When customers choose to dine out, they have an expectation that they’ll receive exactly what they ordered. But mistakes do happen – whether due to a miscommunication, an error during entry, or a problem with the point of sale system, it can be frustrating to place an order and receive something else entirely, especially if it’s not something they enjoy.
In a traditional restaurant setting, there is more room for error, since orders are often communicated verbally to servers, manually entered on a point of sale system, sent to the kitchen, prepared, then brought to the customer’s table. But with counter service restaurants like coffee shops, the process is more straightforward: the customer places their order directly at the point of sale system which transmits directly to the kitchen, then they are handed their order directly. But while this system is more consumer-friendly and less error-prone, mistakes can still happen.
In order to keep customers informed throughout the ordering process, counter-service restaurants across the industry are implementing customer-facing display systems, allowing customers to see exactly what they order when they place the order. Whether using a tablet, point of sale system, or another form of customer-facing display, giving your customers more information through the checkout process can bring meaningful benefits to the overall customer experience. Here’s how.
Improve Your Customer Experience
The customer experience is arguably the most important factor in determining whether or not a customer returns to your restaurant. With a customer-facing display system, customers can see exactly what’s included in their order, right down to the last detail. This helps you avoid little errors like missing side dishes or ingredient substitutions, but also helps you stay on top of the more important ones, like allergies and food intolerances.
Increase Tips for Employees
In most sit-down restaurants, customers are given the option to add a tip at the end of the meal. But in many cases, they’ll need to calculate the tip manually, which can be inaccurate and inconvenient and may lead to fewer tips.
With a customer-facing display, you can prompt customers with the option to tip before the order is even completed. And with automatically-calculated tip percentages, a touch screen, and multiple payment options, customers have even more reasons to add a tip. By making tipping easier, you can increase tips for employees and keep your staff happy.
Show off your Latest Promotions
Beyond the perks for both your customers and employees, customer-facing displays can help you and grow your business. Incorporating this system into your restaurant can provide a place to display your latest sales and promotions in real-time. An easy-to-use screen or device can grab the attention of your customers, giving you an additional way to feature or upsell certain products that are already built into your point of sale system. This also creates an extra opportunity for increased engagement – customers can ask questions about the promotions and your staff can help them with ordering decisions.
Faster ordering
For counter service and fast-casual restaurants, time is everything. A customer-facing display allows you to accept orders and payments on the spot so that you can keep wait times short and customers happy. Since customers can see their order details and bill as they order, there is far less room for error. And with fewer ordering mistakes, your staff can spend less time fixing orders and more time serving new customers.
Electronic Receipts
In most restaurants, customers interact with servers to place orders and pay for their meals. You can print a receipt after the transaction is completed, but there’s a good chance that it will just end up in the garbage.
With a customer-facing display and the right restaurant point of sale system, you can issue electronic receipts instead. By collecting your customers' emails, you'll be able to cut down on waste and give them the option to subscribe to marketing emails, which can help you build customer loyalty.
Final thoughts
Customer-facing displays are a great way to engage customers and streamline your restaurant operation. By cutting down on ordering errors and improving your speed of service, it can help you boost customer satisfaction and increase sales. Plus, it can even help you improve your marketing efforts and build a loyal customer base.