Forward-thinking casual restaurant brands are increasingly developing branded social and mobile applications to enrich customer experience, increase engagement, and ultimately gain a competitive edge. From valet parking, reservations and coupons to pre-ordering dine-in meals and requesting on-premise music, there’s an app out there for just about anything – even to reserve a bar stool.
More Than Background Music
Traditionally, establishments leveraged popular jukeboxes as a way to entertain patrons, provide atmosphere and build brand affinity. If you’re over the age of 21, you likely remember the joy of heading to a local hangout, dropping a dollar in the jukebox and listening to your favorite songs while you socialized with family and friends. More than just background music, the jukebox used to enable social engagement and atmosphere. Essentially, the jukebox was not only one of the first forms of on-premise music, but also one of the first forms of brand engagement that was central to the customer experience.
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Casual restaurant employees and diners are now typically subjected to five preset standard music channels comprised of a few hundred – often overplayed – songs that rarely have personal affinity or meaning to the customer. Gone are the days of interactive engagement and the delight of social engagement – on-premise music has been relegated to being a way to simply fill dead air. Furthermore - businesses are often times subject to monthly playlist updates that carry no measurable value.
"Instead of relying on passive music channels in the background to fill the void, establishments can put on-premise music to work for them via a customized mobile application that enhances customer experience."
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Music can be more than just a way fill dead air in your establishment, and many brands are already embracing next-generation solutions. If you're going to play music, use it to your advantage instead of making it another line item on your budget report. Take advantage of today's actionable technologies to enhance the customer experience and a lot more. Ask yourself: how can I engage my customers and employees so they are contributing and personally invested to my establishment’s dining experience.
If music be the food of love, play on...
William Shakespeare
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