Restaurant customers are, of their own will, flocking to convenient technologies such as using online ordering for takeout & delivery.  But, as one hospitality executive observed in The Wall Street Journal last month, "When you lose the experience of ordering with somebody who can give you an intelligent answer, you lose, well, hospitality."

Although it’s the ideal way to order, personal touch is still important in online ordering.  How can restaurants that grow their business with online ordering keep customers happy by maintaining a personal touch?  Consider some of these tips and tactics:

1.    Select your pickup counter personnel and delivery crew based, in part, how personable they are. A friendly greeting and exchanging quick, pleasant niceties goes a long way with customers and your brand.

2.    Make sure the personnel who handle pickups and deliveries know and use the names of the customers.  As Dale Carnegie said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

3.    As an owner, pick up the phone periodically and call a customer who ordered online.  Ask them how their order was, how the delivery driver treated them, and thank them for their business.  Not only will you make a personal contact, but you will receive invaluable feedback and respect.

Mobile ordering at restaurants is here and growing rapidly.

If you had any doubts, take into consideration a recent report that Starbucks has processed more than 26 million mobile transactions so far this year.  Impressive, especially considering that 2011 was the first year they offered such a service.

Since launching, Starbucks has heavily promoted the ability for customers to pay for their coffee with their Smartphones – all the while – helping to train customers to use their mobile device when interacting with other restaurants.  We should all thank Starbucks for this.

Thank you, Starbucks, for making everyone more aware of how convenient a Smartphone can be for customers and its ability to help process payments (or takeout orders at other restaurants).

According to a July 2011 Pew Report, 1 out of every 3 mobile phones is a Smartphone and 25% of those users consider their Smartphone their primary link to the internet.

When NetWaiter launched its own mobile ordering platform, nearly two years ago, we automatically made it part of every restaurant’s ordering system.  Within a week, there was a substantial traffic increase, and it continues to grow rapidly.

NetWaiter’s technology is able to determine when a customer accesses a restaurant’s NetWaiter site with their mobile device.  The system automatically recognizes the device and displays the appropriate mobile site.  Navigation is made simple, ordering is simple, and payment is simple.

NetWaiter also makes unique QR Codes available for each restaurant, allowing takeout customers to scan the code with their Smartphone and immediately access the restaurant’s mobile site.  All the work is done by NetWaiter – if your restaurant has a NetWaiter site, you’re automatically provided a mobile site and QR Code, customized for your restaurant.

For more information about NetWaiter’s custom mobile sites and QR Codes, please contact NetWaiter.