant, so why not train the restaurant staff to show it?  Make the dining experience a pleasant and comfortable place for customers . . . give them a reason to grant you their loyalty.

Technology in Restaurants

With the world making use of technology in all areas of life, it would be unwise for restaurants not to take part.  Customers are changing.  They have less time and less patience, but still want to enjoy their restaurant experiences. There is a way for restaurants to tap into this technological trend.  Technology is an investment that can offer relatively quick returns . . . that is, if the customers are on board.

Technology is useless unless the customer feels he is benefitting from it.  Once the customer’s experience is enhanced by the technology available, however, a restaurant can truly make use of it. Electronic devices can be used to cut a customer’s wait time, to increase the accuracy of service, and to provide instant feedback about a customer’s experience.  This can be a boon for both the customers and the restaurant serving them. Forty-nine percent of people who responded to a Cornell study said that they walked out of a QSR because of the wait time.  And the younger the customer, the less patience he had.  A whopping 69% of customers ages 18-34 admitted to walking out of a QSR because of high wait times.

Using this feedback and the technology available, a smart restaurant may put kiosks, mobile devices, or other technologies to help decrease a customer’s wait time and keep those customers from leaving.Technology can also help customers feel more comfortable about eating at a specific restaurant.  Virtual menus offer the ease of providing nutritional and allergy information so that a guest can decide what to eat and where she should dine.

Devices that enhance the customers’ experience and put some control in their hands can go a long way to increasing a restaurant’s business.  Of course, technology cannot replace a friendly and accommodating staff.  The right choices in technology, however, can underscore the staff’s efforts and provide a more pleasant customer experience.