[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]The holidays are an exciting time in any business. Even though you don’t experience the sales rush of people buying gifts, you will still often experience an uptick in people looking to get a meal during this busy season. You may even be offering special gift cards. That means it’s likely your call volume will increase greatly. Should you change anything? Of course you should!
Automation
If you don’t already have a self-serve automated menu on your restaurant phone, you need to get one now! This seemingly simple feature can save you and your organization countless hours of answering the same questions over and over again on the phone, interrupting their otherwise already-busy schedules.
Allow an automated system to handle that for you, so you can focus on the food, not the phone. That way, the system can also answer the phone when you’re not there, so customers can still get their questions answered.
Restaurant Hours
Business hours often change drastically during the holidays. Are you open on Thanksgiving? Christmas? Hanukkah? Are you going home early to encourage your employees and customers to spend time with their families on any of these days?
It’s very important to let your customers know the answers to these questions as easily as possible. Updating your website could help, but the odds are good that they’re going to call and ask. The easiest way to address this is to update your phone menu. Add an option to “Press 8 for Holiday Hours” or something similar. Possibly replace your current option in your phone menu, if you have one. Make it as clear as you can.
Offer Promotions
People are spending a lot of money during the holidays, and what they want more than almost anything is to get a good deal. Allow them to get a text message with a promo code in it as a reward for ordering online or on Black Friday. Make sure they know that they’re getting a reward for giving you their business. It removes human error and frees up your phone for more urgent business. Most importantly, it creates brand loyalty, so they’ll keep coming back, and they’ll let their friends know about you, too.
Be Clear About What You’re Offering
If you’re selling gift cards, or offering catered meals, you’ll want to let your customers know that upfront. They’ll be curious, and if they don’t know, they might go somewhere else. Let them know about to-go holiday meals, catering, reservations, and gift cards or other promotions you might be running during November and December. The earlier they know, the earlier they can plan to take advantage of these opportunities!
Update Your Automation Time Schedule
If you are taking advantage of Reachify’s excellent service already, then you’ll want to make sure the system is on the correct schedule for the holiday season. Extend or decrease your automated hours to ensure you won’t miss a single call, day or night!
Happy Holidays!
Letting the automated system handle missed calls can save customers you might otherwise have missed. Don’t let the busy holiday season get you down – prepare early and let call deflection and business phone technology handle the increased call volume for you, so you can get back to worrying about the things that matter most – increasing sales and enjoying the season![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
