Survival Kit for Corona
In times like these, it’s essential to radically change traditional customer service. The world is not going to be the same after COVID-19.
When the world shuts down and customers are not just asked to stay at home, but they are also afraid, it’s essential to still serve the basic human need of hunger. The current situation hits our industry hard, very hard. How can my restaurant survive the virus?
The bright side of this is that the need is still there, and it’s not going anywhere. The question is how are we going to tackle it. Many restaurant owners are already delivering take-away portions, either themselves or with the help of 3rd party providers. Both models present some obstacles. If the restaurant chooses to use 3rd party providers for deliveries, the cost for the restaurant is high. On the other hand, if the restaurant chooses to deliver meals themselves, the order handling is taking more time than anything else.
In today’s world everything needs to be digitalized to stay competitive. This is especially important now, when exceptional face to face service inside a restaurant is not a winning factor anymore. Instead, we need to serve our customers digitally to the best of our abilities.
By using a digital service to handle home deliveries or food pick-ups, you will free resources from taking phone orders and tackling payment issues instantly. Then you can use a 3rd party to do the actual delivery, or you can use your own personnel, depending on your capability. Employ unexpected 3rd parties, think outside the box. Maybe your local taxi driver is suffering as much as you are.
OK, the food is now served. How do we build loyalty, when your superstar waitress is not there to lure back the customers? Go digital! The same service can give customers loyalty points, stamp their digital cards, or you can even sell different membership status levels. Studies have shown that a digitally collected food basket is worth around 24 % more, when done right.
One of our customers made a radical change to their strategy in a very short time when things started to escalate. They opened so called ‘cloud kitchens’, where they only make food for delivery or pick-up. They have no customer facing staff, only chefs are working away in the kitchen. The concept runs fully on the powered by Yonoton platform.
Whether we like it or not, the world will be different once we exit this pandemic as customer behavior is changing faster than ever. These are not just tips for the upcoming months, these are tips for the future.
For more tips please view the video: https://vimeo.com/367232019
