Customer experience is one of the most important factors for success in the food service market. It's what sets an “excellent” restaurant apart from a “good” one. It's the secret to having loyal customers.
That's because customers expect more than a delicious meal. They also want a pleasant, clean environment and fast, personalized service. But how do you deliver all of that?
If you're asking yourself that same question, keep reading this article and check out our complete guide to improving the customer experience at your restaurant!
What is customer experience?
A experiência do cliente é o conjunto de percepções e sentimentos de um consumidor ao interagir com uma marca, desde o primeiro contato até o pós-venda. Ou seja, é como ele vivencia e lembra do seu restaurante.
Many people think the experience relates only to service, but in fact it's influenced by a range of factors throughout the entire consumer journey.
In the case of restaurants, some fundamental points are:
- Ambiente, decoração e atmosfera
- Service and Hospitality
- The ordering process
- Qualidade e apresentação da comida
- Wait time
- Menu Options
- Prices
- payment methods
- Cleanliness and hygiene
- Communication and marketing
All these aspects create impressions and emotions in customers, whether positive or negative. That's how they form an opinion about your establishment and how a relationship of trust is — or isn't — established.
Besides, the consumption experience involves much more than simply having a good meal at a fair price. When visiting a restaurant, customers are also looking for memorable moments, stories to tell and that “wow” factor that impresses. If you can provide that, you'll have a competitive edge.
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The importance of customer experience in restaurants
Investing in customer experience is important because it's directly tied to satisfaction, loyalty and higher revenue.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte, among customers who had a good experience, 60% intend to return more often, 39% spent more and 41% recommended the restaurant to friends and family.
Among those who had an unresolved problem, 73% told family and friends about the bad experience. On the other hand, when the problem was resolved satisfactorily, 79% said they plan to come back.
This data shows that customer experience has a big impact on customer loyalty and on word-of-mouth marketing (which is one of the most effective, by the way!). Happy customers not only come back more often, they also bring in new customers.
This leads to an increase in profitability, since keeping a loyal customer base reduces your customer acquisition cost (CAC) — that is, the amount you invest to attract and win over new customers.
Besides, repeat customers tend to consume more and try other menu items. That raises your average ticket and greatly improves your results.
Leia também: Service excellence: 11 tips for your restaurant
What does the customer expect from your restaurant?
To improve the experience, you first need to understand your customers' expectations. What are they looking for when they visit your establishment?
An attractive, varied menu, fair prices, tasty food, fast service, a helpful and friendly team, convenience, a clean and pleasant environment, a good location, quality.
That's the minimum customers expect — and what every restaurant needs to offer so it doesn't lose out to the competition. So to stand out, you need to go further and provide a standout experience.
How do you do that? That's what we'll see next — keep reading!
In the same Deloitte study cited earlier, five elements of customer experience are presented, in order of importance:
Engage
Who doesn't like being well received and made to feel welcome? Your service team should be trained to interact in a friendly, authentic and hospitable way.
Empower
Customers want more autonomy and control over their orders. That's why you need to allow customization according to the customer's needs.
To do that, you should provide information that supports decision-making, such as the origin of the ingredients.
Listen
Understanding the customer's situation and needs, offering solutions to their problems. An example: the restaurant extending its opening hours because customers tend to have lunch later.
Learn more: Customer feedback: learn how to ask for it and make the most of it
Delight
It's that “cherry on top,” what makes customers' eyes light up and turns the experience into something unforgettable. You need to create memorable moments, surprise and exceed expectations.
Know
Remembering preferences and needs. For example: on a delivery order, having the delivery details on hand and knowing the customer's favorite items to suggest when taking the order.
By perfecting these points, you'll be offering a five-star experience to your customers. Check out some tips below!
5 tips for improving the customer experience
Before we get to the tips, it's worth noting that improving the customer experience in restaurants is an ongoing process.
After all, it's always possible to improve different customer touchpoints, from the moment they see an ad on social media to the moment they pay the bill. More than improving service, you need to consider the entire consumption journey.
Below, we list 5 tips for improving your customers' experience.
Leia também: Overdelivery: how to use the strategy and build customer loyalty
1 – Eliminate friction points
Friction points are obstacles the customer runs into along the journey.
For example: they look up your restaurant on Google to make a reservation but can't find the phone number. Or when they want to ask for a wine refill, but there's no waiter nearby.
To provide an experience considered excellent, you need to reduce friction points and get maximum efficiency out of your operation.
So start by identifying what isn't flowing well: slow service, menu items out of stock, order mistakes, a line to pay, a card machine that doesn't work…
And then find solutions to those problems. Some of them are quite simple, like changing the layout of the dining room furniture to make it easier to move around. Or using a smart POS to speed up service.
An obstacle-free, fluid experience is far more pleasant for customers. They don't have to think about anything, just enjoy the moment.
2 – Standardize processes
This is another essential point in customer experience. There's no use serving the best food and delivering the best service on the first visit if everything is different on the second. That breaks expectations.
Besides, without standardized processes, it's impossible to understand what needs improvement and to spot what could be an opportunity.
So every step and interaction with the customer at your restaurant should be mapped and standardized. Your employees must be clear on how each step works and what needs to be done.
This is essential to maintaining a quality standard in your product and your service. That way, the customer experience gains consistency and trust grows.
3 – Keep your employees engaged
The service team has a huge impact on the customer experience. That's why it's crucial to run recurring training and keep employees engaged.
It's the waiters and service staff who have the closest contact with customers, and therefore they're the ones responsible for creating a friendly atmosphere, staying alert to customers' needs and making sure everything runs perfectly.
When you have an engaged, happy team, it shows and naturally wins customers over.
4 – Always think about convenience
How can you make each step of the journey more convenient for your customer? How can you make their life easier? How can you be useful?
This should be your focus: avoiding difficulties and problems for your customers. Apply it to the most varied aspects: reservations, menu, orders, payment. Everything.
Some simple solutions can make a big difference. A well-known example is the table markers used in all-you-can-eat meat and pizza restaurants so the customer can signal whether or not they want to be served at that moment.
Also try to diversify your customers' options so you meet every need. Accept different payment methods, serve through several models (delivery, take away), have an effective reservation system, be flexible with orders and so on.
5 – Bet on technology
Finally, count on technology to gain efficiency in your operation and make sure everything flows smoothly.
There are several solutions that let you automate processes, speed up service and make the customer experience even more positive.
EPOC offers a restaurant platform with a POS built to make order-taking easier and to personalize service. On top of that, it has many other solutions: self-service, data analysis to identify customer consumption profiles, an ERP with inventory control and CRM, and much more.
To find out how we can help your restaurant provide the best experience to your customers, schedule a free conversation with our consultants right now.
