Is your Restaurant equipped to handle the ever-changing business environment dictated by the global pandemic?
Today’s restaurant owner is getting tested at every turn.
From customers and staffing to suppliers and technology, operating a restaurant and remaining resilient is more challenging than ever. The pandemic has forced owners and franchisees to address every touchpoint of their service. Evaluating the ‘economy of each system’ inside the operation dictates whether a restaurant can survive a pandemic, or sadly, close its doors.
In a recent post from the National Restaurant Association, they expect a national GDP increase of 4% each quarter in 2021 – further stabilizing and exceeding pre-pandemic levels by Q4 2021. In contrast, employment levels will NOT rebound as quickly – most likely taking until 2022 to return restaurant staffing to pre-pandemic capabilities. The pandemic has created a supply-and-demand conundrum which many owners were not equipped to address. But there is a solution!
A Resilient Restaurant Has Systems in Place Designed for the Evolving Customer Experience
What does this mean for restaurant owners? How will owners bridge the service and staffing gap in light of a growing demand for their products and services – and still keep their customers happy, safe, and returning frequently?
The answer is in systematic processes that work over time. The consistency of a resilient restaurant’s team, its tools, and its product helps keep them on track and on pace in an unpredictable marketplace.
In a few quick steps, you can evaluate your current phone process, and identify the adjustments that make your team more efficient and productive – across each area of your restaurant’s operation:
Create a list of options and choices your customers currently call your restaurant about
Rank the options in order of highest to lowest call volume
Identify which call options can be recorded (i.e. directions, hours, special instructions, holiday greetings)
Identify which call options require routing or special treatment
A Resilient Restaurant Makes Repeatability Standard
Your front desk phone communications are the lifeline to your customers. As we’ve shared in other posts, your customers are still calling – even in a complex and uncertain time. They’re looking for quick information about your services and availability, and they prefer to speak with people now more than ever. This is where STRATA7 and our VoIP solutions are best utilized.
With complete control over your setup, you provide your customers the information they’re seeking – without having to continually pull your people and resources away from other tasks to share it. Recorded greetings, automated routing, and other helpful features – when applied – can make the difference between earning a one-time customer and earning a repeat customer.
A Resilient Restaurant Has to Listen to its Customers – Especially Now
With some many options available for each customer, there are a number of new distractions that can divert their attention away from your restaurant’s services. When all else fails – they’re going to call you for more information. Phone calling continues to be a major channel for placing curbside orders, making reservations, and getting directions and hours of operation.
Your phone system can handle all of it with one phone line and a dedicated auto-attendant solution from STRATA7. Our team is skilled in configuring systems for any business operation or team configuration. Combining your recorded messages and instructions with direct-line routing to your team members is a best practice for remaining operational and profitable in an unpredictable restaurant landscape.
For more information on how to transform your phone system easily to STRATA7, click here.
About STRATA7
We provide the unified communications services you need to succeed in this ever-changing, dynamic business environment where the ability to work remotely – and efficiently – is now more important than ever.
The STRATA7 approach to business communications includes our unified platform of cloud-based voice, mobility, video, presence, collaboration and analytics solutions – all combined with certified tools, services, security and the people to make your company’s communications easy to manage and less expensive to operate.