Today's customers expect high-tech experience across every channel. If you want to enter your restaurant's name in their book of favorites, you'd need to invest wisely in technology. In a recent survey, it has been observed that when a restaurant utilizes technology to process orders and engage with customers, the frequency of visit increases by 6%, while the average spends per visit increases by 20%. The numbers tend to improve if you provide them with additional services or features like pay by phone, ordering online, loyalty programs and order customizations.

Restaurant technology can be a powerful tool for boosting sales. It plays a significant role in the decision-making process for tech-savvy consumers. In fact, by just adding Facebook ordering can increase your sales by 10% in less than a week. Restaurants need to find new ways to respond to the rapidly changing market scenario, and in many cases, upgrading to self-serving technologies can help build and maintain consistent customer satisfaction.

But wait, we don't suggest jumping on the bandwagon without any research. We highly recommend adopting technological solutions that best fit your restaurant and your customers’ requirements. Here we have shortlisted a few restaurant technologies that deliver the most bottom-line bang for your buck.

Chatbots & AI Interfaces

Restaurants are turning to Virtual Assistants, Chatbots, and other Artificial Intelligence tools to improve and personalize the customer experience. Instant gratifications, accuracy and short turnaround time are all the benefits bringing chatbots and digital assistants into the mainstream. If you are yet to integrate this technology to your systems, you may have some work to do to maintain a consistent position in the market.

Through chatbots, you can respond to customer inquiries and requests for customized food orders quickly and efficiently. For instance, TGIF’s AI application help mix drinks and target consumers with highly personalized offers. Customers can place and receive their order in just a few minutes. These digital moves and shifting consumer preferences for innovative and newer establishments are helping restaurants counter sagging sales.

Ok Google, Order California Marinara in Penne

CRM Integration

Another technology in focus is the CRM Solution. With an efficient and robust CRM system, your restaurants can deliver personalized experienced to its most valuable customers. Regardless of whether your customer dines at one of your locations or orders online, his/her details will be shared across your outlets so the staff can categorize and identify regular customers and track details like frequency of visits, the amount spent per visit, meal preferences and other important milestones in their life.

All this information can help design effective and targeted marketing campaigns. Knowledge is power. The more you understand your customers, the better customizations you can offer and enhance revenue.

Online Ordering

Did you know 45% of customers ordering their food online prefer to order from the restaurant's website over third-party food aggregators? Why? The benefits are key: they get better deals, customization options, and personalized recommendations. The demand for online ordering is growing and expected to become a $76 billion industry by 2022. If you are on the fence about whether you should join the club, the advantages of online ordering for restaurants listed here should help you make the right decision.

You can partner with Restolabs to develop online ordering for your website and mobile app. Our program seamlessly integrates with a wide array of restaurant technologies for a trackable and streamlined service. Look to Pirate Pizza to see a great example of online ordering in action.

Customer Loyalty apps

It's no longer enough to offer weekly deals, coupons, and discounts. Customers want to know that they are being valued and it's in your best interest to make your regular customers happy every time they place an order with your restaurant. With rapid advancements in outreach technology, customers are more likely than ever to expect rewards and targeted promotions.

Perhaps restaurant technologies are putting a new spin on loyalty programs. Unlike traditional apps and software, you can easily integrate loyalty programs with an online program. Such integrations build a system that tracks customer data on its own and offer rewards. This means customers are more likely to increase their visits to take advantage of the rewards. You can also use this data to track customer behavior in order to maximize the effects of your marketing campaigns. All of which means more sales and increase revenue.

Moving Ahead With Restaurant Technology

The restaurant industry may be significantly different in the coming years that it is now. But what it boils down to is that restaurants need to adopt innovative tools to drive the profitability. Whether you want to improve customer interaction, drive customer loyalty, or eliminate errors, using new restaurant technologies will help you eliminate uncertainty and boost sales. Examine your restaurant's needs and invest in programs that work best for your business.

Looking for more tips on how to boost sales using restaurant technology? Follow us on Facebook to see what’s new.