Still using a paper waitlist or reservation book? Clinging to outdated paper-based solutions can be a drag on a restaurant. Here are six reasons to switch to a digital waitlist and reservation app like Waitlist Me.
WAIT ESTIMATES ARE OFTEN INACCURATE
How long will it take for those customers to finish their chocolate mousse? With paper, you’re left guessing. Digital waitlist solutions, however, help do the estimating for you and show you real-time waits next to quoted times, so staff will get better at making accurate estimates and adjusting as things change. That means your team can focus on customer service, not crunching numbers. Customers will be happier as well, knowing they can trust the wait won’t be longer than they were told.
PAPER LOOKS UNPROFESSIONAL
Modern customer service expectations are higher than ever and are being shaped by technology they use in all parts of their lives. Scrabbling through crumpled reservation book pages and scribbling party sizes onto a whiteboard makes your restaurant look like a slap-dash operation. Switching to an app lets you move all that mess onto one simple screen. No more MIA reservations, no more hard-to-read handwriting, and no more endless flipping while customers tap their toes.
YOU’RE ANNOYING YOUR CUSTOMERS, AND YOUR STAFF
A datebook can’t be in two places at once, but an app can. You can put Waitlist Me on as many tablets, smartphones, and computers as you want. While one staff member seats guests, a front-of-house manager can keep tabs on staff efficiency, and an owner can track long-term customer trends.
CALLING OUT NAMES IS PAINFUL
Nobody likes the calling-out method of seating guests. For next-in-queue diners, it’s round after round of the “wait, did they just call our name?” game. For even the most patient of waiting customers, it shatters the ambiance. An app like Waitlist Me lets you quickly, quietly, and easily text guests when it’s their turn.
GIVE CUSTOMERS THE BEST
A front-of-house staff member with a whiteboard in hand and a queue to manage is working the numbers, not focusing on customer experience. But while queues are a fact of life that customers can deal with, a bad experience can wreck your restaurant’s reputation. Waitlist Me offers multiple features that helps hosts serve. With features like the public waitlist, guests can check it on their smartphone or a monitor in your waiting area to see exactly where they are in queue, and stop asking staff for an update.
UTILISE ALL THE DATA
While its easy enough to tally up the heads served and tables turned by the end of the night, with a pen and paper, there is a limit to the usefulness of this data. Digital tools are built with analytics running automatically in the background as you and your staff go about your day. When you’re ready to see how things are going (and analyse trends, like your average wait times), the records are waiting for you.
