What does your customer experience look like? 

Now more than ever, your customer’s experience will determine their likelihood to return. Not only will their experience influence their chances of returning, you can almost guarantee that their experience, good or bad, will end up on social media.  This will influence others to either give you a try or move on to a restaurant with favorable reviews.

The ambiance of your restaurant will set the tone for your customer’s experience.  While it may seem obvious, cleanliness is the most important. Pay extra attention to the areas where customers congregate, especially your restrooms.  Consider spending a few dollars to put hand lotion and scented soap in your bathrooms, your customers will be impressed.   A few dollars on the extras can go a long way.  Be sure to keep the restaurant fresh with new paint and a refreshed look every so often.

I recently visited a restaurant that I hadn’t been to in a long time.  The last time I dined in this location, the restaurant felt tired. Even the staff appeared to be uninspired.  Now, after returning to the restaurant, I can say the ambiance has completely changed. Even just walking in felt great as opposed to tired/drab.  The restaurant had all new paint, the dining room was rearranged, and the staff were in matching uniforms.  The energy was invigorating.   There was a short wait and in the waiting area there was a TV that was playing a video of the history of the restaurant, featuring new dishes and even old favorites were reviewed.  I could not wait to sit down and eat!

Providing a consistent delivery of product and service will guarantee that your customer will want to come back where they know they are going to have a great experience.  Investing the time in training your employees properly will ensure that you are able to provide a great customer experience every single time.

Many of the latest technologies will add to your customers experience.  This includes being able to communicate in real time with your customer, streamline the order process and provide multiple payment options.  Online ordering is a must have and integrating it to your point of sale will provide labor savings, increase the accuracy of the orders, and improve your lead times on carryout orders.  Adding to your bottom line by increasing the check average is a bonus that no one is going to turn down.

Another way to add to customer experience could be through partnerships. Sync is now partnered with GiftAMeal. GiftAMeal is a free mobile app that encourages customers to upload photos of their meals. For every photo uploaded, GiftAMeal donates a meal to someone in need. GiftAMeal is partnered with 275+ restaurants. Case studies show that customers using GiftAMeal spent 11% more per transaction, returned 51% more frequently, and tipped 49% more than their counterparts who had not used GiftAMeal. This is just another way to provide your customers with a unique experience that will leave them feeling good and wanting to return.

All these suggestions are sure to improve your customer experience!