Feedback Feast: Tasty Tips for Gathering Customer Input

Your customers want to chat, and you should let them! Building deep, authentic relationships with your customers will always be worth investing in.

By Andy Freivogel Co-Founder and CEO, Science On Call

Do you run a restaurant business? I’ve got a burning question for you - what's the crown jewel in your business arsenal?

Answers may vary, from your dedicated staff to your closely guarded family recipes, or perhaps that state-of-the-art smoker or espresso machine that just found its home in your kitchen.

But here's the nugget of truth I was after: Your restaurant's most precious treasure is its reputation.

Crafting and maintaining an authentic brand coupled with an impeccable reputation for your establishment is not just crucial but also a Herculean task. Serve up stellar service, delectable dishes, and a consistently delightful dining experience, and you're sitting pretty. Slip up in any of these departments, however, and if the word gets out, you might find yourself in hot water.

Let's throw some numbers your way: 63% of consumers swear they'd cease patronizing a brand due to a sour customer experience. And get this, negative reviews alone have deterred a whopping 94% of consumers from giving a business a shot.

To ensure a perpetually positive customer journey, you've got to grasp what your patrons crave and anticipate. Listening to your customers means more than just keeping tabs on Yelp, Google, or Reddit reviews.

Owner-operators should adopt a proactive, customer-centric approach to soliciting feedback. Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of how to coax out meaningful customer commentary and, more importantly, how to leverage it to bolster your bottom line.

Here are five pointers to enhance your customer feedback strategy, gleaned from the seasoned pros who we work with at Science on Call: 

1. Conduct a Brand Assessment

Before you hit the ground running, take a breather. When's the last time you delved deep into what your brand truly signifies?

Who are your target patrons? In a cutthroat world teeming with 1000s of local and national brands, what sets your eatery apart?

Round up your brain trust – trusted advisors, business cohorts, and seasoned employees. Mull over what your collective vision for the brand should be. Then, scrutinize whether your decisions – be it the menu, service model, or advertising – align with that vision.

Establishing a baseline for your brand will serve as a roadmap for your customer feedback endeavors.

2. Initiate a Customer Listening Campaign

Once you've mulled over your brand identity, it's time to tune in to the voice of the customer.

It doesn't have to be overly intricate. Shoot out a post-purchase email/SMS inviting patrons to share their thoughts via a survey. Form a compact focus group to glean fresh insights. Sweeten the deal with a complimentary coupon, meal, or beverage to entice participation.

Approach your listening campaign with an open mind. Let your patrons steer the conversation.

3. Pilot a Customer Feedback Platform

We're big proponents of a tech-savvy feedback approach. Technology can streamline the process and expedite your journey without devouring all your time.

Our pals over at Ovation have crafted a platform that streamlines the customer feedback process. With this tool, owner-operators can dispatch succinct, two-question, SMS-based surveys to gather actionable insights aimed at enhancing retention, snagging five-star reviews, and boosting revenue. Ovation's AI then steps in to dissect that feedback and pinpoint areas ripe for improvement.

There are other customer feedback platforms too! Localyser offers a solution that aggregates feedback from multiple review and social media sites to allow you to view and respond to all customer feedback in a single dashboard. Marqii is a one-stop digital operations platform built for hospitality operators to manage and automate menus, reviews, listings, and local SEO searches.

4. Don't Let Fear – or a Communication Gap – Stifle Progress

Like any enterprise, restaurants thrive on innovation and experimentation. Spoiler alert: Not every fresh initiative will hit the bullseye! But fret not; as long as you maintain transparent communication with your patrons, chances are they'll cut you some slack.

This applies both to soliciting customer feedback and executing changes based on that input. Lay your cards on the table regarding your objectives. Your patrons will appreciate your efforts to integrate their feedback.

Kick off that focus group. Adopt that customer feedback platform. Roll out that new menu item inspired by a handful of loyal patrons. The only way to grow is to embrace novelty!

5. Start Small

This tidbit might seem like a no-brainer, but its significance cannot be overstated.

If you're anything like most restaurant owner-operators, your plate is brimming with tasks. Your profit margins are likely razor-thin. So, don't bite off more than you can chew.

Gathering customer feedback is about taking measured strides toward improvement, not executing a radical overhaul overnight. If you're managing multiple locations, dip your toe in the water by piloting a new initiative at a single venue. String together incremental actions and allocate time to evaluate the outcomes.

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of carving out time for customer feedback?

Fret not! The squad of restaurant technophiles at Science On Call recognizes the constraints of the 24-hour day. Owner-operators harness our lightning-quick, AI-powered help desk to swiftly diagnose and tackle tech glitches. In essence, we take the tech load off your shoulders so you can turn your focus to more pressing matters – like nurturing customer relationships.

Our crew excels at smoothing out the kinks in the adoption of new technologies, empowering you to forge ahead, experiment fearlessly, and foster deeper connections with your patrons.

If that sounds like music to your ears, give us a holler. The next time tech troubles rear their ugly head, we've got your back.

Andy Freivogel is Co-Founder and CEO at Science On Call, the lightning-fast, AI-powered help desk for restaurants. Prior to his role at Science On Call, Andy was the IT Director at Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea and later co-ran a boutique IT consultancy with his business partner, Luisa Castellanos. He has a relentless passion for solving technology problems for restaurants.