Uncertainty is the last thing you want to address in your daily routine, and yet that is exactly what COVID has introduced to all businesses. As a restaurant, you most likely have been hit particularly hard with health directives that have severely limited or eliminated your ability to seat at full capacity. Adding to this is your desire to keep your patrons, staff, and your person, safe and healthy while this event runs its course.
Since the world needs to restrict contact for the time being, we have witnessed the introduction of curbside pickup, as well as a large increase in the use of delivery services for meals and products alike. While you will be able to keep the doors open by utilizing these new ways of conducting business, these modes of operation will require that you have the ability to coordinate it all with a high degree of precision.
The new COVID business models that restaurants have had to adapt have sparked a rise in the use of contactless restaurant technology. In order for you to take advantage of these emerging functionalities, you will need to implement the supporting POS technology that presents you with the contactless features you need. These will help you through this difficult period while building a foundation for new and exciting options that can be used down the road.
Curbside Pickup and Delivery Coordination 101
Implementing innovative POS technology will present you with the coordination options you need to participate in COVID-related servicing restrictions. Contactless options must be given to you in the form of online ordering via an app, as this allows ordering information to be directly entered into your POS system without worry about order accuracy and information security. Also, this gives you an enticing way to attract and retain customers with very little effort.
The ability to deploy an app to all parties gives you the ability to drastically reduce the work required by both your staff and customers. Menus can be updated in your POS solution, with these changes being reflected in the app within seconds. Staff will know who is coming to pick up an order, can accept online payment, and can even be told the type of car and license plate, ensuring that the correct food order is given to the right customer.
Your app and POS solution will combine to make coordinating with food delivery a simple task. If you utilize a third party delivery service, orders can be digitally transmitted to the service, making pickup a fast and contactless process. Using your own internal staff gives you even larger benefits, as your delivery drivers will have direct access to customer information, which assures you of maintaining your high standards of quality from start to finish.
Safety is a Primary Concern Addressed by Contactless Technology
Introducing contactless technology into your restaurant does more than help you keep the doors open through the use of engaging technology. It gives you, your staff, and the customer additional layers of security to ensure the safety of all parties throughout the COVID crisis. Remote ordering via an app is a great starting point for reducing direct contact between people, as is remote payment processing technology, but what about the inside of your restaurant?
With your staff still performing many, if not all, of their usual tasks, with the potential addition of delivery, keeping them socially distanced from each other will be a different set of challenges that you must address. This becomes even more of a challenge if you are allowed to have in-house dining on any scale. Thankfully, the mobility aspect of POS technology will give you a natural, easy way to accomplish this, specifically by using your POS-provided app.
Kitchen staff, servers, and delivery drivers can all stay in designated areas and communicate using your POS platform. This reduces the amount of contact with each other, but without sacrificing communication or operational efficiencies. Your in-house diners can place orders and pay their tabs on tableside tablets, limiting the contact between customer and server to the delivery of ordered items and the initial seating process.
Contactless Technology Will Open New Doors to You
Eventually, when the COVID crisis subsides and we begin our return to normalcy, you may wonder how your new contactless technology can continue to be used. The ability to seamlessly transition back to normal will be made better by your new POS tools. The app you gain can still be used for takeout and delivery orders will still allow customers to pay their tabs digitally, but can also be expanded to include accepting table reservations and pre-ordering meals.
Imagine walking into your favorite restaurant, and after being escorted to your table, a server appears with drinks and an appetizer just after you sit down. As the meal progresses, you utilize the tablet at the table to play your favorite mood-setting dining music, before finally deciding to have dessert. Using the POS app on the tablet, you order dessert and a cup of coffee. Once again, without waving for a server, you view your bill, pay, and depart.
You can leverage your new contactless POS technology to create an enhanced dining environment that gives your customers complete control over their experience. Your servers will be free to cover more tables, and the improved order accuracy will directly translate into better tips for everyone. This keeps customer and staff retention rates at a very high level and gives your brand a great reputation in the community.
The Future is Now with Contactless Restaurant Technology
If your restaurant is not already utilizing contactless POS technology, then the time has come to make that change. Not only will you gain highly effective tools to address the concerns of today, but you will be setting yourself up for an exciting future. Expediting this does not mean to take it lightly, which is where the experienced consultants of talech enter the picture. They will quickly assess your situation and recommend only the POS tools and features you need.
We at talech want to assist customers that have been financially impacted by COVID-19, in light of restricted movements in cities and towns across the country. We have launched a number of initiatives to help customers during this time. Click here to find out more or reach out to our Support Team at support@talech.com
