Get your food business up and ready with mobile order & pay

More outlets in fast casual dining settings are now partnering with mobile order and payment solution providers to not only stay connected with their customers in a safe, secure and efficient manner, but to optimise their service as well as operations.

Choosing the right tech provider to partner with can be a minefield for businesses. To give you a helping hand, here are some things to consider, depending on which sector you operate in.

Cafés & coffee shops

Mobile ordering is critical to cafés and coffee shops. Of course you want your customers to have the same, if not better experience ordering through mobile as they would face-to-face. In order for this to happen, you need modifiers and options. For customers ordering hot drinks, for example, you will need to set up a modifier for milk options such as skimmed, soya or oat. The same goes for soft drink options – whether you sell a range of bottled waters, juices or even iced drinks. Whatever the offering, make sure customers are given as much choice as they would if they were ordering directly to a person.

Quick service restaurants

Upselling is a benefit to implementing a mobile order and pay service. By showcasing sides and specials, you can highlight higher margin items. Mobile ordering is the perfect solution for add-on spending. If you offer pizza on your menu, for example, make sure as many toppings are available to choose from. The same goes for burgers. Customers love the personalised experience of building their own dish, adding various extras to their meal. Don’t forget to make things like allergen, nutritional and dietary information easily accessible and visible too.

Takeaway & delivery

As a result of the pandemic, many outlets have adopted takeaway and delivery services as well as integrating click and collect to their offer. The biggest advantages of offering click and collect is that it can not only potentially improve footfall, but can also expose you to new customers. While customers are collecting their food, why not get your team to showcase their great service and the great products on offer. Get them engaged and just remember, whether you offer delivery or takeaway, or both, make sure you are convenience and efficient with your offer and service.

Leisure & travel

Speed of service is a key driver within the leisure & travel industry, so make sure your system is built around your business. Ensure your menu can be automatically synced and that orders go straight through to the till. Whatever service you choose, make sure it is sleek, professional and in keeping with your brand. The system must enhance the brand position or product, rather than compromising it.

Whichever industry you trade in, here are five key areas to think about when implementing order & pay into your operations.

Choose your tech provider carefully

Since COVID hit, there have been many solutions that have sprung up on the marketplace. You may be spoilt for choice, but think very carefully about what you are trying to achieve. Firstly, think about how your customer will access the experience. Also, give some thought to how this new technology will work operationally. Is it easy for staff to manage? Will you be able to access data simply?

Take a holistic approach to choose the right solution, ensuring it improves rather than disrupts the current operational structure.

Really get into the nitty gritty of how your business operates. How will you take payments - and who will you trust to handle your customer data? In this day and age, it’s vital that customer data and payments are secure to ensure any partners you work with are fully ISO compliant. Also, take into account how tried and tested the technology is; find out more about the clients they work with as well as the expertise and support they can offer you. Why not even go and give these platforms a go for yourself and experience it first-hand?

At a time when every penny counts, going with the quickest, cheapest option may be tempting, but the mistake of teaming up with the wrong provider could cost you more in the long run, so make sure you do your research. Consider the transaction fees as you don’t want to be losing profits by driving customers to their phones.

Use experts to create the perfect user experience

Your number one priority must be to create a seamless digital experience for your customers. Therefore, the solution you go with needs to be truly mobile-first; prioritise first class user experiences and interfaces as the focal point for all of your customers. The perfect mobile experience will eliminate any frustration for the consumer, from start to finish when ordering from you. Never buy into a second rate “quick fix” experience or try to build something from scratch if you don’t have the in-house experience to build a genuinely brilliant solution.

Don’t forget your teams are the users too. They also need something simple and effective which will not be adding to their workloads. Think about the back-end software as much as the customer’s journey. For example, how will your team update and edit your menus? How will they manage updates such as out of stock? If anyone needs assistance with the software at any point, will you have contacts for a customer success team to provide overall support, guidance and tips on best practices. Do they offer any training services as part of the package?

Promote the experience

If you are implementing this technology for the first time in your venue, there’s a good chance your customers won’t be familiar with the process. It’s important that they feel comfortable using it. Think about really clear and simple messaging in your venues where it’s visible for your customers to see. Perhaps you could advise people of the change in advance with clear details and instructions. Maybe even a video of the new way to order and pay through a newsletter or even your social media channels and website.

Use staff effectively 

Make sure your staff know how to use the system like the back of their hand. Bring your operations team into the process from the very start to avoid bumps in the road or painful learning curves. When the solution is in place, take the time to thoroughly train staff and resolve any queries they may have. Allow everyone who will interact with the solution to trial it. You’ll find that their feedback and engagement will improve the overall success when it’s time to launch.

Interested in adding Order and Pay from table to your business?

Our preferred partner Onvi will have you up and running in a matter of hours. Even better, they are offering Sensational Drinks customers a one-month free trial, followed by an exclusive discount of 25% off. Try it now!