After you’ve put effort into great food and quality customer service, don’t sully the guest experience by ending with an unpleasant transaction. A long, complex payment process can turn guests away from returning, as more than half of consumers would rather go somewhere else with a shorter line and convenient payment.
Guests loyalty grows as your payment technology advances to create a speedy and convenient process.
How to Make a Good Payment Experience
Handing over a credit card is never fun, but you can make it as stress-free and convenient as possible so customers can quickly pay their tab and be done. Optimizing payment improves your customer relationships by creating an efficient experience they don’t have to dwell on.
Reviews
Online reviews matter to customers; they often check ratings online for small businesses before visiting for the first time. This means that your reputation is everything when it comes to pulling in new business, so out-of-date processors will cost you in the long run. It’s better to invest now and work on your good reputation.
When you do get poor reviews, connect directly with the commenter to apologize for the inconvenience in a polite, professional manner. Then, invite them back for a chance to get it right.
Flexible Checkout
People like to stick with what’s comfortable, especially when it comes to their transactions. Whatever they’re used to already, they’ll want to continue using so they can get through payout without any holdups. To this end, restaurants need payment processors that can accept a wide range of different devices.
Common payment methods that customers like to use include: Credit cards; mobile payments taken when customers order online, through QR codes or via app; and mobile wallets like Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. It’s also becoming increasingly popular to use handheld POS so servers can take orders anywhere in the restaurant. This makes for faster order turns, fewer errors, and happier customers.
Feedback
When problems arise or things don’t meet customers’ expectations, make sure there are channels for them to effectively communicate what’s wrong. Include questions in your guest surveys that describe their transactions and have cashiers ask if there’s any way their experience could have been better.
Address bad reviews swiftly and professionally. Poor comments are just opportunities to invite them back so you can right those mistakes and provide a better experience.
Ask questions about which aspects of payment could use streamlining so you can take concrete steps to improve.
Test out your own checkout system to catch major flaws before opening it up to customers. Have your staff try it too so they can point out weak spots. It’s also a chance to train your staff on how the system works so they can explain it to guests if they have trouble.
When it comes to customer satisfaction, get your answers right from the source. Use reviews to learn how to improve your payment process and provide the best possible customer experience.
Smart Restaurant Payment Systems
eatOS provides seamless, contactless and easy payment for every guest that comes into your restaurant. Better Point of Sale systems take any small business to the next level.
