Restaurants are one of the oldest businesses in the world. The goal of a restaurant is largely unchanged: feed the masses and give them a customer service experience that will keep them coming back. So have we figured out how to improve on that experience in this era of high-tech everything? Turns out, a balance between the old and the new is your best bet for restaurant success.
The low-tech side of customer service reigns on
Low-tech customer service is what happens when you’re away from a screen. Simple things like a smile and a handshake make the world of difference for your customers. It may not seem all that flashy, but customers share that it’s that personal touch that keeps them coming back.
Great low-tech customer service has a cumulative effect. One smile may not be enough to keep someone returning for future meals, but multiple small efforts throughout a visit can tip the scales.
The high tech side of customer service begins…with your POS system
Technology in the restaurant industry is primarily designed to do one thing: create consistency. Customers expect consistency in experience, inventory, meal preparation, and speed of service. As technology advances, expectations increase and competition gets tougher.
This shift towards gadgetry can be daunting, but the first and best tool you need is probably already in place: your POS system.
POS: More than just a cash register
Using a modern POS system makes the world of difference in your efforts to create that consistent experience. A great POS will not only help you balance the books, but also provides you the insight you need to target your customers and help run your operations.
“Choose a POS system that takes care of its customers,” suggests Owen Lucas, VP of Operations at Lucas POS. “You want a POS system that offers many usable features for growing your business, while also giving you the service you need to get the most out of your investment.”
No matter how many POS systems you’ve used in the past, there’s bound to be a learning curve. Your POS is often more powerful than you realize. “A quality system allows you to input a custom menu so that your staff team has a shorter learning curve. Reducing the learning curve and cutting back on the guesswork really helps you provide a better experience for your customer,” shares Lucas.
Taking your POS to the next level
So you’ve got a killer POS system, and a well-trained staff team. How do you know if these great tools are working? That very question is why Solink was developed.
Solink is a subscription-based cloud video security platform designed to help you find and solve problems fast. Solink provides you with a dashboard of every order, transaction, and even motion alerts, all synced to video clips from your existing security camera system. This added visual context helps you to understand what’s really happening in your business.
Being able to access all your security cameras in one app means you can grab video from any location, no matter where you are. Spend more time teaching employees how to be better, and less time trying to track down what’s going right and wrong.
“We’ve found that when Solink and Lucas POS are working in tandem, owners discover a whole new world of information,” says Lucas. “Because Solink syncs camera footage to each transaction in real-time, you can really see the why behind any situation in the restaurant. And the mobile app means you can pop your head in from anywhere, anytime.”
You need both high-tech and low-tech customer service to manage a successful business. They are both important aspects of a good experience. If your staff doesn’t treat guests well, they won’t come back. On the flip side, if you don’t have the right systems, you won’t be able to know if the staff is treating them well.
