Ah Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year. Or the 16-hour shifts, six-day-weeks, and no sleep time of the year? For most operators, December brings in the most money, and provides opportunities to create regular, loyal customers. However, with cautious consumer spending, rising costs, and commission charges, extra footfall doesn’t always translate to profit. It’s time to let technology give you a helping hand.
Preparation
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Offices are already booking big nights out, friends are comparing calendars, and you should be ready to accept a potential wave of bookings.
Take online bookings
Most diners want to tap their mobiles and make an instant booking, not call a restaurant. So make it easy, accepting online bookings, 24/7, from your website, social media, and third parties you work with. On ResDiary, all widgets and booking pages are customisable, so you can mirror your branding and build your profile, in turn instantly creating a connection with your diners. And there are zero transaction charges.
Request payments and pre-orders
We crunched the data, and found 12% of all bookings made are cancelled, many on the visit date. The best way to stop this happening is by taking advance payments. With ResDiary you can process deposits, full payments, or store card details to charge guests if they don’t show up. Then use automatic pre-orders to gather menu choices within your specified time frame. Simply pass chef the orders, print out place cards, and relax, knowing your guests are also in for a hassle-free night.
In-service
There’s no easier way to increase your spend per head than properly managing your tables to provide great service.
Utilise smart table management
A clever table management system is the easiest way to a smooth service. With smart yield management your reservations are spread across the service, stopping that 19.30 bottleneck. Then you can implement customisable rules that will maximise your space and your profits.
Use EPOS & PMS integrations
Working from one integrated system makes life easier for your staff, and the experience more enjoyable for your guests. ResDiary’s integrations with systems like Guestline, Tevalis, Micros, and more, ensure all your table information is held in one place for improved productivity. And great customer service.
Post dining
Diners’ impressions of your venue don’t end when they leave. Great post-dining communications can help turn them into loyal guests.
Take reviews
Asking for reviews allows you to rectify any mistakes from a diner’s visit, while displaying them on your website or ResDiary microsite gives potential guests insights into your venue. Through ResDiary, you can automatically send review emails to verified guests. Responses can be replied to, enhancing your relationship with the customer, and encouraging repeat visits.
Send marketing emails
Most reservation systems let you gather guest data during a booking. ResDiary gives you the tools to gather the data in a GDPR compliant manner, segmented by visit dates, customer types, and more. It’s useful for contacting diners with exciting offers, encouraging January visits. Make December a springboard for next year.
Get all of these great features and more with ResDiary. Best of all? You pay just a flat-fee with no booking commissions.
What are you waiting for? Christmas?
Sign up to RD Express, Pro, or Ultimate now and get 12 months for the price of 10. And ResDiary Pre-Orders (normally £45 pcm) is completely free for signups in September and October 2018.