DIGITAL RESERVATION SYSTEMS – FIRST CONTACT TAKES PLACE ONLINE
Thanks to increasing digitalisation, expectations of a good restaurant have risen. Guests want to be able to make reservations quickly and reliably – 24/7. You also need to find your customers easily so that you can make better use of your restaurant’s capacity. User-friendly processes lead to an improved guest experience and full tables. But what options do restaurateurs have today to ensure that online reservations run as smoothly as possible for everyone involved?
ONLINE RESERVATION SYSTEMS PROVIDE A SOLUTION
Of course, modern online reservation systems can do much more than just accept reservations. A sensible system helps you to optimise the marketing of available tables and automate repetitive processes and communication. In other words: more sales with less effort and more satisfied guests.
SUSTAINABLE GUEST MANAGEMENT
The large database not only enables you to deploy staff and resources with foresight, but also strengthens customer loyalty through personalised communication and targeted campaigns. You can prepare ahead of time for guest requests, the tool also sends feedback requests and minimises no-shows thanks to automated notifications.
THROUGH THE JUNGLE OF SYSTEMS
There are currently several options on the market. To help you find your way through the chaos of reservation systems, here are three tried-and-tested online tools:
Aleno
With Aleno, you have a digital reservation book and a table planner with drag & drop function. Tables can be allocated multiple times during the course of the evening and even the length of stay can be limited. With the included customer relationship management (CRM) function, the data can be used for direct marketing and up-selling. The tracking tools also analyse which campaigns are successful on which channels.
Lunchgate
CRM and tracking tools also support a business with targeted marketing at Lunchgate. Thanks to the function of being able to book directly via Google, the system offers restaurants increased and better visibility – which potentially leads to more guests. Furthermore, several businesses can be connected through one system.
Opentable
Opentable is one of the oldest and, with 60,000 participating restaurants, one of the largest reservation systems on the market. In addition to the standard applications that other reservation tools also have, Opentable enables online and in-app orders as well as payments. The application therefore simplifies take-away processes considerably.
Depending on your needs, one online reservation system or another may be better suited to your business. I therefore recommend comparing different providers or seeking advice from specialists in advance to avoid wasting time and nerves unnecessarily.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of this article, Samira Hammami, is a copywriter at Epu Design GmbH in Bern.
As a trained copywriter, she writes creative concepts, crisp texts and powerful messages in line with the client’s wishes. Epu Design is a full-service design agency with employees from all disciplines, and together the young team can make any project, no matter how challenging, shine – whether in the areas of design, branding or social media.
EPU DESIGN GMBH
+41 79 849 45 73
info@epudesign.com |
epudesign.com
