If a customer has more than one bad experience with your company, it is 80% likely that they will prefer to do business with a competitor. For restaurants, the customer experience starts with the waitlist. If people have an unsatisfactory experience before they make it through the door, you can lose customers before they even try your food.
To avoid this, you need to know how to manage restaurant waitlists. Keep reading for six tips on successful restaurant waitlist management.
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Go Digital
You may feel that a paper waitlist is the easiest way to manage your reservations. But there are a lot of things that can go wrong when you rely on the paper method:
- You only get one copy of the waitlist, which could lead to an accidental double-booking
- You could lose it
- Bad handwriting could lead to a mix-up in details
When all of these things are so easily avoidable, it is much better to ditch paper altogether. Go digital and get a waitlist app.
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Implement Texting
Effective communication is essential for keeping customers happy while they wait. Get one of the digital restaurant waitlist apps that will send out periodic text messages to waiting customers. It is less likely that they will get impatient if you keep them informed.
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Manage the Floorplan and Waitlist All in One
Get a restaurant waitlist management app that allows you to view your floorplan and your waiting list all in one. This will help you keep track of the status of different tables while you manage customer queues. If you can track people’s progress from the waitlist to their table, it’s less likely that you’ll encounter a bottleneck in your booking.
Read next: Fresh Ideas to Boost Bookings on Boutique Hotels
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Enable a Kiosk or Online Reservation Method
In a perfect world, a helpful member of your staff would always be there to assist your guests in making a reservation. But these days, people love being able to put themselves on the waiting list. Either allow them to do this online or set up a kiosk near your entrance so that they can do it themselves.
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Communicate the Menu
Waiting to be seated is the perfect opportunity to peruse the menu. So make sure it is accessible to your customers, whether they are waiting with you in person or remotely. Have extra menus in your waiting room and make sure your waitlist app includes an updated menu.
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Make the Waitlist Easy to Update
Choose a waitlist app that is intuitive and easy to manage. That way, your staff can stay on top of it. You should also allow guests to take themselves off of the waitlist so you aren’t waiting to seat someone who isn’t going to arrive.
Read next: Lightings for Restaurants From A-to-Z
Manage Your Restaurant Waitlist
A customer’s experience begins as soon as they try to get a table. Make sure your restaurant waitlist management is easy and efficient. Your repeat customers will thank you!
For other tips regarding software, check out our Technology section and keep reading.
