To Increase Customer Engagement, Operators Need to Leverage the Data from their Apps

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The pandemic pushed restaurants into survival mode, forcing owners and operators to adapt to an ever-changing market. In those uncertain times, apps stepped in to fill the gap. As things swing back to a more normal pace, restaurateurs and managers are seeking to leverage the information beyond the basic functions of the apps they’ve now come to rely on.

According to the Square Future of Restaurants report, 85 per cent of restaurants are currently experiencing labour shortages. With restaurants averaging 23 per cent of positions unfilled, it’s no wonder the search is on to streamline and reduce costs and increase business.

With a seemingly endless list of delivery, reservation, shift-managing, marketing and promotional apps available, there’s a wealth of data collected just waiting to be leveraged. But what’s a manager to do with all that data? A good place to start is with customers and menus.

Lior Koren, product lead at Square for Restaurants says, “There are a lot of different ordering systems available today. Customers can interact on apps, or the primary company website, or elsewhere. It’s critical for restaurants to know where their customers prefer to engage with them, and how they are engaging with them, so they can better tailor those channels.”

Matt Davis, country director for Canada at San Francisco-based OpenTable, echoes this.

“Individual restaurants have deep insights into their own diners and we can help them capture and better understand their customers so they can create long-lasting return customer relationships,” he says. “Right now, in Canada, we’re seeing restaurants access their repeat-customer data and engage with them to maintain and grow these meaningful relationships.”

To keep customers coming back, data can be tailored to market to existing customers. For example, if menu data from delivery apps show that on Friday evenings, 40 per cent of delivery orders are for two, use of that insight could be translated into a Dinner-for-Two special menu item and promotion emailed using the company newsletter, promoted on the company website and featured on all delivery apps.

Koren notes that knowing what and when customers are ordering can have an impact on the bottom line, in inventory and menu changes. “We’re seeing a lot of restaurants adjust their menus to make sure they’re focusing on the items that are selling more and not having a wider breadth of supply costs. And so, having that data on what’s selling or what’s not selling as much is becoming more important.”

And it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Data can be assimilated from any app for any aspect of restaurant operations.

“Generally speaking, our customers say that the data and insights available on their individualized OpenTable dashboards is more valuable than ever, especially now that restaurants are getting back on their feet,” Davis says. “Whether our customers are looking to establish or deepen relationships with guests, streamline operations, manage the takeout process, or assess inventory, there is a range of on-demand data and resources. Armed with fresh insights, our clients can then make educated decisions to help grow their business and deliver even better hospitality.”

By Andrea Victory

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