Despite being a growing industry with seven new businesses opening every day, New Zealand’s hospitality sector is experiencing a skills shortage. The Restaurant Association reports that lack of skilled workers is the number one challenge facing hospitality businesses. So how can operators fill the skills gap?
Many venues are turning to technology, using it to improve their table management, stock management, customer service, and much more. Joel Christian, the owner of The Monday Room in Christchurch, uses ResDiary, a commission-free table management system which helps venues to manage their bookings. He said, “Being a restaurant manager is time-consuming, but the system does so much for you, it knows how you operate and gives you one less thing to think about.” ResDiary can be the member of your team you can always rely on.
To secure these bookings, online reservations are a must. It’s now something diners expect venues to have, with many people preferring to book with a couple of taps, rather than call up and speak to someone. But this is a plus, as Kimm and Bruce Moore from Cruisy Days Diner found. They said, “Taking online bookings means we’re not tied up on the phone, allowing our guests to book at their convenience, even outside of our opening hours.” Because the system is intuitive, online bookings come through in exactly the way you want them to, meaning you can be sure your venue is being run the way you want it to, like Joel from The Monday Room does. “It’s completely foolproof; online bookings have to do what the system allows them to do. You have total control of the diary”.
This control also extends to third party bookings, including ResDiary’s new partnership with Google. It allows you to accept commission-free bookings directly from Google Search with just a few clicks that feed into your diary, managed by your rules. You can even take bookings on your social media channels. Put a link to one of the widgets in your Instagram bio, or on your Facebook page, and let the bookings roll in. With ResDiary’s reporting, you’ll see exactly where these bookings are coming from, as Bruce and Kimm explained. “ResDiary helps us to keep track of online bookings, whether a diner books via our website, Facebook page, ResDiary, or even Google.” It’s a great way to see where you should focus your marketing efforts.
Created by hospitality professionals for hospitality operators, ResDiary acts as a partner rather than a supplier, a system that will help you make the most of your business. But don’t just take their word for it, Bruce and Kimm from Cruisy Days agree; “The support offered is not just from someone sitting at a help desk, it comes from people who are hospitality experts with an understanding of what works and what doesn’t.”
Find out how ResDiary can improve your operations today. For a limited time only, get ResDiary for just $99 a month (down from $169, a 40 percent saving). With commission-free bookings and the best support team around, it’s well worth it.
Sign up to ResDiary by November 2019 and get 40% off til June 2019. Click HERE.
