Most of us use the universal hand-in-the-air signature to request the bill, but this is already becoming a thing of the past as a ‘wave’ of new smartphone solutions promises a quicker and more convenient alternative. The restaurant and bar sectors are continually looking for ways to improve their guests’ experiences, and these innovations go some way to doing that.
A survey carried out by Barclaycard revealed that 95% of restaurant owners would rather have their staff spend more time focusing on delivering quality service, rather than spending time processing payments and it should not surprise you that 90% of restaurant owners would be enthusiastic to use new technologies to improve the payment process. 67% of those polled also said that is paying through an app would improve customer satisfaction and loyalty; customers seem to have a similar perspective as 38% said they try to avoid waiting for their bill.
Apparently, it takes diners 8-12 minutes from deciding they want the bill to leaving; this time can now be reduced to less than a minute which is a huge win.
The National Restaurant Association recently stated that new technologies are not only being used by millennials but increasingly by the baby boomer generation and as more customers become accustomed to interacting through digital modes in bars and restaurants, these solutions will be offered more frequently to ensure the customer experiences are consistent and personalised.
As the industry continues to adopt self-service and push towards a more streamlined experience, loyalty programs will also evolve. Personalising to each person based on their preferences and purchase history can improve the overall customer experience, and give restaurant employees the information needed to better service and increase brand loyalty.
The obvious rub with many of these new technologies are the barriers that come with downloading an app and convincing a large number of guests to go through the process can be an uphill battle. With Wi-5, the simple mechanic of accessing an app over the local WiFi network significantly reduces the barriers to entry, streamlines engagement and gathers more customer insight to deliver a truly personal service.
What are you doing to better understand and improve your dinners experiences?
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