Offset Labor Challenges & Get More Upsells with Remote Order Taking

Mobile food ordering apps may get all the press these days. However, phone orders are still a significant player in the restaurant world — and it is finally receiving the innovation it needs to become even more relevant for customers and profitable for restaurants.

Despite the number of articles saying otherwise, ordering food via a phone call is still big — 47% of all takeout and delivery orders, big — and it is not declining as fast as some would have it seem.

Now, the door is open for innovators to apply innovative technologies to this ordering medium.

Because splitting staff between curbside pickup and in-house customer engagements can get messy. For example, a restaurant survey from Oracle found that 27 percent of consumers stopped ordering from restaurants after a bad takeout experience.

Due to the massive shift in consumer behavior, restaurants are missing opportunities with customers who choose to call in their orders. It is the easiest channel to upsell because you can build rapport and a real relationship with your customers.

Why consider outsourcing your phone orders?

If you can have dedicated, remote agents focusing on upselling complimentary items such as drinks, desserts, and appetizers, it can dramatically increase your profits. Here's what it looks like:

When we work with a brand, we always recommend looking at which items on the menu are the most profitable and easiest to upsell. So, first, we test upselling specific items over the phone. Then, at the end of a two-week trial period, it is possible to look at the sales data and then test pitching other items on the menu that are relevant to see which menu item performs best.

When this exercise is performed week over week, you will be able to increase your average check size and profitability. It sounds simple, but if you can add $3-$8 to every order you take over the phone at scale, this can potentially add millions of dollars in incremental revenue.

Outsourcing your phone orders minimizes the multi-tasking occurring in the restaurant, allowing orders can get placed more efficiently, leaving restaurant employees to focus on the in-store experience.

With restaurants struggling to staff open positions, creating an internal environment where managers value employees’ safety and hard work has become more important than ever this past year. If employees are genuinely happy and enjoying their work, customers will notice, which makes all the difference in terms of a customer's experience.

Establishments that stick to the old ways will continue to spend money unnecessarily on the extra staff needed to answer phones constantly.

If you would like to know more about how the process works, check out the video, or get in touch here.