Gastronomy: This is the best way to use messengers

Do you run a restaurant and/or delivery service? We show how you can become more successful with messengers.

Messenger as an important customer messenger

Suddenly everything was closed. And that for many, many months. The corona pandemic has hit some entrepreneurs, especially catering operators, hard. Offers such as pick-up food and delivery services were able to cushion the economic dip.

What was particularly evident in the Corona crisis: All companies, including restaurants, must seek and maintain contact with their customers. Messengers play an important role here.

Messenger application areas for restaurants and other catering establishments

We’ll show you how to WhatsApp, the Facebook Messenger, Telegram and similar chat programs to generate more sales in lockdowns and also “normal” times.

Questions

“Is your restaurant open today?”, “Do you have to wear a mask when picking up your food?”, “Is there an extra charge for delivery?”

Restaurant operators often get questions like this. You can answer them quickly via Messenger. Ideally, you should prepare a few text modules for the frequently asked questions. Or you use a chatbot that answers independently.

Newsletters

Inform your loyal guests about the current menu or about the lunch specials for the coming week. Telegram and Co. are ideal for sending information such as a newsletter.

Coupons

Would you like to reactivate regular customers who have not been to your restaurant for a long time or who have used the delivery service? Then send vouchers via Messenger. If you individualize these, you can even see exactly who takes advantage of your offer and who doesn’t.

Orders

Order a pizza via WhatsApp or a “Schnitzel To Go” via Telegram – why not? Offer a messenger service in addition to your regular phone number for orders to relieve your hotline, especially at peak times.

Status message

“Your order is now on its way to you” or “Get ready, your pizza will arrive in about 10 minutes”: Short status messages inform your customers when the ordered food will arrive.</ p>

Reservations

Reserving seats can also be done easily via Messenger. A chatbot that intercepts the most important questions (number of people, desired time, names) ensures a quick process.

Self ordering

Sounds unusual, but it’s already in practice: In some restaurants and bars, guests can place their orders on site via messenger. The so-called self-ordering saves the waiters some distances and thus speeds up the processes.

Feedback and Reviews

Would you like to know if your guests were satisfied with the food? Or are you interested in what you could improve about your delivery service? Ask your customers for their opinion – of course via your messenger.

Our guide “That’s why online ratings are so important for your success”.

Payment

At the end of April 2021, Telegram introduced an exciting function: payment via Messenger. This has been possible for a long time with competitors such as Apple iMessage and WeChat, but now the other messenger providers are gradually following suit.

For catering establishments, this represents a first-class opportunity to speed up payment processes and further reduce cash handling.

Reading tip: In our article “This will bring the Messenger future” we show you , where the messenger market is headed in the coming years.

Make it as easy as possible for your guests and customers

Messenger communication is only ever as good as its use. For example, if you don’t make it known that you can order via WhatsApp in your restaurant, nobody will use the offer. That’s why the old PR wisdom applies: rattling is part of the job!

For you, this means: Point out your Messenger services on your website, on your Facebook and Instagram page, on your Google My Business entry and wherever else you are active on the net !

Extra tip: With a free WhatsApp Click-to-Chat-Generator you will receive a special link that leads directly to your WhatsApp chat. The online tool also generates a QR code that is ideal for printing on flyers, posters and your menus.

Bundle your messengers

Are you getting into the so-called Conversational Marketing, you will soon be able to celebrate your first successes. This has a positive effect on your sales.

If the communication is via messenger, you will receive numerous inquiries – possibly on several messengers. Then it is necessary to professionalize the processes and make them more efficient.

With a unified messaging solution like Chatwerk you bundle the entire messenger exchange in one interface that several employees can access. In addition, your team can easily create text modules and prioritize requests.

Image: Freepik