Do you know which things can get your restaurant into your customers’ good books, apart from good food? Convenience and efficiency are two of these golden factors. These days, no one likes to stand in a long queue to wait for their order. People either reserve a table and place their order beforehand or prefer food delivery apps. Do you know what is call and order restaurant? You must know how online ordering is better than on-call ordering. 

Direct online ordering is the best option for any restaurant. It results in fewer errors and better customer service. 

In this article, we will look at call-in order vs online ordering and how each method works. We will also go over the benefits of the latter one over the former one. 

 

What is Call and Order Restaurant?

 

The majority of restaurateurs used the phone ordering system for takeaway and delivery orders until a few years ago.

This is how a customer places an order for a meal over the phone; a staff records the order manually in the restaurant’s point-of-sale system, which notifies the kitchen to start producing the order.

What is Call and Order Restaurant method? This method seems straightforward, it might become difficult if clients are unable to get through on your busy phone line. Because personnel can’t always hear exactly what customers are saying—especially in a noisy setting like a restaurant—the chances of error are also increased when it comes to call-in orders. In a similar vein, customers might not always hear or comprehend what employees are saying. Of course, miscommunications or incomplete orders also frequently result in disgruntled clients.

 

What is Online Ordering?

 

Online ordering has been growing in popularity since the COVID-19 outbreak. Depending on the kind of system you choose, there are two primary methods by which customers can place online orders: 

• Option 1: Customers place orders directly on your website using a CherryBerry RMS Online Ordering system. Your POS receives this information after that.
• Option 2: Users place their orders using an outside app. The data is transferred to a specific tablet, after which it needs to be manually entered into your point-of-sale system.

Depending on the online ordering system you’re using, your staff may still need to be involved in accepting orders online. Staff participation is, however, significantly lower than it would be with a phone system. Moreover, internet ordering offers greater order accuracy whether you use the direct or third-party option.

 

What is Call and Order Restaurant? Reasons Why Online Ordering is Better

 

1 – Fewer Mistakes

 

There is a lot of opportunity for error when your restaurant staff handles phone orders and manually enters or writes down the order data.

Workers could inadvertently note the incorrect food option or size, misinterpret specific instructions, or just write the customer’s name incorrectly. Employees may also need to pay more attention to important information that might lead to misunderstanding and annoyance, such as vocally verifying the accurate pickup time, location, and total cost.

Customers may examine their order details and personal information for themselves when they order online, though, and can review it before checking out. The back-of-house workers won’t be confused by handwriting or transcription errors because everything is typed up and presented.

When you utilise an online ordering system, order errors are rare because of all these advantages.

 

2 – Convenience for Customers

 

Customers may simply purchase food online using a smartphone with an online meal ordering system, even if they’re in situations where making phone calls isn’t ideal, like riding the bus or watching little children. They don’t have to worry about getting interrupted when they order their food at their leisure. Additionally, after users have registered for an account, many online meal ordering services let them quickly access their order history, favourite orders, and personal information, saving them the trouble of entering it again every time they place an order.

In fact, by adopting online ordering, you could be able to attract a whole new clientele that won’t feel safe placing an order from a restaurant without these facilities.

 

3 – It Frees up Time for Employees

 

It might not seem like it takes a lot of time for your employees to answer the phone and receive orders from customers. Each call-in order, after all, probably takes less than five minutes.

Frequent calls, however, can turn into an almost full-time job. They often divert your staff’s attention from other tasks that they could be performing.

In contrast, staff time is essentially nonexistent when it comes to online orders—aside from the rare phone calls from clients who have queries or want to follow up on their orders placed online. 

 

4 – It Promotes Upselling

 

When clients place online orders, the meal ordering software usually suggests items such as appetisers, desserts, beverages, and side dishes. These suggestions appear with enticing photos and might appear at the ideal moment during the buying process.

It’s not feasible to duplicate that when all meal orders are placed over the phone.

It is definitely possible to ask your employees to suggest upsells and complimentary pairings over the phone before a client checks out, but doing so adds even more time to the purchasing process, increases training costs, and turns off customers more. 

 

5 – It Prevents Direct Personal Contact

 

Many restaurants accept phone orders but do not accept payments until they are picked up in person. 

Systems for ordering takeaway online make it simple for customers and staff to keep a safe distance from one another. Instead of needing to extend the transaction and raise the danger of transmission, customers may simply pick up their meal at the counter or from a designated pick-up place within the restaurant.

Every year, your staff members become ill and infect each other, leading to issues with staffing and scheduling that can ultimately result in management stress and negatively impact customer satisfaction.

This is just one more reason to support the type of remote payment that online meal ordering processes naturally entail.

 

6 – The Process of Receipts is Simplified

 

The days of producing receipts and getting signatures are over when clients place orders and pay online.

Online payment eliminates various little frictions at the point of sale, which can add up over time to make a significant impact, even if it may appear like a very little step in the checkout process.

Pens, hand sanitiser, and receipt paper, for instance, won’t need to be stocked as regularly at the point of sale. 

Customers will also like not having to deal with a paper copy since they will receive an email with a secure digital record of the transaction. Additionally, your front desk staff won’t be inconvenienced by having to transfer pens and paper receipts back and forth.

Additionally, there is less likelihood that customers would turn up and dispute purchase specifics because they can see immediately how much they spent when they check out online.

 

7 – Enrollment in Loyalty Programmes Is Streamlined

 

The capacity of your restaurant to maintain steady income throughout the year is greatly impacted by loyalty programmes and other CRM features.

You may contact your customers to notify them of special events, deals, and menu updates all year long if you can reliably get their contact information.

While shoppers may occasionally sign up for a reward programme when checking out in person thanks to contemporary point-of-sale technology, doing so online makes the enrollment process quite simple. As part of the purchasing process, they will have already provided their contact and personal details, so all it takes is selecting a second box to indicate that they would want to receive updates about special offers. 

Over time, even a small increase in the percentage of opt-ins to the loyalty programme can have a significant impact.

 

Conclusion

 

Now you know what is call and order restaurant. You also know the difference between on-call ordering and online ordering. There are several advantages to switching from a phone system to a direct online ordering system. There has never been a better moment to invest in this self-service technology and begin accepting online orders rather than call-in orders, since it will boost staff efficiency and income. CherryBerry RMS offers online ordering apps to streamline the online ordering process. These can be web-based or mobile-based and are completely customizable according to the needs of your restaurant. Simple to use and coming with lots of features are two things that set them apart from other companies making these apps.