How Restaurant Owners Benefit From Customer Loyalty Programs

Anyone who wants to succeed in business MUST have a way of maintaining a consistent flow of loyal customers.  Taking steps to become relevant in the minds of customers result in a steady growth of any business.   Because people react differently when making purchasing decisions, business owners should apply versatility in their marketing campaigns. Building a business takes more than a single approach.  Those who engage buyers in multiple ways are more likely to succeed faster than those who use the one-size-fits all marketing strategy.  With the continuous growth in technology, implementing different ways to market and expose your business through automation is much more easier before.  There are Apps, Software, Video and Audio Training  and a host of other resources and materials that can be used for the expansion of a business owner to accomplish his or her goal.  Taking advantage of what's available, can go a long way.

One effective marketing strategy to grow a business in this era of digital advertising is through loyalty and rewards programs.  Generally, the program works for most niches.  But it can be more effective in specific categories than others.  

For example, loyalty and rewards program works well in the following categories:

Food
Salons & Spas

Retail Stores

Apparel

Coffee Shops

Bakeries

In the Food industry for instance, restaurant owners has more challenges in maintaining a consistent flow of customers because of the nature of the business.  People are sensitive to what goes into their bodies, and tend to have high expectations in the restaurants and food places they patronize.  If the quality of food or service is not up to their expectations, chances are, they will give a negative review about the business.  These reviews can go viral on the internet and social media and can easily drive customers away.  People can badmouth a restaurant business for something as tiny as a crumb on a table and consumers will believe them, not to talk about the taste of the food.   So sincerely speaking, it is hard to build a restaurant business without a program set up for customer retention.   When customers are happy with the food and service they get, they can intervene and defend that business, stopping a few disgruntled customers from damaging the reputation.  Look around on the internet and on social media, and you will read reviews and discussions about restaurants and eating places all the time.

If you are in the food business, customer retention is essential for you to keep the business running. If you cannot find a way to keep your existing customers coming back to you, chances are, you may end up shutting down.  

Getting Buyers To Become Loyal To You.

1.  Incredible Customer Service

Happy customers will always keep you in mind, which can result in customer loyalty.  The way to keep your clients happy and satisfied is by giving them outstanding customer service.  Think about this. There are many other restaurants and food places in your area that are competing with you.  People are free to go to any of them if they so choose.  So would it take to turn someone that goes into your restaurant to become a "repeat" customer?  It all boils down to Customer Service.  Remembering the names of your regular customers and their favorite menu can also be beneficial.
Many restaurant owners have had to either shut down or sell the business so it goes under a new management because of bad customer service.  If you don’t treat your customers right, you certainly won't see them or their friends again.  Not only that, news about bad customer service in a restaurant can go viral very quickly even without the internet.  So make sure that the food is not only great and reasonably priced,  let your hospitality matters as well.  Hire skilled and experienced staff that will treat your customers with utmost respect. Remember, even if you are serving the most delicious food, retaining customers will be a challenge if they are dissatisfied with your service.

2.  Offer Incentives

Gifts and offers are a great way of making your customers feel appreciated and be prone to coming back. People love to feel that they are getting their money's worth and their presence is valued.  One way to make that happen is to give your customers a reason to visit again, and one powerful way that is working for most business owners is having a customer reward or loyalty program that is automated.  The advantage is that, you can schedule your "promotions", "Special Discount Days," and so on.  Such a program takes away the tedious task of spending time reaching out to them, and give you the freedom to focus on growing and improving your business.

3. Invest in Digital Signage & TV Entertainment

Even though your customers may come in to eat, having a digital display about important information about the business or offering some form of entertainment while waiting for their orders is a great way to keep them engaged.  Digital signage makes that possible.  For example, in a restaurant, you can display menus for each time of day or can show some TV show while they're waiting for their meals.  Generally, men prefer watching Sports and women prefer watching "Talk Shows."  Study the demographic of your customers and plan accordingly.  For example, do more men come in in the morning for Breakfast?   Do you see more women coming at Lunch time?  Then a good talk show would be better.  What about the food?  Do you have customers that come in for a Vegan or Vegetarian diet?  Then maybe a delicious Vegan or Vegetarian menu in addition to the regular menu can be displayed, making it easy for customers to see what's being offered.

4. Collect Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is a powerful way to know what your customers think about you and your business.  Most restaurants use feedback they get from their customers to identify areas of the business that needs improvement.  And because it is important for people to feel valued, asking them for their feedback is one way to make them feel appreciated. Popping up in between or after the meals to ask if everything is fine demonstrates that you are concerned about their satisfaction.  If a customer is dissatisfied, address the concern immediately. DON'T let them leave without a resolution because you know they will head right to the internet and social media. 

Using these tips in addition to the personal touch you add to your business, will make it easy for you to boost your customer retention rate.