The last time you ate at an upscale chain restaurant, did the waiter or waitress bring a small computing device to your table instead of just the check?
Innovative mobile point of sale devices help build customer loyalty for restaurants in three ways. First, when customers see waitstaff capturing information in a handheld device, they perceive that orders will be handled faster and with higher accuracy.
Second, servers with access to CRM applications can gather information about patrons, such as dining preferences, favorite drinks, and even birthdays. When combined with trackable online reservations or frequent diner cards, servers can unobtrusively offer the recommendations most likely to build loyalty and profit.
Finally, mobile point of sale terminals with on-board credit card swipers emphasize a restaurant's data privacy and security position. Servers at take-out windows of one pizza chain in suburban Philadelphia were recently arrested for copying customers' credit card data while processing orders. Completing payment at tableside -- so a credit card never leaves a customer's hand -- makes customers more likely to make repeat reservations.
Mobile point of sale devices are unlocking the power of CRM applications in retail stores, as well. When TigerDirect, a direct marketer of electronics, purchased failing bricks-and-mortar retailer CompUSA, critics wondered what they might be able to do to rescusitate the chain's remaining locations. Shoppers at the stores can now access additional information about products or receive alternate product recommendations based on their purchase histories with both the online store and the physical storefront.
Mobile devices with built-in wireless networking and touch screen technology are becoming less expensive every year. Even using off-the-shelf CRM applications or hosted CRM tools, most retailers can find ways to enhance the customer experience.
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