Customer Feedback Archives

Case Study: Panera Debuts Tablet Ordering

Ordering via tablets is making its way into restaurants and the quick serve industry, and it has proven successful. Panera is one that a tablet was recently spotted – after watching customers, it seemed that customers were receptive to the concept and turned to the tablet to place orders versus waiting in line.

The system allows customers to place their order without waiting in line. After their meal, the receipt is sent to the customer via email, and a quick feedback survey consisting of three questions is included. This is a great example of how Panera is making the most of the tablet technology.

In sit down restaurants, the increased sales and tips are being realized. According to a recent study, the use of tablet ordering cuts the meal time by seven minutes – not only is this more efficient for guests, but it also allows for tables to be turned over more quickly. For servers, that is good news: more tables can result in higher tips.

To add to the increased efficiency and resulting guest satisfaction, tablet based ordering can take things to the next level with restaurant guests, if tablet based consoles are used to their maximum potential.

For example, the Customer Engagement Console allows for a robust program that can incorporate customer feedback, encouragement to sign up for loyalty programs, and a gateway for guests to join the restaurant on social media while they’re still at their table. Throw in a feedback survey and restaurants have a quick, efficient way to truly engage with the customer on various levels while ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Technology is making improvements for the restaurant industry. While retailers may be a bit slower to adapt to the tablets in their locations, I anticipate that this will increase significantly in 2014.

Make The Most Of Customer Feedback

It’s not always easy to get customers to provide feedback in a survey. So, when they do, you want to make sure your survey is designed to get the most information possible while not frustrating the customer.

There are some things to keep in mind as you’re designing your feedback survey:

1. Factor in the entire experience: in the case of a cell phone feedback survey, for example, your current survey may focus on the customer’s in store experience, since that is where they are interacting with the brand and you can easily offer a survey. Your questions may relate solely to the in store experience; since that does not encompass the entire experience with the brand, it’s best to add questions related to more peripheral points of service, such as network coverage, connectivity satisfaction, speed of online browsing, etc. If you’re only focusing on one point of the customer journey, you may not be aware of other things that are driving customers away.

2. Measure, then really analyze: don’t focus on one statistic, such as overall satisfaction; that may mislead you into a false sense of security. It’s best to really dig down into each aspect of the customer journey and compare those to overall satisfaction to really learn what motivates customers to stay with you and what motivates them to leave.

For example, you may find that customers are generally dissatisfied with the speed of service in the checkout line, yet they are giving fairly high ratings for overall satisfaction and likelihood of returning. This tells you, especially if it is a trend over time, that while this needs to improve, it’s not a “make or break” situation for customers. On the flip side, you may find that product selection is a consistent issue, and those customers are also saying they won’t be back. This is more of a “make and break” issue that needs to be addressed quickly.

3. Have a follow up plan in place: studies show that if a customer requests follow up on a feedback survey, and they are highly satisfied with the follow up, even if their issue may not have been fully resolved, they are 61% more likely to return in the future.

Your best bet is to have a double closed loop resolution in place. When a customer requests follow up, make sure there is a plan in place to reach out to the customer as quickly as possible after the survey is submitted. Then, follow up a second time to ensure that follow up was in fact done, and the customer’s issue was resolved. This sends a great message to customers while making sure there is no breakdown in the customer journey.

Customer feedback can be hard to come by; make sure you’re making the most of it.

Give Franchises Tools For Success

As companies grow, it can be difficult to endure the “growing pains” that come along with it, and franchising a business is no exception. Franchise owners are provided support and guidance, especially in the beginning, and providing ongoing support and tools to be successful will help them be successful while maintaining consistency across all locations.

One trend we’re seeing is offering customer experience measurement service tools to franchise owners, Area Developers, and Territory Managers within companies nationwide. This can come in the form of offering mystery shopping and customer feedback tools for franchises to monitor their progress, ensure they are adhering to corporate policy, and give peace of mind to those at the corporate level as they begin to grow.

Many larger companies will contract with a provider that offers such tools and secure a discounted rate for services. Once that is in place, corporate can offer these services to franchises at that reduced rate. Some may opt to use their own, internal, program, or contract with another provider for similar services. Offering a uniform set of tools, however, provides many benefits to all, including:

1. Cost effective programs: because pricing is reduced for the company, franchise owners can take advantage of the lower price points, making it more cost effective than seeking out services individually.

2. Monitor health of franchise locations: if desired, those at the corporate level will have access to the data from mystery shopping and feedback programs for all locations. This will allow corporate to ensure that standards and operational procedures are being met. It also gives the franchise owners a gauge of how they are doing compared to other locations, as the reporting capabilities allow for location vs company trending and analysis.

3. Identify where support is needed: often times the results of these programs can shed light on additional areas where support may be needed to help a franchise owner be successful. This may come in the form of additional training and education, or assistance with marketing and promotional materials.

Companies who offer these tools to their franchises have reported success. Franchise owners and Area Managers have taken advantage of these programs and reported that the data collected is extremely useful in gauging success and identifying challenges across locations.

These tools can also be used as a discussion guide during corporate meetings, franchise teleconferences, or other similar meeting opportunities Franchises can share their experiences and results from these measurement programs, and together can get feedback and share best practices, often times with guidance at the corporate level, to help each owner be successful.

Does your company offer customer experience measurement tools/services to franchise locations? Feel free to share how your company does this, and how successful it has been for your company.

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