In the fourth installment of our mobile series we talk about the benefits of using third-party services to integrate with your app and make it stickier. Previously, we discussed how important the customer journey is in creating a successful mobile app. Moving forward, we will continue to analyze the customer journey and where integrating third-party companies, might help you improve that!
Every customer journey starts with the question, where should I go to eat? A very popular third-party integration to add to your restaurant's mobile app at this stage is Open Table. They have an affiliate program which allows you to add the OpenTable link to your website or app so that customers can check if there are reservations available and schedule them right from your app! Another enticing benefit from OpenTable is those who are logging 100+ reservations a month are elegible for a revenue share opportunity!
Moving on to the arrival stage of the customer journey. Your guests arrive, talk to the hostess and have their name written on a wait list with no exact measure of time available for when their table will be ready. This is a crucial part of the process. If your wait is too long you could lose customers. Why not integrate an application that makes this process seamless? NoWait is an app for restaurants that allows customers to receive text messages when their tables are ready, meaning they can now wait wherever they want. Nowait also ships an ipad right to your door, giving you a simple reservation system you can launch in minutes. It saves you money, reduces front of house congestion and keeps your customers happy.
So, now that your guests are seated and ordered how do you engage them? Usually this part of the customer journey is left for the waiter or waitress to handle, but when the restaurant's busy, your staff can't be at every table at once. How about integrating something like Rockbot? Rockbot is a social application that integrates with your screens, mobile app and social media channels. It allows customers to choose their own music, vote up or down to songs others at the venue have chosen and post to social media about their experience. It's a great way to keep your guests entertained and happy because who hasn't walked into a restaurant at one point and instantly been annoyed at the music.
Alright, it's time to pay! Have you heard minimum wage is going up for food service professionals? Increase your turnover time by employing a pay at the table solution. Aloha for mobile is a great option if you use their POS system, as are mobile pay apps like Dash, Cover and Tabbed.
All of these integrations are great to add to your mobile app. They keep your guests engaged at every stage of the customer journey and make your restaurant mobile app a valuable part of your business! Want to learn more about launching an app using third-party integrations? Click below for our Masters of Mobile report where we talk about one restaurant chain's successful restaurant mobile app launch!
