With ChatBots becoming the mainstream, various industries are using them as they offer greater and less intrusive opportunities when it comes to customer engagement (especially for hyperconnected millennials).
It is only a matter of time before ChatBots in restaurants come to the fore. Here we will tell you how ChatBots can help restaurants.
Chatbots, as virtual assistants, are applications designed to perform certain tasks completely autonomously without the need for human supervision, management or authorization. These bots are extremely useful when implemented in messaging applications such as Facebook or WhatsApp.
Currently, in the field of catering, Chatbots are revolutionizing the industry, particularly the management of automated reservations.
24/7 Customer Service: It allows you to be connected with your customers at any time they require it, reducing operational costs.
Marketing via Facebook Messenger: You can place promotions or special events of your restaurant for your clients.
Show your Menu: Display your menu with a visually impressive interface for your customers to check.
Quick Reservations: Allow your diners to book in less than a minute.
Immediate feedback: It allows users to receive feedback immediately by chatting with the bot, which improves customer experience.
No downloads: Your clients do not need to download a special app to use the bot, since it is integrated with facebook messenger or other messaging applications.
Designed to communicate meaningfully with customers, ChatBots can be integrated with any interface (Facebook, Slack, or Telegram, to name a few). For example, Domino's pizza bot receives orders directly from Facebook Messenger with a simple emoji.
You can setup a chatbot to show the menu, table availability and provide reservation management, so your customers no longer need to make a call to reserve a table, wait for service, or wait in line for tables. Restaurants also do not need to have an exclusive personnel for customers.
Bots can be programmed to perform tasks ranging from answering frequently asked questions, making a reservation, ordering food, or processing payment. The bot can perform these tasks similarly to a service executive, the difference being that it can run all day without downtime.
You can automate reservations by allowing your customers to select the date from your availability. They only need to enter their contact information and select from a calendar. A notification will be sent to your email.
Your clients may receive notifications and reminders of their reservation, where they will be able to change or cancel.
The Restaurant can also check their availability calendar to remove or rearrange their availability. The changes will be instantly shown on the chatbot.
Chatbots also create valuable information about your customers. Who is interacting with what type of product? These ideas can also lead to better and more personalized customer experiences.
Imagine that you know that a person has a certain type of allergy. You can train the chatbot to adapt your menu to the needs of that person.
A chatbot in your restaurant is also an ideal way to generate additional income. The way a chatbot works is in the form of dialogue or conversation. This means that a chatbot can send promotional messages.
Let's say that according to your data you know a family who likes to order food in your restaurant on some Friday nights. Wouldn't it be convenient if the chatbot could send a promotional message on Fridays to that family? It would result in a high probability that the family will choose your food instead of something else.
