All those in the food business, whether they run a restaurant, a café, an eatery, or a small outlet with takeaway need to focus on customer service. All service organizations can succeed only with a complete focus on the customer. Those in the food sector would need to be proactive in engaging with customers to provide the best service so they can succeed. There are different strategies that can be used for this. One such powerful strategies that can be very helpful is the use of SMS marketing.
Business text messaging is a cost-effective strategy that delivers results. It is a simple strategy that involves the use of an online text message to reach out to customers. Text messaging or SMS allows businesses to send messages of around 140 characters to customers on their mobile phones. These messages can be read even without internet connectivity and there are no data charges. This makes text messaging popular and studies have shown that more than 97% of people read text messages that they get. It is a higher response rate than other strategies and is one that must be considered.
The Use of Text Messaging in the Food Industry
Organizations in the food sector like restaurants can make use of text marketing to communicate with customers effectively. There are many areas where a restaurant can make use of text messages for its marketing activities. This includes:
• Send information to prospective customers on offers and deals.
• Send daily menus to customers with details of any offers involved.
• Keywords can be used to bring responses from customers to messages. These responses can be used to automatically send replies to customers.
• It is possible to schedule text message using texting software so that messages can be sent at pre-defined intervals automatically without manual intervention.
• Allowing customers to book tables or make reservations through messaging.
• Inform customers when the table is ready.
• Allow customers to place orders for takeout.
• Update customers when their takeout order is ready to be picked up.
• Use a survey text message to send surveys to customers to find out if they are satisfied with the services provided.
Text messaging has many benefits that allow it to be used effectively by organizations in the food sector. Of the various activities involved, taking reservations and takeout orders are key activities. Let’s see how this can be done effectively.
Text messaging for reservations and take out order management
Customers who visit restaurants spend a lot of time waiting for a table. Instead, if they could get a message informing them that their table is ready. It helps reduce waiting time for customers and this helps in enhancing customer satisfaction. The use of group texting in SMS can be customized so that each customer can get a message specific to their needs. A message can be sent to a customer informing them that the table is ready. This can be done either by manually texting the customer or using software for this purpose.A customer can send a keyword indicating that he/she wishes to book a table. Once this request is received, the number would be stored. Once a table is ready, then a message can be sent to the customer informing them of the exact time when the table will be ready. This will allow the customer to spend time doing other work so that they can arrive at the restaurant at the exact time when their table is ready. This is a good way of providing quality service and can be a winning strategy for restaurants.
A similar strategy can be used by eateries and restaurants that offer takeout. Customers who visit the outlet need to place an order and wait for some time for it to be ready before they can take the order. The use of mass text messaging can help restaurants inform customers of menus so that they can place orders by sending a message. The message would then be forwarded to the kitchen where they begin working on the order. Once the food is ready or a few minutes in advance, a message can be sent to the customer.
The customer can then visit the outlet, where the food would be ready. All he/she has to do is pick up the food and leave. Payment can be done online or at the time of receiving the food. This system is convenient for customers who don’t want to waste time waiting. Customers would appreciate this kind of system and would patronize those restaurants that offer such a system. This is the reason why organizations in the food sector should make use of text messaging.
All that is needed is to use good quality texting software and a database of customers. Texting for food ordering and table reservations can be effectively implemented.
