Every restaurant manages their bookings in one way or another. But if you aren’t leveraging the latest technology yet, your process could be slowing you down and causing you to lose out on business.
Using a booking system can help you convert more prospects with greater ease. It can help you drive more business while keeping your marketing costs low.
Here are several ways in which booking systems can help you drive up your conversion rates.
It Saves Time
When your customers can book online, you don’t have to be directly involved in the booking process. They can quickly pick a time of their choosing without any assistance. Plus, you get to see exactly when they’re planning to come in. This can help your planning in terms of food to prepare, staff required, and so on, which can also help you reduce costs.
But the main reason efficiency will increase conversion rates is because you don’t have to be there to help the customer. If you had to answer phone calls all day, you might not get to them all. Plus, this is more of a hands-on process in which you might need to manually put bookings into a desk or digital calendar. With the latest technology, this can all be done for you, and all you would need to do is stay up to date with your calendar.
Customers like having the flexibility and convenience of being able to create a reservation whenever they want to. This can all happen on autopilot while you’re tending to other, more important matters, such as delivering an exceptional customer experience.
You Can Build Your Database
The information collected from reservations can be stored in your database. The ability to collect customer information is essential, because it gives you a way to go back and contact people who’ve eaten at your restaurant before.
It’s easier to market to customers who’ve already been to your restaurant versus those who never have. It’s more cost-effective too.
You might consider implementing a rewards or loyalty program for your best customers. Discount codes are another great option. You could also share about the latest happenings at your place of business, such as upcoming events, to draw people back. These steps will help you leverage your database and drive up your conversion rate.
You Can Analyze Your Data
Most booking systems allow you to collect a lot of data about your customers. By keeping tabs on your analytics and trends, you can figure out where most of your bookings are coming from and potentially increase your presence in those places.
Once you know what channels your customers are using to find you, it becomes much easier to figure out where to put your marketing resources. You can boost your conversion rate by investing more into strategies that are working, and divesting in those that aren’t getting you results.
The ability to analyze customer data also enables you to put together a better customer profile which you can then use to attract people like those already coming to your restaurant. Understanding your target customer makes you more effective.
Conclusion
An online booking system can help you boost the efficiency of your restaurant, reduce your workload, minimize marketing costs, offer a better customer experience, and stay in touch with your best customers to keep them coming back.
Increasing your conversion rate would ultimately allow you to get more from less. Even a small increase, like two to three percent in conversation rate, can sometimes have a dramatic effect on the bottom line of a business.
If you aren’t using an online booking system yet, now is a good time to consider your options.