Online Food Delivery has been a part of the daily lives of modern diners since it was introduced by the Restaurant Industry. And there’s no surprise that it has become one of the champions for the Industry when the pandemic crisis started.
Online Food Delivery was acknowledged as the one of the only winners of this pandemic situation. It was expected to see a growth in home delivery and takeaway. (Source)
For a restaurateur who wants to continue and comply with the new safety protocols, Online Food Delivery is the best compromise for you. It also opens opportunities for you to expand, if done right. And in order to integrate this additional service to your restaurant business, it is important for you to know what are the factors that may affect your Online Orders.
Menu, Location, and Prices are some of the factors that directly influences the decision of consumers with Online Food Delivery. Here, we’re going to tackle the factors that restaurateurs usually miss to check that affects their online orders.
Hidden Factors That Affects Online Food Delivery
- Staff
Whether you decided to focus on doing Online Food Delivery or you’re just adding this service for your restaurant business, it is important to know that your staff affects your online orders.
In order to keep up with the demand of Online Food Delivery, it is important for you to delegate the additional tasks to your staff. There should be someone who should manage and process orders, someone who coordinates with your drivers or third-party vendors, someone who updates the menu and inventory, someone who can assist to meet the additional order volume, and someone who is dedicated to deliveries (if you decide to have your in-house delivery service).
A well trained set of employees would be your backbone and support with this type of service, if they fail to do their roles, your business would most likely go down with them as well.
Tip : Cross Training is a perfect solution if you’re trying to minimize the costs for additional training or hiring extra staff to do the work for you.
- Transparency
For Online Food Delivery, it is important to be careful with the innovations and fusions you would like to offer to your customers. Modern diners are usually in for new and fresh ideas, but if you claim to offer authentic Chinese cuisines, customers would be expecting the same from you and not some hybrid meals.
A restaurateur should make it clear on what type of restaurant and cuisine his business is going to serve. This is to help the customers set their expectations right. Innovations for unique dishes are good, but you don’t have to completely lose the familiarity over your cuisine.
If you want repeat customers for your Online Food Delivery business, make sure you always live up with your claims.
- Customer Experience
This is commonly missed because restaurateurs often think that customers will give them the free way to exit should they fail to deliver a delightful customer experience because they can’t hear the complaints personally. The thing is, modern diners are just as unforgiving to Online Food Delivery Services just as they are to Traditional Dine-In Restaurants.
Starting from the moment they place the order, until they taste your food item, it is important to keep the customers satisfied. That’s why you have to be careful on what type of customer experience you’re servicing to your customers.
With Online Food Delivery, they are not just buying you because of your food, they’ve chosen you because you offer something they can’t find to other delivery services. They’re paying for the experience only you can provide.
Your service should scream excellence and convenience to all the touchpoints you have with your customers such as on how you process your orders, and what are the payment options available. It is important to make them feel that their experience is your utmost priority.
- Reviews
A bad customer experience results in a review that could hurt the reputation of your Online Food Delivery. If you’re not monitoring and responding to reviews, we advise you to start now. For example, many people have experienced problems with Uber restaurant hub and Deliveroo sign in.
Remember that people follow people. They are not simply persuaded by marketing and sales tricks. If they find negative and not responded reviews to different platforms, they might have second thoughts about your Online Food Delivery service.
- Packaging
Packaging has an impact on the condition of food, if you’re using a packaging that’s not suited for your food items, it will totally affect the customer experience you’re trying to deliver.
An effective packaging doesn’t just keep your food item fresh, it also represents your Online Food Delivery service well. It should do its job keeping the food items fresh but it should also do the marketing for your business.
The packages are just some of the elements of your Online Food Delivery service, aside from your food item and delivery service provider, that has a direct contact with your customers. If you provide them a plain and sub par packaging, it will reflect your status as a food service provider.
- Competition
Online Food Delivery Services always thinks that there are too many customers to feed, while this is true, you can’t keep the fact that a direct competition will affect your business.
A divided attention of customers will be not good for any business, and being part of an Industry that benefits from direct customers, it is important to always stay ahead of the game.
Tip : Make a good market research and competitor analysis. It should serve as your guide while you’re paving your way to success with Online Food Delivery service.
- Deliver Service Provider
Another factor that’s definitely affecting your online orders is your delivery service provider. Either you decided to have your in-house delivery service or you partner up with a third-party provider, there is no assurance that they would deliver the customer service you intended them to provide.
Keep in mind that modern diners seek convenience and quality in every Online Food Delivery service. They could have a bad impression if there are delays with the delivery, if the food didn’t arrive as it should be, or if a driver is now showing enough courtesy.
- Technology
A common mistake by Online Food Delivery service providers is not giving enough sense of control to your customers. Having a reliable takeaway ordering app that could help customers to process their orders easily and track the delivery with real-time updates is one way to make them feel that they are in control.
This sense of control often leads to satisfaction to your service, and it directs back to a restaurateur aiming to offer customer delight. And a customer delight can surely be rewarding for your Online Food Delivery service.
