Introducing the Abacus Table Ordering System for Hospitality Businesses.
The need for a more customer-driven experience is becoming much more prevalent in today’s hospitality industry. As restaurants begin to innovate their in-store experiences alongside the growth of technology, POS systems that facilitate self-ordering have transformed into an important cog in the machine that is a successful business. Coinciding with these changes in the industry, are changes in the consumer’s needs and wants when it comes to service. In particular, customers in fast-paced environments may expect an unhindered, fully independent experience that makes the purchase as efficient as possible for their busy schedules.
That is why we’ve put a lot of effort into bringing Australian hospitality businesses an iPad system that can be placed on your tables that ties all these ideas together, so that they can generate more value, from a lot less resources.
The Abacus Table-Ordering system provides a full customer-facing application that gives customers the ability to take their own orders right from their table.
What makes our Table-Ordering an essential part of hospitality businesses?
The menu is beautifully designed with clear buttons and functions to ensure that customers leave with a positive experience. Products can be separated into categories with customisable colours and images that can be displayed for each product.
The table-ordering iPad is also fully integrated with the main POS, normally located on the main counter. This gives hospitality businesses real-time information on which tables have been activated and what orders they have put through.
Upon selecting a product, businesses can also customise the kind of information that is displayed to customers. Include a short description below the image to show what ingredients are included to engage their interest or to bring forward potential allergies.
Our table-ordering app can also help businesses cross-sell, by displaying an option to add additional products to their meal. Customers are able to add extras by selecting the different options that are pre-configured. It has been found that customers are more open to adding extras in their orders when it is performed privately. This is because there is no external inhibition or judgement that can be felt when compared to an actual employee taking their order. In that case, businesses can expect for customers to have larger order totals through a table-ordering device.
In the same vein, customers can alter their meal to their liking by adding or removing modifications. This can help avoid any misunderstandings that could potentially surface when a customer has very specific requirements.
Additionally, the table-ordering device can also be used as a source for marketing material. When idle for a particular period of time, the device can begin to play a slideshow that showcases any promotions, new products or deals the business may want customers to know about.
In what situations might businesses consider utilising a fluid Table-Ordering System?
In truth, it might not be for all kinds of restaurants in the hospitality industry. It would be very hard to convey individualised, highly classy service in a fine-dining restaurant without having a waiter or waitress catering to the customers needs. They can instead utilise something like a waiter pad, where convenience can be enhanced without compromising the one-to-one customer service.
However, the vast majority of restaurants and food services are not fine-dining, and instead operate in a more fast-paced environment. When there is a constant flow of customers coming through the doors, it can be much more efficient to get customers ordering on their own terms once they have been seated. Businesses can cut down queue times by speeding up the time it takes to process orders.
If a business revolves around a dining experience where customers order constantly (e.g. sushi train) then utilising a table-ordering system can be the best option to save valuable staff resources. Having an employee constantly retake orders at multiple tables is in essence a huge waste of time. Instead, staff will only have to revisit a table once customers have put through an order on the table-ordering device. This cuts down the number of times staff will need to revisit tables and even the amount of staff required on the floor each day.
Your customers can also have access to their virtual bill that updates in real-time. This helps them know exactly what they ordered and how much it should cost, which minimises the chance for error that commonly occurs when an employee is taking the order. That means less drama, less issues and better customer experiences.
Abacus Table-Ordering iPad POS Systems: The future of Hospitality Dining
Where many processes that were once performed manually are becoming autonomous, the trend for customer service in restaurants and food stores seems to be following suit. For businesses, it’s the opportunity to offer a better customer experience, make better use of their staff resources and in some cases even cut costs in this area. It is also an opportunity to let customers be in their comfort zone and order what they truly desire, leading to an increase in average order totals. For customers, it’s a more comfortable ordering experience that gives the reassurance that their orders are exactly how they want it.
If your business is desperate to grasp the benefits of a table-ordering POS system, now is the time to adopt an Abacus POS System. Let your interest be known HERE. We provide POS solutions Australia-wide and are determined to unlock the potential of your business.
Edited 19/06/2020: Our Abacus products have evolved, but the importance of self-service is as relevant as ever! We have edited this post to make it clear that we are referring to our Table Ordering iPad-based product, not to be confused with our new Self-Ordering Kiosk (which is not iPad-based).